Sondheim has been writing for the American Musical Theatre for the past four decades. His breakthrough musical Company revolutionized the art form. He is considered by many to be the finest living composer of our time.
His scores include Passion, Assassins, Bounce, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, Merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures, A Little Night Music, Follies, Company, The Frogs, Anyone Can Whistle, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to The Forum, as well as the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story.
He studied composition with the legendary avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt. Sondheim says that when he asked Babbitt if he could study atonality, Babbitt replied "You haven’t exhausted tonal resources for yourself yet, so I’m not going to teach you atonal." Sondheim agreed, and despite frequent dissonance and a highly chromatic style, his music remains resolutely tonal.
A notable aspect of Sondheim's songwriting is the use of complex and innovative rhyme patterns that "delight the ear."
Finale
Stephen Sondheim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We LOVE you!
Phone rings,
Door chimes,
In comes
Company!
No strings,
Just chums,
Company!
Late nights,
Quick bites,
Party games,
Deep talks,
Long walks,
Telephone calls.
Thoughts shared,
Souls bared,
Private names,
All those
Photos
Up on the walls--
"With love."
"With love" filling the days,
"With love" seventy ways,
"To Bobby with love"
From all those good and crazy people, your friends!
Those good and crazy people, your married friends!
And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
That's what it's really about, isn't it?
That's what it's really about,
Really about!
HUSBANDS:
Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?
WIVES & GIRLFRIENDS:
We LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE...
ROBERT:
You I love and you I love and you I love and you I love
And you I love and you I love and you I love!
I love you!
ALL:
Company! Company!
Company!
Lots of
Company!
Years of
Company!
Love is
Company!
Company!
The lyrics to Stephen Sondheim's song "Finale" are a tribute to the main character, Bobby, and his relationships with his friends. The song begins with the declaration of love from his friends, indicating the bond and closeness they share. The phone rings, the door chimes, and in comes company is a testament to the companionship that Bobby's friends provide him without any strings attached. The subsequent lines highlight the various activities they enjoy together, such as late nights, quick bites, and deep talks, which further reinforce the essence of their relationship.
The segment that follows is a tribute to Bobby, as his friends display their affection through pictures with captions like "With love" and "To Bobby with love." The phrase "good and crazy" people conveys the fun, unconventional personalities of the characters, who are mostly married, happy, and content with their lives. The culmination of the song is Bobby's realization of how much he is loved by his friends, and he reciprocates the feelings by declaring his love for them. The final lines reiterate the importance of companionship and love, which is what life is really about.
Line by Line Meaning
We LOVE you!
We all love you!
Phone rings,
The phone is ringing,
Door chimes,
Someone has arrived,
In comes Company!
And it's Company!
No strings,
No commitments,
Good times,
Just good times,
Just chums,
Just friends,
Company!
We're a company!
Late nights,
Staying up late,
Quick bites,
Quick meals,
Party games,
Playing party games,
Deep talks,
Having deep conversations,
Long walks,
Taking long walks together,
Telephone calls.
Talking on the phone,
Thoughts shared,
Sharing thoughts,
Souls bared,
Sharing our deepest feelings,
Private names,
Having secret names for each other,
All those Photos
Looking at all of our photos,
Up on the walls--
That are displayed on our walls,
"With love."
All of them captured with love.
"With love" filling the days,
With love being present in our every day activities,
"With love" seventy ways,
We express our love in countless ways,
"To Bobby with love"
We dedicate all this love to Bobby- our friend!
From all those good and crazy people, your friends!
All your good and crazy friends send their love to you!
Those good and crazy people, your married friends!
Even your married friends, who have their own families and responsibilities, love you and want to be with you!
And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
This is what life is all about, right?
That's what it's really about, isn't it?
That's the real essence of human life, isn't it?
That's what it's really about,
That's what life is really all about.
Really about!
Ultimately, that's what really matters!
HUSBANDS: Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?
Husbands also feel the same, right?
WIVES & GIRLFRIENDS: We LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE...
And we wives and girlfriends also LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE...
ROBERT: You I love and you I love and you I love and you I love
Robert loves all of us and he wants us to know that,
And you I love and you I love and you I love!
He's grateful for all the love he has received and he wants to return it!
I love you!
Robert truly loves all of us!
ALL: Company! Company! Company!
We are Company!
Lots of Company!
We have so much company in our lives!
Years of Company!
We have spent years with our lovely company!
Love is Company!
Love is what has kept us all together all these years!
Company! Company!
Together, we are Company!
Contributed by Jordan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.