"I Have Confidence" versus "I Believe"...

With all the hoopla over whether or not Bill and I should watch a scandalous Broadway show about the Mormon church, it occurred to me that obviously the song "I Believe" from the Book of Mormon Musical was inspired by another great Broadway tune...

Behold!  "I Believe"...

and

Julie Andrews singing "I Have Confidence".

Both songs are similarly inspirational, but if you listen to Andrew Rammell as Elder Price sing "I Believe", you will hear that he's trying to psych himself up, the same way Julie Andrews was as Maria, right down to the "What's so scary about that?"

The very beginning of "I Believe" is similar to "I Have Confidence" as Elder Price sings about being uncertain about what's going to happen.  But then his conviction comes through in a burst of inspiration and, just like Maria Von Trapp, he's bursting with joy and self worth by the end of the song...  He knows he's going to come out in glory.

I really look forward to seeing The Book of Mormon next month.  I have a feeling I'll be singing the songs for days afterwards.

When You Believe...

I went through a brief Whitney Houston phase when I was a teenager.  I used to listen to her debut album all the time as I rode my bike to and from the barn where I boarded my horse.  As I got older and Whitney got flakier, I stopped listening to her music as much.  But even at the end of her life, I admired her voice.  Whitney Houston, in her prime, had a huge, pristine voice that came directly from her God given genetic makeup.  

Some time ago, Whitney recorded a duet with Mariah Carey, another naturally gifted singer.  I never really went through a Mariah phase.  She was popular when I was in college and by that time, I had pretty much stopped listening to pop music.  I do like a few of Mariah Carey's songs, but generally I prefer Whitney's voice to hers, even as I recognize how beautiful her voice is.

I love both singers on "When You Believe".  They really made this a moving duet, even though their voices are breathy and a bit over-embellished.  I was listening to it this morning and feeling kind of inspired.  So that's why I'm blogging about it today.  This is a song that not many people could pull off the way Whitney and Mariah do.  It gives me goose bumps, tears in my eyes, and a huge lump in my throat.  I'm such a sap.  

Today on SingSnap, there's a duet challenge.  You're supposed to sing a song with someone from another country.  I may do one with the Norwegian guy I ran into the other day, if he wants to join in.  If it turns out decently, I'll post it.