I’ve grown to think Rodgers and Hammerstein were the best, but only by a nose, and it killed me not to include songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter or Jerome Kern;

Ray d'Entremont , Bio and Archives--August 25, 2026

Cover Story | Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us

You may have noticed that most of my “albums” contain ten songs. I began with a list of 100 Broadway show tunes, and cutting the first 80 wasn’t that difficult. But eliminating the final eight took days. They were too close to call in a horse race, so I added new criteria that gave a slight edge to those that survived. I hope you like them. As a rocker I confess to having seen few musicals live, but curiosity led me to listen to many show tunes over the years--and I married a woman who knew all the words. 

Naturally a lot of them found their way into our dinner-music playlists, progressing from LPs to tapes, CDs, iTunes and now YouTube Music. I came to appreciate first the magnificent songwriting, then the soaring vocals, and finally the whole shebang. I’ve grown to think Rodgers and Hammerstein were the best, but only by a nose, and it killed me not to include songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter or Jerome Kern.

Some may be surprised that Andrew Lloyd Webber got the nod twice, but I couldn’t bring myself to eliminate either “Memory” or “All I Ask of You,” so here we are. Ultimately, there are no serious consequences if some of my picks are considered dumb by some; and since disagreement over fun stuff isn’t illegal, immoral or fattening, here are the final twelve--in no particular order.

Hey! Look Me Over--Peggy Lee--Wildcat:

This comes from a 1960 Broadway show, starring Lucille Ball. The composer had his work cut out for him; Lucy only had about 5 good notes in her range. Ball once paired with co-star Paula Stewart to do it live on The Ed Sullivan Show. In this rendition Peggy Lee jazzes it up; her toe-tappin’ delivery was far more successful than the short-lived musical.

Memory--Elaine Paige--Cats:

Andrew Lloyd Webber needs no introduction; neither does Cats. Few folks know, however, that Cats is based on T.S. Eliot's 1939 collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Most of these songs are Eliot's poems set direct to music, but "Memory" is original. Webber created the misty melody, while director Trevor Nunn wrote lyrics about regret, hope and redemption. Here, it is performed by beloved musical-theatre star Elaine Paige, whose version reached the British Top 10. Susan Boyle rose from obscurity to fame after placing second in Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 with this song. No longer relegated to a frumpy Elaine Paige image, Susan remains humble in spite of amassing a net worth in the range of US$30 million.

Try to Remember--The Brothers Four--The Fantasticks:

In the 1960s, I guided tours out of........

© Canada Free Press