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.
The Music of the Night
Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darkness wakes and stirs imagination
Silently, the senses abandon their defenses
Helpless to resist the notes I write
For I compose the music of the night
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Hard as lightening, soft as candlelight
Dare you trust the music of the night?
Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth
And the truth isn't what you want to see
In the dark it is easy to pretend
That the truth is what it ought to be
Softly, deftly, music shall caress you
Hear it, feel it secretly possess you
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Close your eyes
Start a journey to a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Close your eyes and let music set you free
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
The song "The Music of the Night" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "The Phantom of the Opera" is a beautiful yet haunting ballad in which the character of the Phantom beckons Christine into his world. The lyrics are rich in poetic imagery, describing the power of music to evoke emotions and transport us to another world. The Phantom tells Christine that the nighttime sharpens and heightens each sensation and that darkness wakes and stirs imagination. In this way, he is inviting her to let go of her defenses and trust his music.
The second stanza further emphasizes the power of music to deceive us. The Phantom tells Christine that music is hard as lightning and soft as candlelight, and that hearing is believing, while music is deceiving. He is telling her that the sensations she is feeling are very real, but that the emotions evoked by music can be deceptive. He then implores her to close her eyes and let her fantasies unwind, knowing that the darkness of the music is too powerful to resist.
The final stanza is the Phantom's plea to Christine to join him in his world. He tells her to start a journey to a strange new world and leave all thoughts of the world she knew before. Only by letting music set her free can she belong to him. The song ends with the Phantom's declaration that only Christine can make his song take flight, and he begs her to help him make the music of the night.
Line by Line Meaning
Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
The darkness of the night accentuates our emotions and makes us more sensitive to our surroundings
Darkness wakes and stirs imagination
The absence of light awakens our creativity and encourages us to imagine new things
Silently, the senses abandon their defenses
The quietness of the night allows us to let our guard down and fully experience our senses
Helpless to resist the notes I write
The music is so captivating that we cannot resist its power
For I compose the music of the night
The composer is in control and responsible for the music that fills and surrounds us in the darkness
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
The night reveals its beauty slowly and calmly
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Embrace the night's beauty and experience it delicately with all your senses
Hearing is believing, music is deceiving
Our ears can be tricked by music and make us believe things that may not be true in reality
Hard as lightening, soft as candlelight
The music can evoke powerful emotions while remaining soft and gentle at the same time
Dare you trust the music of the night?
Should we trust the music and let it take us on an unknown journey?
Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth
Our eyes can often deceive us, so we must close them to really see the true beauty around us
And the truth isn't what you want to see
The truth can sometimes be hard to face and not what we want it to be
In the dark it is easy to pretend that the truth is what it ought to be
The absence of light can cause us to create illusions that can be different from reality
Softly, deftly, music shall caress you
The music envelops us delicately and skillfully like a loving touch
Hear it, feel it secretly possess you
The music has the power to take hold of us and possess us in a secret way
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
Free your mind to let your imagination run wild and dream new dreams
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the night is a force that cannot be conquered or defeated
The darkness of the music of the night
The music complements the darkness of the night with a deep, mysterious quality
Close your eyes
Shut out the external world to really immerse yourself in the music's power
Start a journey to a strange new world
Let the music take you on a voyage to a new and unknown place
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Forget your past experiences and let the music lead you to new discoveries
Close your eyes and let music set you free
Allow the music to liberate and unburden you from life's troubles
Only then can you belong to me
Only by letting go of all distractions and bonding with the music can you truly connect with the composer
Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
The music engulfs us like a heady and alluring wave, making us feel light and carefree
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
The music demands us to trust it, inviting us to savor each and every sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
Give in to the music and let your deepest desires and fantasies take over
To the power of the music that I write
The composer's music is of profound significance and has the power to change our lives
The power of the music of the night
The music has a mysterious power over us, enshrouding us in a mystical darkness
You alone can make my song take flight
As a listener, you have the power to elevate the music to new heights
Help me make the music of the night
As the composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber is asking us to participate and collaborate with him in making beautiful music of the night.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles A. Hart, Richard Stilgoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaell3105
Hard to find this version of the lyrics so here it is:
Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness wakes and stirs imagination
Silently the senses abandoned their defenses
Helpless to resist the notes I write
For I compose the music of the night
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Hearing is believing
Music is deceiving
Hard as lightning, soft as candlelight
Dare you trust the music of the night?
Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth
And the truth isn’t what you want to see
In the dark it is easy to pretend
That the truth is what it ought to be
Softly, deftly, music shall caress you
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you
Open up your mind
Let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Close your eyes
Start a journey through a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Close your eyes and let music set you free
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darkest side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
You alone can make this song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
@Ernie1978
Nobody sings "The Music of the Night" quite like Michael Crawford does. It's phenomenal and heartfelt.
@harlequinhead2008
A thousand times YES!!! He captures every emotion in just this one song - he owns the one!
@sophiezadpoerozny4972
Fr I mostly listen to the original more than any other ones he's voice is so beautiful and he just fits the part perfectly
@angelnunn
I prefer ramin, he has strong voice, he sings with passion. But of course, Crawford sounds just as beautiful.
@simplystreeptacular
@@angelnunn The way Ramin sings it makes me swoon. But Michael Crawford could sing me straight into bed with this song. His voice just has this insanely sensual, seductive quality I've never yet heard another actor quite match.
@annewandahl8420
@@angelnunn I could’nt care less about The Phantom of the Opera, no actor caught my attention, I fell a sleep during the movie - but then I saw Ramin Karimloo play the phantom on my telly. Suddenly I payed intense attention. Outstanding Singer, brilliant actor. Noone above or even beside Ramin Karimloo in my opinion!
@boyo-shook3891
Bless this talented woman and her ability to never blink.
@hitcher1779
scares me like mad.
@drelvisvalentino2638
That's what you notice in this amazing piece of theatre??? what an flippin idiot.. You're the reason the thinning of the herd is neccessary in the human race.
@mjd2237
@@drelvisvalentino2638 Someone needs to take a chill pill