His awards include seven Tonys, three Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship and the Kennedy Center Honor.
He currently owns six London theatres, including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the London Palladium.
On This Night of a Thousand Stars / Eva and Magaldi / Eva Beware of the City
Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now, Eva Péron had every disadvantage
You need if you're gonna succeed
No money, no cash, no father, no bright light
There was nowhere she'd been at the age of fifteen
As this tango singer found out
Agustin Magaldi
Who has the distinction of being the firstMan to be of use to Eva Duarte
Agustin Magaldi:
On this night of a thousand stars
Let me take you to heaven's door
Where the music of love's guitars
Plays forever more
In the glow of those twinkling lights
We shall love through eternity
On this night in a million nights
Fly away with me
I never dreamed that a kiss
Could be as sweet as this
Now I know that it can
I used to wander alone
Without a love of my own
I was a desperate man
But all my grief disappeared
And all the sorrow I feared
Wasn't there anymore
On that magical day
When you first came my way, mi amor
On this night...
On this night of a thousand stars
Let me take you to heaven's door
Where the music of love's guitars
Plays forever more
Eva:
To think that a man as famous as you are
Could love a poor little nothing like me
(Eva)
I wanna be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Chorus:
She wants to be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Ché:
Just listen to that, they're unto you Magaldi
I'd get out while you can
Eva:
It's happened at last, I'm starting to get started
I'm moving out with my man
Agustin Magaldi:
Now Eva don't get carried away
Eva:
Monotomy past, suburbia departed
Who could ever be fond of the back of beyond
Agustin Magaldi:
Don't hear words that I didn't say
Chorus:
What's that?
You desert the girl you love?
Agustin Magaldi:
The girl I love?
What are you talking about
Chorus:
She really brightened up your out-of-town engagement
She gave you all she had, she wasn't in your contract
You must be quite relieved that no one's called the papers
So far!
Eva:
I wanna be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Would I have done what I did
If I hadn't thought, if I hadn't known
We would stay together
Clerk:
Seems to me there's no point in resisting
She's made up her mind, you've no choice
Why don't you be the man who discovered her
You'll never be remembered for your voice
Agustin Magaldi:
The city can be paradise
For those who have the cash
The class and the connections
What you need to make a splash
The likes of you get swept up
In the morning with the trash
If you were rich or middle-class
Eva:
Screw the middle-classes, I will never accept them
My father's other family were middle-class
And we were kept out of sight
Hidden from view at his funeral
Clerk:
Do all your one-night stands give you this trouble?
Agustin Magaldi:
Eva, beware of the city
It's hungry and cold, can't be controlled
It is mad
Those who are fools are swallowed up whole
And those who are not become what they should not become
Changed, in short they go bad
Eva:
Bad is good for me, I'm bored
So clean and so ignored
I've only been predictable, respectable
Birds fly out of here
So why oh why oh why the hell can't I
I only want variety of society
I wanna be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Chorus:
She wants be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Agustin Magaldi:
Five years from now I shall come back
And finally say: "You have your way, come to town"
And you'll look at me with a foreigner's eyes
The magical city, a younger girl's city
A fantasy long since put down
Eva:
All you've done to me
Was that a young girl's fantasy?
I played your silly games alright, didn't I?
I already know what cooks
How the dirty city feels and looks
I tasted it last night, didn't I?
I'm gonna be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Chorus:
She's gonna be a part of B.A.
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Agustin Magaldi:
Eva, beware your ambition
It's hungry and cold, can't be controlled
Will run wild
This in a man is danger enough
But you are a woman, not even a woman
Not very much more than a child
And whatever you say I'll not steal you away
The song "On This Night of a Thousand Stars / Eva and Magaldi / Eva Beware of the City" from the musical "Evita" is a complex sequence of three songs that tells the story of Eva's rise to fame and her ambition for a better life. In the first part, Ché introduces Agustin Magaldi, the man who first noticed Eva, a poor teenager with nothing to lose. Magaldi sings of his love for her and takes her to Buenos Aires, where she dreams of becoming a star. In the second part, Eva and Magaldi have a confrontation that reveals the darker side of their relationship. Eva realizes that Magaldi is not in love with her, but using her for his own benefit. In the final part, Eva sings of her determination to leave her past behind and become a part of the upper class. She sees B.A. (Buenos Aires) as a gateway to a better life, despite Agustin's warnings about the dangerous and cruel nature of the city.
The song is a beautiful representation of the different phases of Eva's journey, from her humble beginnings to her rise to power. Andrew Lloyd Webber's music and Tim Rice's lyrics expertly convey the complexities of Eva's emotions and her search for a better life. The sequence of three interwoven songs reflects the different stages of Eva's journey, with the first two songs capturing her naive optimism and the last one reflecting her ruthless ambition.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, Eva Péron had every disadvantage
Eva Péron had many disadvantages
You need if you're gonna succeed
Disadvantages are necessary to succeed
No money, no cash, no father, no bright light
Eva Péron faced many obstacles, such as lack of money, a father, and opportunity
There was nowhere she'd been at the age of fifteen
Eva Péron had not traveled much by the age of fifteen
As this tango singer found out
Agustin Magaldi encountered Eva Péron
Who has the distinction of being the first
Agustin Magaldi was the first person to be of use to Eva Péron
Man to be of use to Eva Duarte
Agustin Magaldi was the first man to help Eva Péron
On this night of a thousand stars
A night with many opportunities
Let me take you to heaven's door
I will show you something amazing
Where the music of love's guitars
Where there is beautiful romantic music
Plays forever more
The music never stops
In the glow of those twinkling lights
In the shine of beautiful lights
We shall love through eternity
We will love each other forever
On this night in a million nights
On this special and rare night
Fly away with me
Come with me to see something incredible
I never dreamed that a kiss
I never thought a kiss could be so special
Could be as sweet as this
This kiss is amazing
Now I know that it can
Now I realize how great a kiss can be
I used to wander alone
I used to be alone and lost
Without a love of my own
Without anyone to love
I was a desperate man
I was very unhappy and hopeless
But all my grief disappeared
All my sadness went away
And all the sorrow I feared
All the sadness I worried about never happened
Wasn't there anymore
I felt much better and happier
On that magical day
On that special and amazing day
When you first came my way, mi amor
When I first met you, my love
To think that a man as famous as you are
It's surprising a famous man like you loves someone like me
Could love a poor little nothing like me
It's unlikely you would love someone of my background and status
She wants to be a part of B.A.
Eva wants to be part of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Big Apple
Buenos Aires is like New York City
Just listen to that, they're unto you Magaldi
People are talking about Agustin Magaldi
I'd get out while you can
You should leave while you still have the chance
It's happened at last, I'm starting to get started
Eva is finally getting the opportunity she needs to succeed
I'm moving out with my man
I'm leaving and going with the person I love
Now Eva don't get carried away
Eva should be cautious and not let her emotions take over
Monotomy past, suburbia departed
Eva is leaving behind monotony and suburbia
Who could ever be fond of the back of beyond
Who could ever like a place so remote?
Don't hear words that I didn't say
Don't twist my words
What's that?
What are you talking about?
You desert the girl you love?
You abandoned the woman you love?
The girl I love?
The woman I am with now?
She really brightened up your out-of-town engagement
Eva made your out-of-town performances much better
She gave you all she had, she wasn't in your contract
Eva helped you despite not being in an official agreement with you
You must be quite relieved that no one's called the papers
You should be happy that the media has not caught on to your relationship
So far!
Up until this moment
Would I have done what I did
Would I have pursued you if I knew the cost?
If I hadn't thought, if I hadn't known
If I didn't think of the possible outcomes, if I wasn't informed
We would stay together
We would be together forever
Seems to me there's no point in resisting
I think it's pointless to resist
She's made up her mind, you've no choice
Eva has decided, and you can't do anything about it
Why don't you be the man who discovered her
You could be the one to take credit for discovering Eva
You'll never be remembered for your voice
You won't gain fame for your singing
The city can be paradise
The city can be a wonderful place
For those who have the cash
For those who have money
The class and the connections
For people with status and connections
What you need to make a splash
What's required to make a significant impact
The likes of you get swept up
People like you get lost in the crowd
In the morning with the trash
They will be forgotten and discarded
If you were rich or middle-class
If you had money or were middle-class
Screw the middle-classes, I will never accept them
I hate the middle-class and will never accept them
My father's other family were middle-class
My father had another family that is middle-class
And we were kept out of sight
We were hidden away from them
Hidden from view at his funeral
They didn't want the middle-class to see us at his funeral
Do all your one-night stands give you this trouble?
Are you having trouble because of your past one-night stands?
Eva, beware of the city
Eva, be careful of the city
It's hungry and cold, can't be controlled
The city is ruthless and unpredictable
Those who are fools are swallowed up whole
People who are naive are quickly taken advantage of
And those who are not become what they should not become
Others become corrupted by the city
Changed, in short they go bad
People become negative and harmful
Bad is good for me, I'm bored
Doing bad things excites me because I'm bored
So clean and so ignored
I have been clean and ignored
Birds fly out of here
People leave this place
So why oh why oh why the hell can't I
Why can't I leave as well?
I only want variety of society
I want to see different kinds of people
Five years from now I shall come back
In five years, I will return
And finally say: "You have your way, come to town"
I will finally say, you can come to town if you want to
And you'll look at me with a foreigner's eyes
You will see me differently
The magical city, a younger girl's city
The dream of a magical city is something a young girl would have
A fantasy long since put down
A dream I had a long time ago
All you've done to me
All the things you have done to me
Was that a young girl's fantasy?
Did my dream of the magical city only belong in a young girl's imagination?
I played your silly games alright, didn't I?
I played your games and did okay, didn't I?
I already know what cooks
I already know the game
How the dirty city feels and looks
How the city appears and feels
I tasted it last night, didn't I?
I was already there last night, wasn't I?
Eva, beware your ambition
Eva, be careful of your ambition
Will run wild
It will get out of control
This in a man is danger enough
This level of ambition is dangerous in a man
But you are a woman, not even a woman
But you are a young girl, not yet a proper woman
Not very much more than a child
You are very young and inexperienced
And whatever you say I'll not steal you away
I won't steal you from your current partner no matter what you say
Contributed by Taylor N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.