Top 10 Most Underappreciated Songs By Stephen Sondheim

[@trinaq]

Rest in peace, Stephen Sondheim, he really was a lyrical and musical genius. "No One is Alone" is one of my personal favourite tunes of his, I'm delighted that it made the Honourable Mentions.

[@LaLayla99]

"No More" from Into the Woods. I was livid when they cut it from the movie.

[@Kristine_202]

^^^This! One of Sondheim's best (it's actually my second favorite after "Anyone Can Whistle") and it is definitely underappreciated. And when the movie plays the instrumental just in case you forgot that they cut it?! I felt like they were messing with us! I recently sat just a few seats down from Marc Platt at a theatre, and I kind of wanted to say to him, "I'll never forgive you." 🤣It's funny because my first thought was, "OMG! That's Marc Platt!" and then I immediately thought, "I'm still not over it." LOL I chose not to say anything...We'll see what he does with "Wicked." 😉

[@mervyngreene6687]

I have always thought that "Stay with Me," is one of the most haunting Sondheim song.

[@mattpraschan3564]

After playing The Narrator/Mysterious Man myself in a community theatre production I agree 100% on both counts. No More is one of my under appreciated favorites as well and it’s absolutely mind boggling that the movie adaptation cut out one of the crucial songs in the show.

[@Ryan-hh4yv]

Loving you- Passion Don't Laugh- Hot Spot More- Dick Tracy Goodbye for Now- Reds With So Little to Be Sure Of- Anyone Can Whistle

[@gracehowell.]

The beauty is that Sondheim's work is so diverse that there's something for everyone.

[@SteenAZ]

Fantastic list. Thanks for calling out Every Day a Little Death. That song kills me every time.

[@elisarosario975]

Thank you for giving “Kiss Me” its credit where credit is due. Most people think that song isn’t as memorable as the others in Sweeney Todd, but personally, I think it’s perfect.

[@Molson-xg9hs]

Sondheim’s my forever favorite Broadway composer…entirely clever, often emotional, always brilliant. Enjoyed this list and some great choices to seek out.

[@pauljensen8375]

"Anyone Can Whistle" -one of my favorites (and one of Sondheim's also I believe)

[@fortunateizzi]

Glad to see Evening Primrose here

[@Hp-Fan2010]

Yes! It's practically disappeared, but I love it!

[@meganjeffrey6207]

If you can find them, I absolutely recommend tracking down the "Putting it Together" revue or Sondheim's 80th Birthday Concert... both are fantastic collections of his deep and wonderful repertoire performed by stunning singers

[@shevandealwis133]

Who said that "No One Is Alone" is under appreciated?

[@rleighrock]

Every time I think of underrated songs from Into The Woods, it is always “No More” this my first thought. I love “No One Is Alone” but it is not underrated by any way.

[@denisefreitas6727]

Merrily We Roll Along is perfection! 💖💖💖

[@musicalsingingboy]

Assassins is Sondheim's most underrated musical, if ur into villains and villain songs, check the musical out

[@peterd.9522]

Everyday a little death is my favorite on this list. ❤

[@battlegirldeb]

I first heard "Unworthy of Your Love" in the musical revue "Putting it Together". It came out on my birthday in 2001. A year later I finally hear the song in context with "Assassins" and could not believe how weird it felt now I knew the song was about a man crazy enough to shoot someone to get attention.

[@kathyastrom1315]

Not just John Hinckley, but also Squeaky Fromme. That duet between them is really dark, considering that the song itself is nicely impassioned without the context.

[@tomlanderos5921]

Take Me to the World is just beautiful. And desperately underrated

[@harryorenstein1144]

If you're a true Sondheim fan, then there are NO under appreciated songs!

[@denisefreitas6727]

Agree!

[@PS-DLMA]

I think "under appreciated" is the wrong term.....should be "over shadowed" -

[@harryorenstein1144]

Good suggestion.

[@jpetersgoyanks]

I don’t agree with the very notion of “true” fans at all. No one can deny that there are levels of fans but the notion that only one of those levels is actually “true” is exclusionary and near impossible to unilaterally determine.

[@IsaiahLapierre-jv5wh]

"Unworthy of Your Love" is sung to both Jodie Foster and Charles Manson.

[@thomasbradley4505]

Passion is an underrated show. It’s fairly dark but the music is gorgeous. And Loving You breaks my heart every time and needs more attention. It’s short but says so much

[@samuelcollantes1175]

Of course i agree with these pics. Have a happy saturday morning, Emily. Take care and God bless you, greetings from Colombia to you as well.

[@amybeerbower7176]

I love this list! But I was really hoping to see “The Miller’s Son” from A Little Night Music. It’s a brilliant song that I think most overlook.

[@Kristine_202]

Who is under-appreciating "No One is Alone?" It's literally one of Sondeim's best songs.

[@bookemdano7567]

Underrated… I’d say “What Can You Lose” from the film Dick Tracy. Beautiful, heartbreaking song. “More” is a fun filled song also!

[@JukeboxJoeB]

"Send in the Clowns" by Frank Sinatra is one of Sondheim's songs. There are a couple different versions that Sinatra did, but the one with just a piano background is the best. It's so sad but so good.

[@sarahramsey9454]

into the woods had a lot more than 1 in the honorable mention slot that entire movie has a lot of numbers that so needed a shout out for

[@shannonadcock-tn5kp]

Hyphenated Harriet uptown downtown beautiful just discovered it

[@cassiedlp847]

I can't believe No One is Alone is underrated. That was a beautiful hopeful song.

[@pffulton]

Wait, who doesn’t appreciate “Unworthy of Your Love”? I thought everyone loves that one!

[@m.l.bishop1914]

"Don't Laugh" from Hotspot. The song changes the direction it's heading three times.

[@Beth_Alice_Kaplan]

I didn’t know there was an HBO film of Merrily We Roll Along.” 🤔

[@PS-DLMA]

There isnt.....just a documentary that features that song

[@jeffwatkins352]

Lovely appreciation, and good choices all. But then, all Sondheim songs deserve more appreciation. Personally, I vote for Poems from Pacific Overtures, my favorite number in the work with Chrysanthemum Tea a close second, Overtures my second favorite of his shows next only to Sweeney. Yes, Overtures is tough to get right. But I once saw a college performance with all Anglo cast, women playing the women, a massive chorus, with no Kabuki-style staging, and it was still glorious.

[@Countfoscolikesmice]

#1 choice! well done! 🤩

[@lydiah12]

#6 is my #1

[@blooncrazy]

What Can You Lose? (Dick Tracy)

[@ericbrown1750]

Altho I would choose SWEENEY TODD as his greatest work, what SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE has is 2 good reasons that set it apart. 1) It won the Pulitzer Prize, something that has only been earned by a few other musicals. 2) It boasts, without question, his most beautiful and extraordinary song, "Sunday," the first act closing number. If you collected these songs to try to impress the casual fan, or those who may not be familiar with Sondheim's work, you managed to pick songs that mostly have a sameness to the "Sondheim style." Your snippets, IMO, mostly do not rise to the point of being compelling enough to create new fans.

[@patriciaaturner289]

2 things: Mandy and Bernadette.

[@jotaeme7436]

"Most underappreciated songs" Proceeds to list my favourite Sondheim songs: Openings Doors, Sorry Grateful, A little death, Kiss me/Sensitivities quartet, Someone in a tree...

[@rutha1464]

Just from my perhaps less than sophisticated taste, Sondheim is a crap shoot; he can either be literally the voice of angels (Somewhere West Side Story,) or tedious (most of Sunday in the Park with George.) Into The Woods was the first musical I fell in love with the entire soundtrack.

[@alanscopp1114]

Well I think I have good taste and I agree with you whole heartedly. Sometimes his work sounds just right and a lot of the time it grates on my ears! For me(and I am sure I'm in a very small minority), Sondheim was a better lyricist than composer. "All You Need Is the Girl" from Gypsy which has incredibly nimble, clever rhymes is an example. "Mr Goldstone," " You Gotta have a Gimmick" ""Officer Krupke" " A Little Priest." So Clever.