These musicals seriously tackle issues such as multiculturalism, addiction, sexual orientation and HIV. Rent was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won four Tony Awards. The scores of his shows reveal that he was an apt composer and lyricist.
One tick, tick...BOOM! song called "Sunday" is an homage to Stephen Sondheim, who supported Larson. It stays close to the melody and lyrics of Sondheim's own song of the same title but turning it from a manifesto about art into a waiter's lament.
Among the many awards he received during and after his lifetime were: the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (for Rent), the Richard Rodgers Production Award, the Richard Rodgers Development Grant, the Stephen Sondheim Award, the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation's Commendation Award, the Tonys for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score of a Musical for Rent, the Drama Desks for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Book, and Best Lyrics (also for Rent), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical (again for Rent), the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical in the Off-Broadway category (another for Rent), and three Obie Awards for Outstanding Book, Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music (yet again for Rent).
Among his many creative works are Rent, tick, tick...BOOM!, Sacrimoralimmorality (1981)with David Armstrong (retitled Saved for the one-week run on 42nd Street), Superbia, the music for J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation, numerous individual numbers, music for Sesame Street, music for the children's book cassettes of An American Tail and Land Before Time, music for Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner, and four songs for the children's video Away We Go! (which he also conceived and directed).
Larson died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed aortic dissection (aortic aneurysm), believed to have been caused by Marfan syndrome, on January 25th, 1996. It was ten days before his 36th birthday, and the night before Rent's first preview off-Broadway.
After his death, Larson's family and friends started the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.
In 2005, a film version of his most popular production Rent was released, directed by Christopher Columbus.
In September of 2008, Rent closed after 12 successful years on broadway. One of the final shows and the finale were filmed for a limited engagement film, "Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway." The DVD and Blu-Ray disc were released was in February 2009.
Currently original cast members Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, and Gwen Stewart are performing on the farewell broadway tour of the show.
You'll See
Jonathan Larson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What happened to his heart
And the ideals he once pursued
And the owner of that lot next door
Has a right to do with it as he pleases
Happy birthday, Jesus!
The rent
You're wasting your time
You're broke
And you broke your word, this is absurd
There is one way you won't have to pay
I knew it!
Next door, the home of Cyberarts, you see
And now that the block is re-zoned
Our dream can become a reality
You'll see boys
You'll see boys
A state of the art, digital, virtual interactive studio
I'll forego your rent and on paper guarantee
That you can stay here for free
If you do me one small favor
What?
Convince Maureen to cancel her protest
Why not just get an injunction or call the cops
I did, and they're on stand by
But my investors would rather
I handle this quietly
You can't quietly wipe out an entire tent city
Then watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' on TV!
You want to produce films and write songs?
You need somewhere to do it!
It's what we used to dream about
Think twice before you pooh-pooh it
You'll see boys
You'll see boys
You'll see, the beauty of a studio
That lets us do our work and get paid
With condos on the top
Whose rent keeps open our shop
Just stop the protest
And you'll have it made
You'll see, or you'll pack
The lyrics to Jonathan Larson's "You'll See" come from the musical "Rent" and touch on several themes present in the storyline. The song takes place when Benny, a former friend of the other characters who has become a landlord, offers to forgive the unpaid rent of the group in exchange for their help in convincing Maureen, a performance artist and former girlfriend of one of the characters, to cancel a protest that he feels will harm his real estate plans.
The first few lines of the song address Benny's changes since he left his bohemian lifestyle behind. The singer questions what happened to his ideals and heart. The song then moves on to Benny's ultimatum: convince Maureen to cancel the protest or face eviction. The lyrics hint at the irony of having such a decision to make on Christmas Day, stating "Happy birthday, Jesus!" as the situation is far from joyful.
Throughout the song, Benny attempts to persuade the other characters that his proposal is beneficial to them, arguing that his plan will provide them with a state-of-the-art studio and affordable housing. However, the others sense the potential destruction of their community and their values, leading to the final line of the song, "You'll see, or you'll pack," which signifies the difficult position faced by the characters.
Overall, "You'll See" speaks to the struggles of gentrification, the sacrifices made in the pursuit of art and creativity, and the need to stand up for one's beliefs, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
What happened to Benny
What has become of Benny
What happened to his heart
What happened to his beliefs and values
And the ideals he once pursued
And the principles he used to follow
And the owner of that lot next door
And the proprietor of the adjacent property
Has a right to do with it as he pleases
Is entitled to do whatever he wants with it
Happy birthday, Jesus!
A sarcastic remark or exclamation to express frustration or disbelief
The rent
The payment for the use of the property
You're wasting your time
You're not achieving anything
You're broke
You don't have any money
And you broke your word, this is absurd
And you didn't keep your promise, this is ridiculous
There is one way you won't have to pay
There is one option to avoid paying
I knew it!
An expression of anticipation or certainty
Next door, the home of Cyberarts, you see
The house next door belongs to Cyberarts
And now that the block is re-zoned
And since the area's designation has been changed
Our dream can become a reality
Our aspiration can finally come to fruition
You'll see boys
I promise you'll understand once you see
A state of the art, digital, virtual interactive studio
An advanced facility for producing digital content with interactive capabilities
I'll forego your rent and on paper guarantee
I'll waive your rent and provide a written guarantee
That you can stay here for free
That you can live here without paying any rent
If you do me one small favor
If you do me a favor that's not too difficult
What?
An inquiry for clarification or information
Convince Maureen to cancel her protest
Persuade Maureen to call off her demonstration
Why not just get an injunction or call the cops
Why not obtain a court order or involve law enforcement
I did, and they're on stand by
I did, and they're prepared to act if necessary
But my investors would rather
But my financial backers prefer
I handle this quietly
I resolve this discreetly
You can't quietly wipe out an entire tent city
You can't just silently eliminate an entire community of homeless people
Then watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' on TV!
An ironic statement about the unrealistic expectations of certain individuals
You want to produce films and write songs?
You want to create movies and compose music?
You need somewhere to do it!
You require a space in which to work
It's what we used to dream about
It's what we used to strive for
Think twice before you pooh-pooh it
Think carefully before you dismiss it as unimportant
You'll see boys
I assure you that you will understand
You'll see, the beauty of a studio
You will appreciate the quality of the studio
That lets us do our work and get paid
That enables us to create and earn income
With condos on the top
With condominiums above us
Whose rent keeps open our shop
Whose rental fees allow us to maintain our business
Just stop the protest
Just end the demonstration
And you'll have it made
And you will have succeeded
You'll see, or you'll pack
Either you will understand or you will leave
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jonathan D. Larson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind