My Favorite Love Songs From Musicals

Who doesn't enjoy a good love song? Musicals tend to have a love song and so here are my favorite love songs from musicals. 

11) "Il Mundo Era Vuoto," The Light in the Piazza

Fabrizio declares his love at first sight for Clara in Italian. But he also laments at how poor he is and the fact he can't provide for Clara. 

10) "Say It Somehow," The Light in the Piazza

This wonderful duet is sung by Fabrizio and Clara. Fabrizio is struggling to declare his love for her in something other in Italian. Clara encourages him to tell her in a way she'll understand and he proposes. She accepts his offer of marriage. 

9) "Love To Me," The Light in the Piazza

This song is sung by Fabrizio, after Clara has overheard her mother's side of a phone conversation with her father, who thinks that Clara can't handle the responsibilities of married life. She goes to a church and meets Fabrizio, telling she can't marry him because she can't allow herself to cause him any pain. Fabrizio assuages all her fears. 

8) "Ten Minutes Ago," Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

This is so good. This song is sung by Prince Chris and Cinderella as they're dancing at the ball.  It's about love at first sight.

7) "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?", Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Sung a little later during the ball, the Prince and Cinderella find the fact that they've fallen madly in love with each other a bit strange, scary, and wonderful at the same time. In this song, they wonder if their love is deep and genuine or imaginary and shallow. 

6) "Shall We Dance?", The King and I

After a state dinner for English dignitaries, Anna teaches the King to dance the polka with a song about how romance begins during dances. Everything about this scene is beautiful. I especially love Anna's gown and the fast-paced polka towards the end of the sequence. 

5) "When You're In Love," Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

Backwoodsman Adam Pontipee has taken smalltown girl Milly as his wife. She thinks that she will be caring for only him, but when they arrive at his home in the mountains, she meets his six brothers, who are all uncouth like him. Angry at Adam and thinking he wants her to be his servant, Milly refuses to sleep with him. Adam acknowledges that he needs her assistance around the property because living in the woods is challenging. After Milly kicks him out of the room, Adam settles in a tree outside the bedroom window to save face with his brothers. Milly explains that she had high hopes for love and marriage, and allows Adam to sleep in the room, just not in the bed with her. This song is sung by both after Adam settles into the tree.

4) "Take Me As I Am," Jekyll and Hyde

This song is sung by Dr. Henry Jekyll and his fiancée, Lisa/Emma Carew after their engagement party. I particularly enjoy the version with Anthony Warlow.

3) "Tonight (Balcony Scene)," West Side Story

This song is sung by Tony and Maria hours after they've met at a dance. West Side Story is a more contemporary version of Romeo & Juliet. Tony and Maria are associated with two rival gangs, the Jets & the Sharks. So this is basically the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet as a song number and in a more contemporary version of the Romeo & Juliet story. 

2) "One Hand, One Heart," West Side Story

This song characterizes the nature of Christian marriage, except the line "Even death won't part us now." It is performed by Tony and Maria while they're at a bridal store on a date. In the 2021 film, they perform it while on a date at the Cloisters.

I love this song so much that I used it in a James Bond fanfiction for a wedding cake cutting scene. 

1) "All I Ask of You," The Phantom of the Opera

As usual, you should know by now that a Phantom song is guaranteed to be the top song on my favorite musical song numbers lists, with the exception of my top Les Mis songs list.  

Following a murder and the story of her encounter with the Phantom, Christine and her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, confess their love for each other on the rooftop of the Opera House with this gorgeous duet while a jealous and heartbroken Phantom overhears the whole thing. 

It has commitment/wedding vow tones in the lyrics. 

And regardless of whether you're Raoulstine/Team Raoul, Eristine/Team Phantom, a Eristine and Raoulstine shipper, or Team Christine, pretty much every demographic of the fanbase can agree that this song is gorgeous.