Musical Remakes: One Changed Word Can Alter a Song's Theme

Sometimes an idea is conveyed in a song that explains exactly how the characters are feeling. The theme is explained perfectly through the lyrics, the music exemplifies inner emotions of the singers and the atmosphere is just right. This is often the power of the musical. But as they go through different Broadway groups or are remade into motion pictures, pivotal lyrics are sometimes changed, causing the entire meaning behind the song to change or the personality of an entire group of characters to change.

An easy example of this is the musical Jesus Christ Superstar; the popular 1970 version of the film was remade in a low-budget, made-for-TV Australian remake that has developed a cult following on YouTube.

In the musical the biblical story of Jesus's view upturning of tables at the Temple is told. Following his disgust with what he saw, he then marches off to find time to collect his thoughts alone. The incident clearly affected him profoundly as he explains his frustration with the people and the entire idea of fulfilling the Messianic Prophecies appears to be overwhelming him. As he wanders down a valley however, a group of lepers appear.

Recognizing Jesus, they flock him.

"See my eyes I can hardly see," one says, and another follows suit with how their skin is covered in pores, another explains how they can barely walk, another talks about his tongue and how he can barely speak. Perhaps to add to it all, one mentions he's a "poor poor man" and wants Jesus to "cure his purse". Initially Jesus attempts to set on the task, but he is quickly overwhelmed, accentuating the frustration he felt previously as people overlook the message he is attempting to bring the world in favor of temporary physical benefits.

All the while he is asking them for order, they continue to plead with him, "See my eyes I can hardly see, see my tongue I can hardly talk, see my legs I can hardly stand," insisting upon him their desire to be healed. Jesus is quickly overwhelmed, and begins telling them to leave him alone. The scene is flustered with a hint of frustration at the almost single minded selfishness of many of them. Clearly there is nothing wrong with wanting a physical ailment to be healed - but they show a total sense of self-important, demanding upon Jesus's time and crowding him, pushing each other away and demanding healing in no particular order, descending into a chaotic sea of leper filled bodies.

In the 2000 version, a single word is changed. While each leper introduces themselves with their specific ailments, the chorus involves "See our eyes we can hardly see, see us stand we can hardly walk." This may seem simple, but the entire tone of the situation is fundamentally changed, perhaps to the degradation of the scene. The people are no longer single minded in their swarm of Jesus, all demanding an individual time, but they have become a collective of outcasts, registering themselves almost fairly as a minority group that has been overlooked inside the city. This also further removes any kind of justification for Jesus's anger - changing him from being one simply flustered by a proverbial "zerg" of lepers to an almost lazy Messiah who doesn't have time for these icky lepers.

When converting songs, it may seem convenient to change a single word, after all, it's not a major word, it's not changing the structure of the sentence in any way. But often times, you are dramatically shifting the entire focus of the scene, and in turn, can effect the way the audience views the characters.