#it's also just an overall SCP-vibes song so maybe that's why but.

[fictionallyinparadise]

For the 70s/80s music ask game, ‘Let’s Dance’ for anyone, for no reason other than my favorite musician wrote that song (is that the correct way to say that??? I’m new to music small talk. And music that isn’t just video game OSTs in general. And will that opinion have me judged? Sorry if I’m being awkward,)

~stars-n-freckles45

OOOO David Bowie goes BRRR <33 Dw about being awkward, music small talk (for me at least) either goes "this song made me cry you should listen to it", "this reminds me of you/your OC(s)", or "you just unlocked a memory about music and I'm gonna go down a rabbithole about it" so shghsg- Also!! Video game OSTs are so fucking good dude like.....omge. ANYWHO ANYWHO, I answered this with Iceberg bc I'm melting from brainrot to the point of no return <3

David Bowie - Let’s Dance: Are there any songs you’ve picked up from your F/O or their media, or because they remind you of them?

One song that reminds me of him for no reason is "Touch-Tone Telephone" by Lemon Demon. There's no reason, I just think it fits :]

Onto the songs that I can go and ramble about-

"Cold Cold Cold" by Cage The Elephant reminds me of him. Considering that he is literally Cold™️. I feel like he'd scream this song in his car before going into work....... "Some Rotten Man" by The Taxpayers but it's in an angst way,,,like. Hang on I need a specific lyric-

"Some rotten man. Nobody's savior. Your oldest friend" LIKE I can literally picture him saying those to me. "Some rotten man" in passing conversation. "Nobody's savior" after something Goes Wrong At Work™️. "Your oldest friend" whispered in the dark when he thinks I'm asleep.

"Mary On A Cross" by Ghost because like.......he's got some Abnormal Thing about him (his body temp is like....19.4° F) and my self insert has some Abnormal Thing about them (their eyes are glitchy! Like when they're confused their eyes show a literal bluescreen)!! SO THE "your beauty never ever scared me" HITS SO HARD............

"Hayloft II (Burning Barn Acoustic)" by Mother Mother is another and it's specifically the Acoustic bc that one itches my brain so hard. There's something about it that carries his Unhinged yet Contained energy so perfectly.

There's so many more but at the rate I'm going I'll never end this MSGHSHGHH..........

[saint-starflicker]

Amélie: in my opinion, not as good as the (originally non-musical) movie, and how unlikable the characters are depends on how sold you aren't on the comedy...but there's an absurd humor that I think is only present in the stage version. The goldfish. Real people but unrealistic, yes.

Ordinary Days: One storyline is a tragedy, the other is a romantic comedy. Not really unrealistic but the "what's your big picture?" song was cute.

Sunday in the Park with George: It's a Sondheim! About making art! The first act is a historical costume drama! You probably knew this one already.

Mamma Mia!: I know it's a jukebox musical...insert snub emoji...but believe me, it works. I enjoyed the movie, I have not seen a better use of an onscreen ensemble since the Evita movie, and I think everybody who is an untrained singer there totally gets away with being an untrained singer there. The sequel was eh.

The Music Man: There's a movie, and it's a classic.

Chicago: There's a movie, and it's a classic.

Singin' in the Rain: There's a movie, and it's a classic. This one is basically Merrily but with Space Mom's Mom and overall less tragic and more comedy-farce, told within a much shorter scope of time.

Sweet Charity: If you liked Chicago, you might like Sweet Charity. It's cynical and pessimistic disguised in twee musical stylings. It's about the lives of ballroom dancing hostesses sex workers, and a specific one who seems about to relationship her way out of it but (spoilers!) she doesn't so there was no point to watching except to subvert the happily ever after with realism. Also there's a singing dancing cult.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch: The tone is somewhat more melodramatic but it mostly just gets weird. At least the movie version that I watched. It has two of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard ("The Origin of Love" and the probably-a-hallucination Tommy Gnosis version of "Wicked Little Town".) There are also other songs that...are just...weird? Weird enough to count as silly? Maybe?

Master Class: More of a stageplay that samples songs from operas, it's the life story of opera singer Maria Callas as told in a university classroom. Very thematically-and-subject-matterly Merrily, even if it's not that in tone.

Aspects of Love: It's like multi-shipper fanfiction that tries to combine all the possible ships of a movie I've never seen...but, with songs. In the production that I watched, there was a sapphic moment for maybe 15 seconds but they were more like metamours.

The Baker's Wife: I hate this show. You have to hear it the whole way through so that you understand why. The tunes are great. The plot and characters are terrible without being interesting. But the songs, the songs worm their way in there like a Cognitohazard SCP. I lost the CDs decades ago but this show lives on in my head. I'll never be free of it. You have to hear or watch this show. It requested you specifically.

Disqualified for Fantasy/Sci-Fi but Still Has Merrily Vibes Maybe?:

Xanadu: There's some fantasy/sci-fi elements but overall it's fun. Better than the movie. Exceedingly silly. Stranger Things fans of the 1980s aesthetic might like this show. It's like if Merrily were about the creation of a rollerskating disco.

Weird Romance: There's some fantasy/sci-fi elements but overall it's fun from what I remember? It's like if Merrily were about the creation of a robot celebrity whose brain waves were stolen from a homeless lady.

Little Shop of Horrors: There's some fantasy/sci-fi elements but overall it's fun...Apparently the stage ending is different than the movie version ending? There's some references to domestic violence. Overall theme of capitalism is bad.

something like merrily? what i mean by that is something that’s supposed to be about real people but in reality it’s very unrealistic and also they sing silly songs

I think that's gonna be about half of musical theater, but sure, let's find out what people recommend. :D

Offhand, The Last Five Years is probably the closest? Ah, but if you want something much less depressing (and that didn't result in a lawsuit), I have a great fondness for Rooms: A Rock Romance.