How All You Wanna Do Works in Six (It's Britney)

0:00 Intro
0:21 Queenspirations
1:34 History Reclaimed
3:06 Musical Metaphor
4:05 Toxic Six Mashup
4:50 Britney on Broadway
5:33 Why Toxic?
9:11 The Final Kiss
All You Wanna Do is the emotional turning point of Six the Musical. But how does it work musically? What does it have to do with Britney Spears?
Featuring Margaret Hall
/ itsmargarethall
www.margaret-hall.com/about
Jolanda Draws
www.jolandadraws.com/
@bwaySHO
/ bwaysho
/ bwaysho
/ bwaysho
/ bwaysho
Vulture - Henry VIII’s Discarded Queens Get Their Revenge in Broadway’s Six
www.vulture.com/2020/03/six-b...
A Royal Roundtable with SIX The Musical
• A Royal Roundtable wit...
Samantha Pauly - All You Wanna Do
• All You Wanna Do - SIX...
BwaySHO - SIX: The Musical Celebrates Broadway Return with Queendom
• SIX: The Musical Celeb...
Britney Spears - Toxic
• Britney Spears - Toxic...
Britney Spears - Womanizer
• Britney Spears - Woman...
The Standard - Hit musical Six creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss talk making Henry VIII's wives into pop stars
www.standard.co.uk/culture/th...
Charles Cornell - Why EVERYONE Loves Toxic by Britney Spears
• Why EVERYONE Loves Tox...
Other images by Pixabay and Pexels.
Use of copyrighted music is licensed under fair use.
If you like these videos and want to support them more directly, please join me on Patreon for some extra goodies!
BECOME MY PATRON: / howardho
Join TIDAL Free for 60 Days:www.kqzyfj.com/click-10026593...
Get 40% Off Skillshare using code "FLASH40": skillshare.eqcm.net/c/1330188...
Sign up for SOUNDFLY and get 15% OFF with code "HHMusic15"
Go signup here: bit.ly/2AleTt3
Please like, follow, and comment at me!
WEB: howardhomusic.com/
TWITTER: / ho_howard
SOUNDCLOUD: / howardwho-1
INSTAGRAM: / howardwho
TIKTOK: / howardhomusic
#six #musicaltheatre #sixthemusical

[@ShaharHarshuv]

Another interesting observation - this progression changes in the pre-(pre)-chorus to i III iv v Which is going up even higher than major. Possible indicating the hope that "this one is different"

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh, excellent analysis! I love it when others take it further!

[@lilinthia]

I would like to point out that this is the only song that doesn't have the other queens as back up singers as well. It's literally showing just how alone Howard was

[@myrkuuma]

!!!!HOW DIDNT I NOTICE THIS

[@AhSatan]

That's true. I noticed that the only time they do sing throughout the song is when they sing, "playtime's over".

[@andresmaldonado8935]

@@AhSatan they also sing the first all you wanna do

[@AhSatan]

@@andresmaldonado8935 You're right! They do; I never really noticed that they do the first all you wanna do.

[@nevaehmusic1240]

This was actually done on purpose by the creators to symbolize how the other queens didn’t like her during her life, and how no other woman supported her when these things were happening to her as a child

[@CassReidIsSomeone]

The pattern of labeling young, popular women as vapid and promiscuous rather than victims of manipulation and exploitation is on full display from the chords to the lyrics. Excellent work as always!

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

Exactly! Men love to call women and anything relating to femininity stupid and shallow because of misogyny and patriarchy. Like she also liked dance, music, and jewelry, and for some reason people used that against her. It’s so sad and maddening.

[@jjjjjjjjkigghh8662]

Exactly anything feminine is dismissed or demonized

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

@@jjjjjjjjkigghh8662 Exactly!!!

[@molybdomancer195]

Nope the lyrics outline that Katherine Howard was abused from a young age. She’s looking for love but gets men wanting something else.

[@fynnh.8460]

@@molybdomancer195 I might misunderstand but how is that a contradiction to the statement? Would you elaborate?

[@Aureilia]

It drives me insane that Henry Mannox was 23 during that first 'relationship' and Katherine Howard only lived to 21 at the most like jesus

[@nargisfakhri9243]

Plot twist: 23 was the age gap

[@rblxaba3736]

im pretty sure the line “he was 23” was only used to fir syllables and make it sound rhythmic, i think when it happened irl he was actually 30+

[@xXHallowed_EveXx]

I looked it up , she was 18

[@esther2734]

He was 36, 23 was their age gap

[@starbird6]

not to mention henry’s first marriage lasted 24 years, so at least 3 years longer than k howard was alive

[@jer9grant]

That realization of "Maybe I shouldn't [be laughing]" is 👌 My favorite audience reaction to that song is dead (no pun intended) silence. Like just shocked speechless horror as K Howard sobs on stage. It's _such_ a difficult song to perform-it has four choruses! And you have to _break down_ by the end. Just, brava

[@VanNessy97]

If I got cast as Katherine Howard, I would have arranged a bit with the producers to pause the song after the fourth "Connection" for a full 44 seconds while Katherine seemingly dissociates on stage. I've heard dissociation is a symptom of PTSD.

[@Whoomstest]

@@VanNessy97 I understand your trying to further the point but that's not how disassociation works. Coming from someone who has it. Ypu don't just pause in a middle of a thought and snap back into song. You should really look further into symptoms if your intrested if you want to take on a role so your accurately educated. Spreading misinformation of victims of abuse is the worst thing you could do and how they act is a very private matter and not universal. Everyone acts different to trauma, so be careful what you try to "show" the world because they'll take your word for fact when it not always is true for everyone.

[@VanNessy97]

@@Whoomstest then how does it work?

[@Cruznick06]

@@VanNessy97 depends on the situation and person. I keep going like everything is fine but am acting entirely on autopilot.

[@alyssagrimes2521]

Yes that’s always the best reaction, I saw the Aragon Tour a few times while they were in Tampa a few weeks ago and every single time the audience was dead silent from the end of AYWD until the cheerful “and then I was beheaded!” broke that tension, like the audience was like “oh okay we’re allowed to applause now.” It was so chilling but so perfect

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

The "bad girls" in Six have THE catchiest songs! And I love how each of the Queens is modeled after famous pop divas. In the case of Katherine Howard, she has a song like Britney's and dresses like Ariana Gradne. K Howard is here and the fun's begun!

[@jackiecozzie4803]

yh I love how they come in sets, you have the "bad girls" (Howard and Boleyn), the "sad girls" (Seymour and Parr), and the "mad girls" (Aragon and Cleves), and their songs kind of match vibes. Also I just wanna say how proud I am that I came up with that rhyme on the spot ahahaha

[@yarraidalg]

​​@@jackiecozzie4803bad girls sad girls and mad girls" that's unironically fucking genius

[@aierie-dragonslayer]

When I went to see Six a month and a half ago, two moments really stuck with me. The first was just... all of Heart of Stone, the actress playing Jane Seymour absolutely killed it, and the second was the moment right after the end of All You Wanna Do, where the whole theater was completely silent, and Katherine Howard was standing perfectly still, silhouetted against the bright bubblegum pink lights. That image is one that I expect will continue to stay with me for a long time to come, and it really drives home just how horrible her life and death were.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, that moment is indeed very haunting.

[@cynosure2]

Who did you see as Howard?

[@pbnjams]

I remember going to a history museum somewhere in Birmingham or Liverpool. There was an a whole special exhibit on the Tudors. When it came to Katherine Howard’s role in history, a lot of the historians had her down as someone who was “promiscuous”, “vapid”, “air headed” etc. I remember so clearly how striking it was that only one female historian said that she was exposed to sex when she was young and impressionable and in a vulnerable time of her life.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thank you for sharing the persistence of that historical narrative. At least there was that one female historian included, but you'd think there would be more of them included by now given the subject matter.

[@unluckyomens370]

I can see how it started this way but im actually kind of baffled how more modern historians dont go hold up thats a child

[@thebookwyrmslair6757]

​@unluckyomens370 I hate to be the hard historian here, but considering how many women were married as soon as they could physically MAKE children (menses) - rather than carry them to a healthy term - this lens makes sense. Young teens weren't allowed the luxury of an extended childhood. What we call parentification and abuse has been reality for most of history. It's only in the last century that we've had the luxury of allowing teenagers to continue into adolescence and protect their "child" status a little longer. To the historians of the 17-19th centuries, surrounded by children doing dangerous chores or working as soon as they could understand the job, of course she was a full-grown adult daughter of the Howard household, already trained and tainted by the older Anne Boleyn's machinations. Anne was her cousin, after all. Is today's view more accurate? Probably, at least when looked through our modern lens. Was it accurate to their culture and understanding? Ummm... On one level they had to understand that how they scapegoated her to protect a ravaged, damaged king was just wrong. However, if it's blame the king or blame the one who we had proof was an adulteress? Particularly when Henry is the PRIME example of the Divine Right of Kings AND they were trying to protect their image of the British Empire, monarchy, etc? I can understand WHY they would choose the easier path. *edited for spelling error

[@magroves]

​@thebookwyrmslair6757 you have a point it was common. However just because it was common didn't mean it didn't damage her. I think sometimes you look back and put things in context. Other times you look back and say regardless of the context of it being common, it was still messed up. It also is important because traces of it still live on. I know people who haven't come forward because it just isn't worth the pain to face the challenge of going against people in power even today. Looking at what happened through a modern lens has its place because realizing it was wrong them gives us strength to know it is wrong now

[@trinaq]

Thanks so much for this analysis. This is such a heartbreaking song, when you really break it down. Katherine Howard was taken advantage of by all of the men in her life, when she was barely out of her teens, and watching her break down on stage as she realises this is just devastating.

[@SirachaSauce]

Whoa fancy seeing you here

[@weepingwillow9391]

She never lived out of her teens, she died at 17-19 years old.

[@leoofchild8039]

*before she even entered her teens. She never lived to be out of her teens

[@enchantedforest5956]

You’re HERE too?!?!

[@MattVargas]

I really love how Six is able to do what Hamilton does with this almost partial parody type song. Using a genera to characterize people or settings is such a brilliant way to bring pop music into musical theater without it feeling divisive.

[@cannotthinkofausername6379]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do more Six analysis videos because I audibly gasped multiples times at just how clever the construction of the song is

[@itscosmicnerd]

Same, this stuff seems so obvious but I had no idea until he explained it all 😭

[@alexeidarling]

Agreed - I want to understand Boylen's song a bit more. She's the one queen whose style I haven't been able to pin down.

[@FeatheredWingz]

@@alexeidarling Anne Boleyn's song style is meant to invoke sort of a 2000's alternative pop/rock, teen-rebel mood. I think I remember it being said in the fandom that the music star inspirations for "Don't Lose Ur Head" were mainly Kate Nash, Avril Lavigne, Lily Allen and...I think Miley Cyrus as well???? I know when I first heard it, Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell" certainly came to mind lol.

[@vyommukerjee9278]

Something else that is notable is that "All You Wanna Do" is the only song where none of the other queens sing for most of it where they only join in to say "play time's over" which reflects how alone she was even compared to other queens where we even today know very little of her in reality only in relation to Henry VIII

[@moonwalkerangel7008]

I think in the last chorus of all you wanna do, you also hear chords or sounds similar to sirens or alarms blaring as though Katherine has ignored the “warning signs” that her life is in danger and has also ignored the red flags with all of those men and now she is about to pay the price when in fact all of those men used her. Aka the warning signs of those toxic men.

[@khoward003]

Lucy Moss said (I think at BwayCon 2020?) that she wasn’t satisfied with AYWD as it appeared on the studio cast album because a lot of listeners didn’t understand it was a tragic song underneath the peppy pop music. Another reason I’m so glad they released the live album!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Oh that's great to know. Thanks for sharing!

[@miaya.micronis]

Right like when I saw the the performances on KZbin it made me want to take the first version off of my playlist but it feels so incomplete without it 😅

[@VoidMcNoid]

@@miaya.micronisI think it works as having it be the “happier” ending on the album. To me it reads as hearing an abuse story second hand and thinking “man that sucks” vs hearing it being told by the survivor and being slammed with how much worse it was than you could have imagined. Like hearing about a court case then hearing the victim impact statement.

[@rachelwyen]

The musical and lyrical similarities to "If You Seek Amy" are pretty significant. Looking forward to this!

[@allegra1603]

For sure--when I clicked on this video I actually thought it was going to be about "If U Seek Amy." I know after watching this video that the chords between "Toxic" and "AYWD" are more similar, but "If U Seek Amy" /feels/ a lot more similar to "AYWD" imo. Probably bc they have a more similar rhythm (both in swing time), more similar orchestration (the string orchestration in "Toxic" sort of sets apart from the other two in my mind) and more lyrical similarities. All the more interesting to learn about the chord similarities with "Toxic"! I knew that Howard was based on Ariana and Britney never put together the similarities in terms of being exploited from a young age. Great video, thanks for making!

[@missybarbour6885]

THAT'S the song it reminds me of most!!! I couldn't put my finger on it

[@jeremykeaton274]

Definitely - while the harmony and lyrics of All You Wanna Do might relate to Toxic, its melody and instrumentation are definitely closer to If You Seek Amy. Toxic has some very distinctive melodic features that are missing from All You Wanna Do like the breathy falsetto on "too high, can't come down". Toxic's melody also consists of short groupings of notes with space in between, while both If You Seek Amy and All You Wanna Do have a more constant flow of notes. The verse melody of If You Seek Amy mostly stays on one note, which mirrors the half spoken/half sung verses of All You Wanna Do, whereas Toxic has a very stepwise moving melody in its verses. The chorus of If You Seek Amy repeats a relatively large vocal leap (a descending fourth) followed by a descending stepwise motion ("all of the boys and all of the girls...") that lands on the title of the song. All You Wanna Do's chorus has a very similar melody of melodic leaps (in this case, an ascending octave) followed by a descending stepwise scale motion ("only thing you wanna do is") that leads to a defining moment (the kiss that Howard talked about). I could go on, but the point is, you are right to hear lots of similarities between them! :)

[@rachelwyen]

@@jeremykeaton274 I posted this comment before the video premiered and was really sure it was going to be about If You Seek Amy, slightly disappointed it wasn’t, though I’m very fascinated to learn about the similarities with Toxic as well. Really glad to know I’m not the only one who felt the same way!

[@renthewizard]

FR

[@elianaslivia4405]

This song also requires major breath support. I remember almost gasping for air the first time I sang it 😅

[@fynnh.8460]

I assume it is likely it is done on purpose. Katherine Howard didnt get a break, she couldn't catch some air; she was being driven into one toxic and abusive relationship by men in powerful positions where she was exposed (her music teacher, living with her step grandmother whose secretary had all keys and access to all rooms, the court with Henry where then Thomas, "a really nice guy", implicatlly assaulted her, portrayed by the dance performance and implied y the trigger word "connection" that always led to the chorus describing what men did to her and wanted from her). The song is meant to make you feel like you (audience, singer) are rushing trough hands as she was a teenager being groomed, objectified, sexualized, assaulted until her young death; to make you feel like it is hard to keep up to the things happening around you - which by definition are traits of traumatic events: it is too intense, too much, too unexpected and cannot be handled.

[@fynnh.8460]

A side note: given that this song has more of a speech quality in its verses (I come from a more classically informed background where the relation between vowels as voice carrying open sounds and consonants as sounds of interrupting closure is more different and needs a different articulation) with the tempo and the content, it also makes it more approachable and closer to us as the audience and our "every day life" - which for me outlines the sad normalcy of our often abusive relationship to persons assigned and read as female on a "meta level". It keeps the focus more on the content that is vailed in innuendos and puns - which makes us even more aware of the urge to act but our position as audience is passive and receptive, so we ourselves get dragged into the same position of helplessness.

[@orzelgryf]

I remember when I was listening to this for the first times and after a couple of lines I realised: "excuse me, is this happy pop song is literally about pedophilia?" Yea, yea, times were different etc, but still... ugh...

[@lary_uwu6027]

It was most likely looked with bad eyes even there as she was 13 when it first happened, marriage at that age wasn't uncommon but it also wasnt really seen with good eyes ig. So different times isnt an excuse in this case, those men knew what they were doing.

[@emilyaw3831]

While girls were married at a young age back then, the marriages were typically sexless until the girl was older, if only so she and the baby wouldn't die in childbirth since complications are more common in younger teen pregnancies. Thus, her sexual "relationship" with her music teacher still wouldn't have been seen as healthy by the people of that time period.

[@ealusaid]

Back then, it was seen as a bad thing... but mostly in terms of blaming Katherine for being "unchaste" and "ruining herself" before her marriage. And I think the song really addresses that pressure where girls are told they should be attractive and flirty and get male attention, and then have no tools to handle it when they actually do. Her confession in her historical trial sounds like she was genuinely ashamed and remorseful of what she "permitted" to happen, and that's how history saw her for centuries... as someone who made it all happen. Not a victim.

[@EmeraldAshesAudio]

@@emilyaw3831 Building on this, I believe Margaret Beauford a generation or two before was married and gave birth at a very young age (12? 13?), which left her infertile afterward. It was definitely seen as unusual and frowned upon.

[@hilarymoonmurphy]

Jolanda Draws did a fabulous job with the animation!

[@faithlessone423]

Watching Six live a couple of months ago - this was the song that really blew me away. The physicality of it on stage and the changes from the studio album musically were just devastating. LOVED this deep dive on why it's so incredibly clever. Thank you so much for the video!

[@JayJay-nv2fs]

Samantha Pauly breaking down at the end just sounds the best out of all the Kate Howards. In other words, she sounds the most heartbroken and depressing. Just truly heart breaking how she just cries as the audience falls silent before they erupt into applause.

[@hatzuikhaz2846]

I've always loved "All you wanna do", but it wasn't until watching Samantha Pauly performing it in the Broadway trails that it clicked for me. Truly a masterful performance

[@guidinglight9082]

It's honestly harrowing hearing her song. And, also, how the song slowly spirals into Howard's loneliness and pain. "Run your fingers through my hair, tell me I'm the fairest of the fair." "You can't wait a second more to get my corset on the floor!" "There's no time for where nor how cause you've just GOT to have me now!" "Bite my lip and pull my hair as you tell me I'm the fairest of the fair!" That's not the only example, there are more in the song! "I think this guy is different.." "I'm sure this time is different!" "I guess it's not so different." "I thought this time was different! Why did I think he'd be different? But it's never, ever, different!" There are even more.. it's so clever and I love and hate it at the same time!

[@animeluchia5405]

I love this song… growing up with autism, I was constantly duped into a lot of things; I was very gullible… and hearing this song the first time, I felt validated and heard. I was only a year older than Katherine is at the beginning of her story: 14, when I was convinced by my first boyfriend, who was two years older than me, to “kiss sigh”. I felt so seen when I heard this song and really listened to the lyrics. While “Get Down” is really fun, and “Don’t lose your head” is an earworm, this song is genuinely my favourite.

[@wynnewhitten-holmes5090]

I'm also autistic and just listened to the live recording for the first time. Holy shit, it hits HARD.

[@CindersSpot]

From major to minor has an innuendo too, although a rather sad one...

[@alysonk5853]

Seymour was dead wrong about this not being the saddest song in the entire musical

[@EmiStar070]

Absolutely. If we're going based on trauma scoring, Howard wins absolutely, then Boleyn and Aragon in some order, then Jane and Parr, and Kleves at the bottom

[@Bron-tq3kr]

no because were you not listening to my song? there were four choruses! that is how much SHH I had to deal with! love k Howard but Im biased to heart of stone because I played Seymour

[@yamimilk5786]

@@EmiStar070really late on this, but I think you have completely missed the point of the musical. It’s literally about how fucked up it is to say that somebody’s trauma is worse than someone else’s. Would you ever say “my trauma is worse than yours because I was SA’d!” to someone who told you about their trauma of miscarriage? That’s why it’s problematic to put the queens on any type of order.

[@EmiStar070]

@@yamimilk5786 definitely. That was coming from the idea that if it HAD been a real competition, I'd say Howard had the worst life based on what we learn in this musical

[@omega-rattrap]

All You Wanna Do kinda gives me Hey Ya vibes. At first the song’s a fun bop, but then you listen to the lyrics and it’s like “oh shit, this is actually dark.”

[@Firegen1]

This song always gives me chills. I'm not the biggest fan of all the composing and particularly directorial choices of Six (the American original cast are better, fight me) but this is pure perfection. It tells Katherine's story in a way that no other rendition of the tale ever does. The storytelling is immense.

[@trinaq]

Agreed, you can't help but pity Katherine Howard, since all she wanted was to be loved, but she was taken advantage of and sexually abused, eventually dying before she was even out of her teens. It starts off as a catchy pop song, but gets darker as she becomes more aware about how she was sexually abused by all of the men in her life.

[@asmileisspecial]

I agree, it's so well crafted and literally gave me chills when I saw it live and the whole audience was silent. It's fantastically done.

[@whitneyfluttershyelizabeth]

This song is great, but I will fight you on that. I think Aimee Atkinson is the best Howard 🥰 Her progression to the break down at the end is just heartbreaking and I think she has the most pleasant vocal tone

[@VanNessy97]

This analysis actually reminds me of the #FreeBritney movement led by her fans in an attempt to get her abusive dad out of her management contract.

[@12times21]

When I first heard the song I was laughing along and trying to learn it but then there’s a shift where she no longer says that things are different and you feel like something falls and then she goes through another heartbeat and realizes what she went through and the audience does too. I was so caught up in it that I stopped singing. When they sing their songs it’s almost like they’re back in the moment of their lives during the music and when the song ends they come back to “reality” so it’s haunting to see her go back to “and then my head got cut off😊”

[@ccappa2001]

And, to show how alone she was, the Queens didn't back her up in her song. She was singing all alone and she was struggling all alone. And you can see K Howard slightly flinch when the other queen's got their hands too close to her, she was so used to being abused. She wanted true love and realized that not everyone has good intentions. I feel so bad for her :(

[@carriew5106]

I first saw Six with the Original West End cast, fairly early in its run, and it was much more upbeat ending than it is now. However the music was still unresolved, and it still ended in a way that felt a bit jarring for the audience, and also helped set a more thoughtful tone for Katherine Parr's song. Each Queen has a tragic story, but they try to own their account and for the most part try to put a positive spin on it. Katherine H tries to do the same but during the course of the song, as she tells these increasingly awful accounts of how she has been treated, she matures and realises how exploited she has been. It's heart breaking. And the other Queens try to move the story along because they know there is no positivity to be found either. I'm glad Broadway is playing it a bit differently, but I wonder if that is partly because British audiences are more familiar with the wives through school and already know how tragic Howard's life was? I don't imagine The Tudors is part of the curriculum for most children in the US, in the same way British children don't learn much about the American revolution.

[@HowardHoMusic]

That's a good point. I'm really interested in how that interpretation evolved too.

[@emmahealy4863]

Even as a British child, your school doesn't teach you about anything sexual, or to do with pedophilia (at least until you're much older than KH was at the time) so it's still a shock hearing about her tragic life for the first time - you literally see a different to her that you weren't taught about in history class :(

[@princedonovaughn1182]

From what I understand it's become the standardized way the show is performed now. When they move the show to Broadway alot of changes we're then implemented back into the West end version of the show from what I understand. The most striking version of the scene I've seen so far is the first North American tour where as the song ends Katherine sobs immediately after and the theater is dead silent and when the lights came back up no one clapped until after the "and then I was beheaded" line. It was uitr powerful. I have to assume broadway just made Toby and Lucy look at the entire show differently with the way it's changed. Specifically all you wanna do considering that even British people for a long time didn't treat Howard's story like a tragedy.

[@chunermay6957]

I cried so hard during the last 5 minutes... I didn't know they designed the final sigh as the final breath before, now knowing that is just so heart-breaking. And the actors performed this sentence so powerful live😭😭“Maybe we shouldn't laugh.”Six really did a remarkable contribution to make people realize some of the problems of the society.

[@fynnh.8460]

I remember singing along the song and being unable to do the smooch and sigh sound, feeling blocked, because it was so intimate and I felt exposed. That made me think about it more. The sigh iteself is already an interesting nuanced sound of affect(ion). Breathiness itself is used to indicate intimacy and sensuality as well as lust in a lot of songs. A sigh is a sound of release of tension and pretty close to a context of sexual acts. But also, a sigh is a sound of resignation, giving up on one's self, of rhythmic crying and associated with bearing hard circumstances and being in pain in the form of a moan. In the musical, it refers to so many possible associations: a sound of lust and ecstasy, a sound of giving up one one's self, a sound of grief in the context of crying, a sound to express pain and the last breath she takes before her doom in the form of being beheaded. These double meanings then again not just fit into a narrative where she as someone being abused comes to terms with it while veiling it in childish language or puns and innuendos to make it more bearable and trivialize it for her self, but also the musical genre of pop from singers as Britney themselves where we get all nuances of first love, heartbreak, lust and implied roughness and sexuality - all sides of pleasure and pain. It is in the end also a sound of being soundless - the inability to express what has happened to her in sound nor words - especially her being a child first and then a teenager or a very young adult points out how she lacks the vocabulary to frame and label and utter what happened to her differently. So, her last words "the only thing, the only thing, the only thing you wanna do is..." becomes even MORE haunting because she never got to say what it was towards herself and the world, which to traumatized people can feel like having no agency, no words for what has happened, and therefore it cannot be understood and rationally processed and stays unresolved in our bodies and minds. (Thankfully, somatic approaches like SE can help to tap into sensations slowly and bit by bit to process things that in an event of trauma lead to disconnection of the thinking and feeling brain, like a "system error", therefore making it hard to just process things trough words alone and rationally.) A very important note to me is that the song plays a lot with this awkward feeling of "is this ok? is she ok? is it ok to enjoy this?". All the double meanings referring to pleasure and pain describe her and our difficult relationship to sexuality, consent and boundaries in some way. That is, while as audience we might think "but she is chuckling, but she is laughing, but she is playing with us and engaging, so it cannot be that bad", in the end when we all realize what is happening including her (who, in relation to the other queens is not just telling her story, but reliving it as traumatic flashback), we are also confronted with our own insecurities towards how to handle topics that feel too close and hard to talk about and feel and to find words for it. Which is part of the ongoing problems of sexual violence itself - the turning away from the unspeakable and dark (plot twist: it can be approached in a way that feels less like an emotional death sentence) and therefore the turning away from people like her just as the dancing queens turn around whenever she sings "the only thing you wanna do is...", trying to articulate her experience and failing while everybody refrains from being attentive and doesn't listen. This discourse is forced for example when she adresses the audience "Yeah, that didn't work out. It turns out some guys just employ women to get them into their private chambers. Different times back then." (again, sarcastically and jokingly rather than just transparently and openly vulnerable which she is in the song where she is alone) which is to me as Eurpoean understood as referring to the Weinstein case and making up a historically connected continuation of exploiting women*/people assigned and read as female by men in power positions and therefore tells a lot about how society failed them.

[@Kayjee17]

I hadn't noticed the parallels to Toxic until you pointed them out, but now I can also see how the lyrics of Toxic apply to K. Howard too - "With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride, You're toxic, I'm slipping under" - every one of those men were toxic and she slipped under their control. Thanks for doing this because you're the best at bringing me to a deeper understanding of the songs I love! And have another vote for doing more Six videos.

[@Whoomstest]

Honestly this song is still hard to listen to at times due to my own trauma but dispite that it is the most effective I've seen on this topic on having people feel empathy. And I mean genuine completely empathy and understanding, or if they don't completely understand they still care for katherine. I hate the word pity. To pity someone is to feel bad for them but with the caveat of superiority, they look down on you because they think your pathetically. When I've told people of my trauma I could see they pitied me because eventhough it hurt me severely they didn't see it as I'd describe the perfect rape. Without going into detail I have repressed memories about it and when I tell people I give very little details and the one I do I can see for some people it's not "enough" for them to fully emphasize but instead pity . Empathic is different, you truley feel for people try to see in there shoes and care for them without wanting anything back. You would fight for their happiness and justice and with this song I see so much of that in the response. And it gives me so much hope. Even if I've been treated ill before or people pity me, anyone is capable of empathy and understanding. I don't know if you'll see this comment but honestly from my heart. Thank you for making this video. Thank you for putting in all the work and interviews. Even though it really should be the bare minimum, I can't thank you enough for caring so deeply. Most of all thank you for sharing it with the world so you could spread the message to whoever needs it like me. For what it's worth you earned another subscriber today! 😊

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me! I'm so humbled to be able to share this message with my platform and hopefully get more people aware of stories like your own.

[@Chloe.Miller21]

That's exactly how I feel about the song and my own trauma, even my own therapist has told me that my trauma was my fault and I should have fought back harder and All You Wanna Do and K Howard seem to be the only thing that sees and gets how I feel inside and I listen to the live version with Samantha Pauly all the time because I get to let it out and feel the way I wanna feel about my situation without judgment or people telling me because it's not full on rape it's nothing and I need to stop being dramatic

[@missdivinesque]

fun fact : britney spears is also marylin monroes 9th cousin, so that ties the metaphor all together nicely. as marylin monroe was somewhere in that same boat.

[@humanperson3960]

The cord progression mirroring her journey is something I enjoy. Henry M it’s the beginning (maybe this is it) Francis (I know this is it) Fun fact she almost married him And then it goes down to Henry to Tom

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

I always thought her song sounded similar to “womanizer” by Britney Spears as well. Which makes sense since she was exploited by womanizers throughout all of her life and is just now starting to break free and gain independence from that. I bet if you synced them they would sound similar too. I didn’t even think of Toxic until this video. That being said, Katherine Howard is my favorite queen and her song is my favorite too. She certainly deserves better and id love for you to make a No Way or Don’t Lose Your Head video. Thanks for sharing!

[@keltzy]

This is such a good analysis! On a side note though, I know I always hear that Beyonce was an inspiration for Catherine of Aragon and Alicia Keys for Catherine Parr, so I always wondered why Parr has two direct shout outs to Beyonce songs in her own. (I believe Independent Women and Survivor at least).

[@HowardHoMusic]

Good observation. I think those pop culture references works on multiple levels. Maybe I'll do a video on it!

[@alexeidarling]

And Cleves has "OK ladies let's get in reformation"

[@eastcoastwitch]

ok that mash up goes so hard though

[@cgsze]

As a theater nerd, these videos give me so much joy. Amazing job as always!

[@yolaaludo3531]

Instant sub! Can you do Don't Lose Ur Head? I know that it's not the most historically accurate song but I feel like there's more hiding underneath those notes then what meets the ears👀

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thanks for the sub! I'll see what I can do!

[@russianvalkyrie2358]

@@HowardHoMusic I want to second this! It's one of my favorite songs from the show!

[@pinksoft39]

Don't lose ur head is my fav!

[@smilesomemoar]

This made me realize that the cord progression is similar to how her relationships were, alone, hopeful, denial, then alone again. I've been obsessed with the musical but out of all the songs, All you wanna do just hits different.

[@manband20]

This was the first song I ever found from this musical and it was the animatic and to say I was heartbroken was an understatement. I learned the entire life story of a girl who lived almost 500 years ago and the stuff that happened to her is still extremely relevant to today, especially in the world of politics. Absolutely fantastic number and it serves its purpose so well. If they didn't form the Royal Spice Girls at the end, K. Howard would have won the competition with ease.

[@prampreecharas3645]

At the “play time over” I only hear universal taunting melody btw the analysis of the song by Howard ho is alway phenomenal

[@emmaroshto6120]

I’m going to see this in two weeks and this performance is the one I’m most looking foreword to. This is definitely a turning point in the show and this song just hit me different 😢

[@itsmebianka4983]

I remeber listening to Six before actually seeing it live and I expected the songs to be the same upbeat, pop, get up and dance type songs but live it was so much different and I actually cried at a few points especially half way through towards the end. Paying attention to the lyrics and not only hearing but seeing the queen's emotions really hits it home. Especially in Ex-wives where she’s flirty and up beat compared to crying and broken at the end of All you wanna do. It also made me think of the other queens to Jane being “the only on he truely loved” because of her son Kathrine being abused and the other queens being hidden in the shadows as they touch her Catherine losing everything to be his wife and only remembered for that and so on Anne yelling "Wait he actually wants to cut my head off" !!! Anna being judged on her looks and tossed aside Its a bit darker than I originally thought and I felt a bit bad for laughing all the way though but it really is a amazing show !

[@fynnh.8460]

I like how in Ex Wives you get already a bit of nuance with K. Howard when she sings "lock up your husbands, lock up your sons" which of course first reads as her being promiscuitive which is the narrative the audience will also have from the beginging (which is then a reference to the historically informed and still present everyday misogyny towards women*'s expressed or indicated sexuality, the victim blaming and r4pe culture and the social claim to label and judge the relations of women*, people assigned or read as female). But then you know All You Wanna Do and retrospectively could also imagine that she could rather intends to refrain from men and wants them seperated from her and is in a form requesting society and parental figures to teach boys and men to change their behaviours towards women* / people read/assigned as female or otherwise keep them distant from her. Given how, when she sings it in the performance, she puts her stretched out arm with a kind of blocking hand in front of her body (like to block someone approaching her), the implication gets more grounding. In All You Wanna Do, the dancing of the other queens as the men around her have a quality of predatory behaviour (sneaking up, circling her), deceit (pulling her in like in a net), using her (the chorus has impulsive movements that get an idea of pulling on her from all sides like a doll, a toy), scolding her ("playtime's over), bottling her up and turning away (tossing her away). "Lock up your husbands, lock up your sons, K. Howard is here and the fun's begun" then refers to how she is able to bring and perceive joy only when men that need to be held afar are not part of her life.

[@ouinoelle]

Let’s remember that Six is a satirical “meta” pop concert. Even these analyses of the women in it serve a narrative purpose. It’s performance and they’re all common tropes for women.

[@ChloeGerritsen]

When she said "A young girl is about to lose her head" I almost. To think she was so young and naive and she barely got to 21 is horrific. She didn't deserve her fate. She didn't need to die. Henry's becoming an antagonist in our eyes and I couldn't be happier about it because we was a-

[@rachela7]

this was so good omg! id love if you covered heathers the musical (using the proshot), there's a great playbill article by the writers about how each song's theme is represented in the music

[@pinksoft39]

Oh boy, i love Heathers!

[@sallysmith8678]

YES YES YES!!! THAT WOULD BE SO DELICIOUS

[@laurelelasselin]

​@@sallysmith8678 You could almost say, 'that would be beautiful'

[@sallysmith8678]

@@laurelelasselin I literally fucking love you that made me giggle 🤭

[@smolsoftgay3]

I listened to the UK cast recording of Six before I saw the live show and loved this song (probably bc I also love Brittany Spears haha), but then I saw it on Broadway (with Sam Pauly!) and my whole perception of it changed. The difference in the cast albums is astounding and I feel like I had no idea what I was singing and dancing to with the UK one until I saw it live and now I feel so bad😭

[@songpersonals5955]

The sirens in the background only started at Henry and were getting louder and louder as she learned to recognize the traumas and abuse she's going through

[@purplexninjamom]

I wasn´t sure if I should watch this as it might trigger me. I´m glad I did. I never got to see the live version and it doesn´t quite translate as well until you´ve heard the live ending. Thank you for respectfully handling this topic and good work as always. You explain this in such a way, I can´t describe how happy it makes me.

[@thatmalgal03]

Also another thing I noticed when listening to the song! It is only in Henry VIII and Thomas’s verses that you can hear ‘sirens’ going off in the chorus instrumental. This shows how after two abusive relationships, Katherine was no longer naïve to men, and alarm bells were going off in her head when she met Henry VIII and Thomas.

[@bloobinger]

the depth and effort in this video is unreal, never known so much about such a song

[@bellashade]

i realise that this is about the musicality of this song but i wish you'd also mentioned the choreography of this, as the song progresses the other queens approach Katherine Howard and put their hands on her, its starts with just 2 hands then progresses with the song by the time the song changes and she's realised what's happening when singing the last verse about Thomas she's flinching from the hands and all the Queens are grabbing her tightly while she's trying to shrug them off, it's fantastic choreo that helps set the picture of her mental state

[@alouise]

I saw Six in Edmonton before it went on Broadway. The ending of All You Wanna Do then was the pop ending. I found the song to be really powerful with that ending but I'd be interested to see the Broadway version with the break down as described in the video.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Fascinating. It sounds like the interpretation has evolved over time. Thanks for sharing this.

[@princeofcats331]

Also, something else to note. The lyrics in verse 1 actively reflect Katherine Howard's emotional state. She specifically sings "He plucked my strings all the way to G, went from major to minor. C to D." The C represents the *Confidence* that Katherine initially feels at the start of the song, while the D represents the *distress* that Katherine feels near the end when she realizes she's been used by the people that she met and not loved. The spoken dialogue between her and the queens after the song proves this. Katherine specifically says to one of the queens (not sure which one, though) "Did you not hear my song? There were FOUR CHORUSES! That's how much 'SHH' I've had to deal with."

[@FelixTBat]

Something wonderful my boyfriend had noticed (that I didn't see discussed in the video) was that "All you Wanna Do's" melody rhythm specifically makes him think of Brittney's "If U Seek Amy" chorus.

[@-dn-sdrawberiee253]

Absolutely loving your work on Six so far! Everything you've been putting out in the past couple of years is so entertaining to watch, you're so underrated

[@cats1900]

This is my favorite song from Six!

[@briannawalker4793]

Me, 15 minutes ago: Ahh, a new Howard Ho video, perfect for working to! Me, now: *audibly sobbing*

[@maxwebb425]

All You Wanna Do is a perfect example of prosody where the lyrics are illustrated in the music, Major to minor represents the Toxic chord progression and the lute and flute are played when K. Howard mentions them.

[@theloverlyladylo9158]

I have a ticket to see Six in March, and K. Howard is the performance I’m looking forward to seeing live most! I know that the theme of the musical is to not place the queens as competing adjuncts of a man, but to recognize them as whole people, but let’s be real: the whole person of Kitty Howard absolutely the suckiest life.

[@lunaris8393]

Why do I actually love the toxic instrumentals in all you wanna do

[@monniebrown8581]

You know what else uses that chord progression? Legend of Zelda! Usually closer to the end of the game when you're about fight the main boss. I think the best version is from Link Between Worlds.

[@apollo6274]

let me tell you when I saw this live for the first time and how everything bottomed out from under me during the last part of this song. Since before then I had only heard the fun pop version, stunned. one of those musical theater moments thats hard to put into words that keeps you coming back.

[@SketchUT]

7:54 Ayo that chord progression kinda be like my cyclothymia ngl 😳

[@Explainatoryu]

we need a toxic and all you wanna do mashup

[@freshoffthehook904]

Well I had no idea this was a thing. To google I go. Thanks for the big neon sine towards my next rabbit hole. Also stellar work as always. The way you fade in and out the music is so incredibly fascinating.

[@Linaxtic]

Okay but that's not even getting into the kind of social consciousness aspect of the song. Because Britney, Ariana, Miley, they were all exploited from a very young age but primarily I think Britney because she had such a public breakdown and struggle. Like to me, someone who has no musical training, All You Wanna Do sounds like If U Seek Amy, which is kinda poignant because that was the album after her very public breakdown. And so that song just immediately brings to mind that era of Britney for anyone who's a fan of her.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thank you for adding that. And yes, there are definitely other connections to Britney that are really fascinating to explore.

[@wynnewhitten-holmes5090]

Howard, this is brilliant. And I would literally pay for that Toxic mashup!

[@JustMeJH]

Great video! This is such a haunting song.

[@jennaroth-epstein133]

Now THIS is the video I have been looking for for so long! This sums up this story SO WELL and I had no idea how much went into the song. I have loved this song for so long and researched it to death, and still, I did not know everything. Thank you for this video, it is so well done and I am so happy I watched it!

[@blissclair9743]

This was a great video. This song always claws at my heart and it was nice to see the technical explanation behind it. I'm just a little sad that you didn't mention the live version of Aimie Atkinson's performance, at all (That is, the original Katherine from the British version, btw). That is my personal favorite version and I've always listened to it and I'd argue it's the most emotionally powerful one. Though it's subtler than the Broadway version, it hits hard.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Aw, thanks for the comment and I'm sorry I didn't mention that. Aimie's performance of course is also iconic.

[@losfp]

Another great analysis Howard! Love Six and love toxic. How have I not noticed the chord pro before now? DUUUHHHH. Layers.

[@chrisleneil]

You made me cry. And for that, I would like to say, “Thank you.” Truly

[@desw90]

thank you for your analysis! it rlly got me interested into this modern twist of a historical musical~but it's now almost harder to dance to this catchy song without thinking of the underlying meaning as well

[@fynnh.8460]

I was waiting for such a video SO LONG. Thank you!

[@juliacampos9551]

been waiting for this one, amazing as always!!

[@marcblais]

That was an AMAZING analysis of that song. This is the first video of yours I’ve stumbled upon and I already subscribed. GREAT work.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thank you for the sub!

[@if3359]

Mind-blowingly brilliant as always!!! Hope you do more Six videos And maybe Hadestown? 👀 Also the animation was fantastic!

[@HowardHoMusic]

I've been thinking of doing something on Hadestown! Wait for me...

[@if3359]

@@HowardHoMusic I will

[@jeannedz29]

Waiiiiiit for meeeee I'm coooooming

[@E3AloeLi]

I relate to Howard’s story as someone who was similarly abused. I’m glad to see this song analyzed as it shows when someone abused understands that they have been abused. The dread and drop in your mind.

[@daisysourcream13]

Thank you for another video! I’m excited to watch this over the weekend

[@daisysourcream13]

Thank you for another amazing video! You got everything right and I appreciate you bringing all my shared thuoghts/analysis of this song in a coherent manner!

[@jonathanwills4726]

Glad to see you making videos again Howard. I missed your works.

[@genevievehoskins6829]

I'd love to see more Six analysis! This is amazing!

[@goomee]

your videos always amaze me and make me realize more and more how little I know about music. I've been obsessed with this song for the past month or so, so your video came out at a perfect moment. I really do appreciate all the work you do for these.

[@mialucilas.1031]

All You Wanna Do is my favorite song from Six for numerous reasons, and this just gives me even more reason to love it

[@RealCindyAparicio]

I LOVE that you’re doing videos of SIX. Thank you ❤

[@SiennaRoseOfficial]

amazing! please continue to do all the queens songs in SIX!!

[@MrKingvenom77]

This is the best analysis of anything I've seen on KZbin. As a fan of Six you've given me such insight to my favorite song of this musical. Great work.

[@emilycosgrove1656]

this analysis gave me as many chills as seeing sam sing it on broadway!!! thank you

[@myrkuuma]

toxic and all you wanna do remix is something i didn’t know i needed. (also like this video is crazy amazing!! i always related to this song and was like “that’s not good. huh” and i never knew why it just gripped my brain like that. and now i do. ur the best!)

[@carol-gz6nc]

Another amazing video 💖💖

[@souviendra]

this is so well done and interesting, I've played this video and your Greensleeves analysis multiple times

[@FeatheredWingz]

"And I think it hits so hard, in part, because Marlow & Moss found the right musical metaphor that would eliminate the 500 year distance between us, and Catharine Howard's tragic life." The way you succinctly summarize your point here gave me the shivers. And it's absolutely right. I cried the first time I saw this song performed. It's tragic, how these young girls in the public eye still get so badly exploited and villainized...I wonder if Britney (or Miley & Ariana) has ever seen the show?

[@lissacaballero5209]

I blame you for my sudden obsession with six haha. I had not heard of it before watching your videos and now I cant stop watching it over and over. I'm desperately waiting for your next song breakdown from six!

[@TheSoundOfGeorgia]

Awesome video. I saw Six last year and absolutely loved it, so this was so cool. (And it's probably dorky, but seeing a picture of Chelsea Dawson in this video at 9:55 makes me really happy, because I didn't expect the Aussie K.Howard to appear.)

[@mehlover]

I love how you go into the music theory of AYWD and the meaning of it. I was kinda sad that the studio recording didn't have the breakdown at the end, at least artists who animate this song convey that distress K Howard was at the end. AYWD is so catchy but makes me sad every time, at least with it's reprise in MegaSix, it's a happier version where it's like K Howard is reclaiming it (it is my favorite queen's song)

[@barbaraformentin]

OMQ Oh MY QUEENS I love your content about analysing the socioculture context and all that jazz in Six

[@MisterPenguin42]

Amazing analysis! Also, I'm extremely stoked to have finally come across this channel and in pretty epic fashion (love Six and loved your Hamilton trailer edit). Signed, T-Shirt Dude From Twitter

[@pooklamok]

what a great analysis, i love it!