Tomorrow (song from Annie)

"Tomorrow" is a song from the musical Annie, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, published in 1977. The number was originally written as "The Way We Live Now" for the 1970 short film Replay, with both music and lyrics by Strouse.

Production history in the musical

The song was originally written for a musical production of Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon. The switch was made because Annie "was having problems during its out-of-town engagement in Washington D.C."

The song had appeared in prominence in productions of the musical throughout its history: it was heard in several versions in the original 1977 Broadway production, including ending the show. It was the entry and concluding credits score for the 1982 film adaptation.

Discussion

The song apparently pronounces an optimistic view of life through its main themes, 'hang on until tomorrow' and 'when I'm stuck with a day that's gray and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin'. It appears to be in unison with another song in the score, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile", which again pronounces the importance of smiling, though in a much lighter and cheerful tone.

The lyrics were likely influenced by the song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", written by the Sherman Brothers for Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction for the 1964 New York World's Fair. They have very similar themes, stressing the importance of looking forward optimistically to a shining future, and in some places use almost identical lyrical phrases (compare "just a dream away" and "only a day away," for example).

In December 2014, Kellogg's made a television commercial which used the 1977 original Broadway soundtrack version of the song.

Cover versions

Grace Jones recorded a disco version of the song on her debut album Portfolio, in 1977. The song has been recorded by Barbra Streisand on her 1978 album Songbird. It has been recorded by The Manhattans on their 1978 album There's No Good in Goodbye. It has been recorded by Lou Rawls on his 1979 album Let Me Be Good to You. It was also sung by Petula Clark with the Muppets in the background near the end of "The Muppet Show" episode of her own name. Patricia Paay from The Star Sisters also recorded and release her version in 1982. Elaine Paige recorded an up-tempo version for her 1983 album Stages and a live version from her 40th anniversary tour is included on the 2008 live album Elaine Paige Live. Lea Salonga recorded it on her album, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes recorded a punk rock version for their 1999 album Are a Drag. It is featured as a hidden track on the 2002 compilation album Land by Patti Smith. Amy Diamond recorded a pop version on her debut album This Is Me Now, in 2005.

The song was covered by the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band of ShowBiz Pizza Place in the 1982 "Tribute to Abbey Road" showtape. It, sung by Mitzi Mozzarella, was combined with Maybe, and was the first major song sung by Mitzi's current voice actress, Shalisa Sloan, at the age of 11.

Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1982 album The Chipmunks Go Hollywood. The Chipettes also covered this song for "The Chipette Story," a 1985 episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Broadway star Idina Menzel covered the song as the final encore on her 2010–2011 Symphony Tour.

In 2013 the song became the official campaign song for the charity Save the Children, sung by Liverpool chorister Jack Topping.^[1]

In 2015, the song was performed by New Zealand pop singer Gin Wigmore for a series of television commercials advertising Air New Zealand.

See also

• Little Orphan Annie
• "Tomorrow" at MusicBrainz (information & list of recordings)

References