Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel (Newman) Strouse. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Strouse studied under David Diamond, Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger.
Strouse's first Broadway musical was the 1960 hit Bye Bye Birdie, with lyrics by Lee Adams, who would become his long time collaborator. Strouse won his first Tony Award for best score for this musical, which is considered the precursor of the rock musical. Strouse's next show, All American, with a book by Mel Brooks and lyrics by Adams, came in 1962 and produced the standard “Once Upon a Time” (recorded by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin, among others). Following this was Golden Boy (1964, also with Adams), starring Sammy Davis Jr. and It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966, based on the popular comic strip)which introduced the song "You've Got Possibilities" sung by Linda Lavin.
In 1970, Applause (starring Lauren Bacall, with book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and lyrics by Adams) won Strouse his second Tony Award. In 1977, Mr. Strouse adapted another comic strip for the stage, creating the hit Annie, which garnered him his third Tony Award and two Grammy Awards. Other Strouse musicals include Charlie and Algernon (1979), Dance a Little Closer (1983, with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner), Rags (1986) and Nick & Nora (1993). Strouse also wrote a number of musical revues, many with Adams.
Strouse’s film scores include the classics Bonnie and Clyde (1967), There Was a Crooked Man... (1970, with Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968, with Adams) and the popular animated movie All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). He and Adams also wrote the theme song “Those Were the Days” for the television show All in the Family. Strouse’s songs have been heard on the radio throughout his career and have run the gamut from girl-band pop to hip hop. In 1958, his song “Born Too Late” was number one on the Billboard charts, and in 1999 the quadruple platinum “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” by artist Jay-Z was the winner of a Grammy for Best Rap Album of the year & the Billboard R&B Album of the Year.
Strouse’s writing also extends into orchestral works, chamber music, piano concertos and opera. His Concerto America, composed in 2002 to commemorate 9/11 and the spirit of New York City, premiered at The Boston Pops in 2004, and his opera Nightingale (1982), starring Sarah Brightman, had a successful run in London, followed by many subsequent productions. In 1977, Strouse founded the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, through which many young composers and lyricists have found a forum for their work.
Upcoming works by Strouse include an adaptation of the Paddy Chayevsky film Marty starring John C. Reilly, a musical version of The Night They Raided Minsky's, and an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. Real Men, for which Mr. Strouse wrote the music and lyrics, premiered in January 2005 at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, FL , and his musical Studio, premiered at Theatre Building Chicago in August 2006.
Strouse has won Emmy Awards for music in television adaptions of Bye Bye Birdie and Annie. He is also the recipient of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Awards. He is also a member of the Theater Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Strouse is married to director-choreographer Barbara Siman. They have 4 children: Benjamin, Nicholas, Victoria, and William.
Musicals
* Bye Bye Birdie (1960)
* All American (1962)
* Golden Boy (1964)
* It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1966)
* Applause (1970)
* I and Albert (1972, London)
* Annie (1977)
* A Broadway Musical (1978)
* Charlie and Algernon (1979, London, as Flowers for Algernon); (1981)
* Bring Back Birdie (1981)
* Nightingale (1982; this work is often described as an opera)
* Dance a Little Closer (1983)
* Mayor (1985)
* Rags (1986)
* Nick & Nora (1993)
* Annie Warbucks (1993)
Film scores
* Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
* The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
* There Was a Crooked Man (1970)
* Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)
* Ishtar (1987)
* All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
Easy Street
Charles Strouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our sainted mother
Would sit and croon us
Her lullaby
She′d say, kids, there's a place
That′s like no other
You got to get there before you die
You don't get there
By playing from the rule book
You stack the aces
You load the dice
Mother dear
Oh, we know you're down there listening --
How can we follow
Your sweet
Advice
To
Easy street
Easy street
Where you sleep till noon
Yeah, yeah, yeah
She′d repeat
Easy street
Better get there soon.
Easy street
Easy street
Where the rich folks play
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Move them feet
Move them ever-lovin′ feet
To easy street
Easy street
When you get there stay
It ain't fair
How we scrounge
For three of four bucks
While she gets
Warbucks
The little brat!
It ain′t fair this here life
Is drivin' me nuts!
While we get peanuts
She′s livin' fat!
Maybe she holds the key
That little lady
To gettin′ more bucks
Instead of less
Maybe we fix the game
With something shady
Where does that put us?
I'll give you one guess...
Yes!
Easy street
Easy street
Annie is the key
Yes sirree
Yes sirree
Yes sirree
Easy street
Easy street
That's where we′re gonna --
Be!
The song "Easy Street" written by Charles Strouse for the Broadway musical "Annie" is a song that celebrates the mystic appeal of wealth and power. The first verse of the song speaks about the singer's childhood memory of his mother's lullaby, where she talked about a place that's like no other where one can arrive only by breaking the rule book. It's a place where the rich play, and a place where one can sleep until noon. The song is considered to be one of the most popular songs from the musical as it showcases the main antagonist's, Miss Hannigan's, want for wealth and easy living.
The song mainly focuses on how individuals who have been living a struggling life and surviving only on peanuts for far too long crave rich and glorified lives. This idea is heightened in the second verse through the singer's call for stealing money and fixing the game. The song also highlights the character's hope that Annie, the key to wealth, will help them achieve their dreams of living on easy street.
Overall, the song is written in a lighter vein, which makes it more celebratory in nature. The song's catchy tunes and the glimmering disposition hidden behind the song's narrative has earned it a place in musical history.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember the way
I have memories of the following situation.
Our sainted mother
Our revered mother.
Would sit and croon us
She would sing us songs softly.
Her lullaby
A sleeping song.
She′d say, kids, there's a place
She always used to tell us that there's a special place.
That′s like no other
That's one of a kind.
You got to get there before you die
You have to reach before you die to that place.
You don't get there
You cannot get to this place like normal.
By playing from the rule book
You can't follow the given rule book to achieve that place.
You stack the aces
Instead, one should try to stack the cards in their favor.
You load the dice
Load the dice so that it lands in your favor.
Mother dear
Mother who we love and miss.
Oh, we know you're down there listening --
We are sure that you can hear us from there.
How can we follow
We need to be shown how to follow.
Your sweet
Your lovely.
Advice
Guidance for us.
To easy street
We need your guidance to reach Easy Street.
Easy street
A place of comfort and luxury.
Where you sleep till noon
A place where one can sleep late.
She′d repeat
She would keep insisting and repeating.
Easy street
To reach this luxurious paradise.
Better get there soon.
It's important to reach there as soon as possible because it's amazing.
Where the rich folks play
Place where wealthy people enjoy their time.
Move them feet
Put your foot forward and start moving.
Move them ever-lovin′ feet
Say it passionately and with energy.
When you get there stay
Once you reach this place, don't leave it.
It ain't fair
It is not right that.
How we scrounge
How we struggle to make ends meet.
For three of four bucks
With so little money.
While she gets
Though she gets
Warbucks
A wealthy and successful person.
The little brat!
Annie is annoyingly lucky.
It ain′t fair this here life
Life is unfair and difficult.
Is drivin' me nuts!
It is making us go insane.
While we get peanuts
We might as well be collecting peanuts.
She′s livin' fat!
She is living a luxurious life.
Maybe she holds the key
Maybe she knows the secret to.
That little lady
Annie is that lady.
To gettin′ more bucks
To get more money.
Instead of less
Rather than earning less.
Maybe we fix the game
We might have to cheat to win.
With something shady
Through some dishonest ways.
Where does that put us?
Can we really do that?
I'll give you one guess...
Do you have any ideas? Try and guess.
Easy street
Yes, Easy Street.
Annie is the key
Annie is the gateway to success.
That's where we′re gonna --
That's where we plan to be.
Be!
We will surely reach there.
Writer(s): Charnin Martin, Strouse Charles
Contributed by Natalie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.