Why Hair is the Best Musical Ever.
Last month it was announced that the musical Hair would be the latest show to be given the live treatment by NBC, so I thought it was a good chance to revisit it, and explain why I think it is the best musical ever.
Galt MacDermot’s Hair is similar to many musicals of its era, with structure and length akin to its peers. It immediately sets itself apart from more traditional musicals though, with its cool, laidback jazzy opening Aquarius. Slowburning and full of youthful attitude, it stands out as a much deeper piece than can normally be expected in a musical. While avoiding the familiar “fabulousness” of an opening number, Aquarius still provides a catchy memorable opening that sets the stage and theme for the next two hours. Other upbeat catchy numbers are littered throughout the show, such as Donna and Manchester, and Black Boys/White Boys, which emulate an erotic version of West Side Story’s I Feel Pretty.
Despite the general upbeatness of the bigger songs, the show is interspersed with slower softer songs such as Frank Mills. This gives the show the variation that makes it a classic musical, and puts it level with shows like West Side Story and Chicago. To me, Hair is closest in musical shape to Jesus Christ Superstar, which uses a very similar musical and artistic style, even though it came three years later. The rockiness of Jesus Christ Superstar can be seen in Hair in tracks like Electric Blues/Old Fashioned Melody and Walking In Space.
Whilst all shows have memorable songs in them, Hair is a show that has several songs that have become more famous than the show itself. Arguably the most famous song from the show is I’m Black/Ain’t Got No”/”I Got Life which most famously was performed by Nina Simone. The counterculture elements of Hair no doubt drew Simone to the song specifically, and her various versions of the song are both beautiful and liberating, particularly this live version, but even different versions of the songs owe their successes to the show. The finale number, The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In) is possibly the song that people will know Hair for, and it is its most enduring and poignant song. Set against the conscription and subsequent death of Claude, the haunting final song with its ironic and upbeat lyrics against bitter and minor key accompaniment stays with the viewer for days afterwards.
The shows message is conveyed through juxtaposition and irony throughout. Take Air, for example, which is an upbeat tune about the unpleasant gases that now surround us, in the air we all need to breathe. Or Sodomy or Colored Spade, which both comment on the absurdity of certain words being offensive. While Hair’s covering of taboos such as nudity and bad language no doubt has had an impact on its success, the overt and unashamed message and social commentary is the key to its longevity and integrity. Numbers like Hare Krishna and The Flesh Failures provide eerie semi-religious choral sections which give the show yet another dimension. Themes of liberation, embracement of sexuality and breaking away from the status quo fill the show with purpose and meaning. Despite the hippie connotations that everything about Hair has, the message is clear and is absolutely relevant in the 21st Century.
Hair embraces all of the idiosyncrasies of a musical, but is never tacky or without purpose. Songs like Where Do I Go? give the moral, self-searching soliloquy which is found in Jesus Christ Superstar’s Gethsemane or Les Miserables’ Bring Him Home. Furthermore, it doesn’t rely on the repetition of shows like Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera. Hair is a believable and relatable story of liberation, sexuality and love that more than ever young people can relate to.
Sam Marshall is a freelance musician, writer and reviewer based in SW UK.