Ya Got Trouble
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"Ya Got Trouble" | |
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Song | |
from the album The Music Man | |
Released | 1957 |
Genre | Musical theatre |
Songwriter(s) | Meredith Willson |
"Ya Got Trouble" is a song by Meredith Willson from the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man, and its 1962 filmed version. It is one of the most popular and recognizable songs in the musical, and Robert Preston's performance in the film is admired. Willson considered eliminating a long piece of dialogue from his draft of The Music Man about the serious trouble facing River City parents. However, he realized it sounded like a lyric and transformed it into "Ya Got Trouble".[1]
Content
A smooth-talking, yet corrupt, traveling salesman takes up the occupation of a musical-instrument dealer and tries to convince the citizens of River City,
Title variations
The song is sometimes listed as "(Ya Got) Trouble".[2] The original Broadway cast album lists the song title as "Trouble", both on the record jacket and label. "You Got Trouble" is a common misspelling of the song title.
Notable covers and parodies
A fully arranged cover of the song appears on the 1967 eponymous debut album of the sunshine pop band Spanky and Our Gang.
A bar of the song's main chorus is featured in a mid-1970s episode of the children's TV series
American humorist, satirist, and advertising innovator
In an episode of the 1980s TV series Fame, Morgan Stevens, in character as David Reardon, performed the selection with the assistance of some of the regular cast.[episode needed]
In Ally McBeal Season 2 episode "Sex, Lies and Politics" fictional lawyer John Cage spurs the jury into singing "Ya Got Trouble" with him.[4]
In an episode of the TV series The Simpsons titled "Marge vs. the Monorail", a fast-talking salesman named Lyle Lanley convinces the townspeople to buy a city monorail with "The Monorail Song", a parody of this song.[5]
"The Bible, Part 3", an early version of the song "All-American Prophet" from The Book of Mormon was modeled stylistically after "Ya Got Trouble", and ended with the same line: "Remember my friends, listen to me because I pass this way but once!"[6]
When hosting the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards, Conan O'Brien sang a parody of the song about how NBC's ratings were starting to slip at the time.
In a 2016 episode of
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic featured the song 'Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000' from the second season episode of the same name. The song was inspired by "Ya Got Trouble" while the whole episode is loosely based on The Music Man, both the 1962 film and the 1957 musical.
In an episode of Schmigadoon! titled "Tribulation", Mildred Layton (played by Kristin Chenoweth, and based on Music Man's, Mrs. Shinn) attempts to condemn the outsiders and tries to convince the townspeople to vote her for Mayor with "Tribulation", a direct parody of this song.
See also
- Knickerbockers - a type of mid-length pants once worn by young men
- Dan Patch – the horse mentioned in the lyrics
- Bevo– near beer mentioned in the lyrics
- Cubebs – non-tobacco cigarettes
- Tailor-mades– factory-made tobacco cigarettes
- Sen-Sen – breath freshener, used to cover up the smell of alcoholic beverages
- Captain Billy's Whiz Bang– bawdy humor magazine
References
- ISBN 1-57912-390-2
- ISBN 9780195335330. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
- ^ Evanier, Mark. "Stan Freberg Discography". Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ "Season Two Music". allymcbeal.tktv.net. 1 March 1999. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
"Ya Got Trouble" (Meredith Wilson) from "The Music Man," performed by Peter MacNicol and the jury
- ^ "I'm So Jealous You Get To See 'The Simpsons' Monorail Song For The First Time". Bustle. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ "The Bible, Part 3 (early version of All-American Prophet)". YouTube. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
Bibliography
- The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity, Raymond Knapp. Princeton University Press, 2005