Saying Bali-Bye-Bye to the 1950s…
Topped the chart:
2nd November 1958 (for 70 weeks)
13th March 1960 (for 19 weeks)
31st July 1960 (for 5 weeks)
9th October (for 13 weeks)
26th February 1961 (for 1 week)
26th March 1961 (for 1 week)
25th June 1961 (for 4 weeks)
20th August 1961 (for 1 week)
3rd September 1961 (for 1 week)
115 weeks total
Out of all the Rogers & Hammerstein musicals we’ve covered thus far, South Pacific is both the most successful of the bunch and the least culturally impactful. Whilst we have Captain Sensible to thank for Happy Talk carrying through to the 1980s, South Pacific just isn’t talked about in the way that Oklahoma and The Sound of Music are. And when you consider just how long this album was at number one, this is hugely surprising- did anyone expect that the chart of the 1950s would come to an end abruptly in 1958?
Much like the early James Bond films, South Pacific’s late-50s appeal lay in its exoticism. In an era when very few people could afford to fly to tropical islands, the film itself offered a chance to experience a holiday sat in a cold damp British cinema screen. The soundtrack’s chart-swallowing success is a little harder to explain.
Both musically and cinematically, South Pacific is a widescreen epic—Cinemascope emotions painted immensely against the backdrop of a full orchestra, so it’s no surprise that the specific, more relatable emotions that the swooning ballads such as Younger Than Springtime reach for are quickly lost. Some Enchanted Evening is the soundtrack’s central ballad that the score recalls in places and it’s a more effective tune, but it’s completely sunk by the mannered operatic bass of Giorgio Tozzi (singing for actor Rossano Brazzi). Technically impressive, but it kills any emotion stone dead.
The film’s “light” songs fall even wider of the mark. In the UK, There is Nothing Like a Dame remained a standard for some time thanks to 70s newsreaders larking about on The Morecombe and Wise Show, but the range of operatic and poppier vocals mismatch horribly, not helped by a repetitive melody that circles round for a few too many verses. I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair is better, but its attempt at a frothy take on Respect ten years early is wiped away being next to I’m In Love with a Wonderful Guy on the album, both sung by the same character. A stronger shampoo is needed, perhaps?
There are highlights- Happy Talk is a little joy nestled in the second half and buoys the soundtrack’s pacing as it starts to slip beneath the waves. Despite the issues with individual songs, it should be said that the score is rather wonderful, centred around soundtrack highlight Bali Ha’i. It’s a mysterious tune that builds an atmosphere without resorting to hackneyed “Orientalism” that other songwriters of the era may have resorted to for shorthand. From the overture onwards, it’s sparse few notes appear and disappear through other moments of the soundtrack.
And as we wave goodbye to the South Pacific islands of the 1950s disappearing beneath our feet, we begin our flight into the 1960s and, with the exception of a certain singing nun, we also leave behind the era of Richard Rogers dominating the album chart. Be warned though, there are some choppy, freaky waters between here and the arrival of The Beatles…
Score: 4/10
Track listing:
1. South Pacific Overture
2. Dites-moi
3. A Cockeyed Optimist
4. Twin Soliloquies/Some Enchanted Evening
5. Bloody Mary
6. My Girl Back Home
7. There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame
8. Bali Ha’i
9. I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair
10. I’m In Love with a Wonderful Guy
11. Younger Than Springtime
12. Happy Talk
13. Honey Bun
14. You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught
15. This Nearly Was Mine
16. Finale
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