A Chorus Line : 'Let Me Dance For You'

'Let Me Dance For You'

Does anyone else loathe this song? A part of me died when I listened to it. And the worst part is, they can't even use the defense "well we had to keep it in cause it was in the stage show" because I think they added it just for the film. What were they smoking? Wait, it was the 80s...probably crack.

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Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

"Let Me Dance With You" did suck. It was a half-baked bastardiazation of Cassie's solo in the play "The Music and the Mirror" and Allyson Reed is nowhere near the dancer or singer that Broadway Cassie Donna McKechnie was either.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

"The Music and the Mirror" is a much better song and I agree that Reed is no McKechnie.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

Donna told me a long time ago that the song from A Chorus Line was written specifically for her.In fact, that was the second version song. The first one was called Inside Everyone's Head Is A Dancer, but it had a note that was too high for Donna to sing, night after night.
Marvin Hamlisch refused to let them use The Music And The Mirror for the film and thus it was rewritten in a gist form for the film. I thought Alyson was wonderful in the movie, but Donna is the queen of that number. I thought the film had the wrong director, plain and simple. Hello Twelve was ruined and basically non-existant. I know that the song Surprise was written for Richie's character in lieu of GIMME THE BALL from the original. The dialogue was toned way down and cut to abbreviations of the original play. That ruined the movie for me. I also thought Michael Douglas was way wrong for that part and he looked very uncomfortable in it.

Brad
Austin, TX

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

Maybe you have to be a dancer to get it. I think that it was clear to everybody that Alyson Reed was never going to be a copy of Donna McKechnie, so they had to change it to fit her personality. Miss Reed comes across as girl of the eighties, a bit more modern, less melodramatic but not less desparate. Personally, I think that she did very, very well. God, this girl could dance.

And you said that a part of you died when you listened to it... well, it is quite an achievement to stir emotions like these, don't you think? I always know that when I see a performance or listen to a song and NOTHING happens, when I feel nothing at all, that it is bad.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

I also loathe that song. They should've kept "The Music & The Mirror," it's arguably the best song in the play.

The more he bleeds, the more her lives
He never forgets and he never forgives

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

TMATM is w/o a doubt one of the best songs in the show... but this version bleh... and also what is w/ surprise surprise... I WANT GIMME THE BALL! and Mother... and why couldnt they just have the OBC songs be in the the movie...

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Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

The song sounded very corny in the movie. (With Douglas watching her and whatnot). I just had to laugh. The worst line, "We made a lot of music dancing you and I." LMAO.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

The scores to musicals are often altered to some degree when a musical is made into a film for various reasons, but for me, the new songs in this film all suck and I have to put the lion's share of the blame on the director, Sir Richard Attenborough, who would have the final say on such things and had never directed a musical before, which was obvious after seeing the finished product.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'


*~<3 ~*i love the song and the scene.*~<3~*
*~Thanks for loving me!~*

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

Me too!! But having seen it on stage as well - I do also like Music and The Miror

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Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

It was definitely crap. And the woman cast for Cassie in this film was crap. The whole thing fell apart for me on this song. I wanted someone to put one of those Vaudeville style hooks out and yank hard.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

Cassie was definitely miscast.

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Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

I liked Reed and always felt she was a victim of bad direction and poor editing. The dance solo is pieced together badly but it is clear she can dance. I've seen her in several Broadway roles and she certainly has charisma. The song has great tempo unlike "music and mirror". It is modern strong and done with confiction BUT the orchestration and lyrics real ruin the moment. It's watchable.

They usually change or re-write for that oscar nod and possible hit. They sure missed on this one.

The movie just didn't capture the play. Hornady missed the oppurtunity to enlighten an audience. I left the play with a respect for dance. No such luck on the movie. The whole thing lack style. It almost tried to be a music video.

Macklin Crew

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

I agree. I was SO disappointed when I realized that they cut out out 'The Music and the Mirror' but I feel like Reed could have done a great job if she'd had more to work with. It seemed like they wanted to focus the movie more on the love between Cassie and Zach and so they changed the song. Sigh.


We can't stop here. This is bat country.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

Hated the song and hated the character/casting in the film.

At the end, I always find myself thinking "a better dancer just got screwed out of a job just 'cause this less-talented broad used to sleep with the director".

Of course it adds a touch of realism, though, doesn't it?

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

"At the end, I always find myself thinking "a better dancer just got screwed out of a job just 'cause this less-talented broad used to sleep with the director"."



Yes but that is not the way it is supposed to be. It is just that the part is badly miscast.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

True. I've seen the stage play twice, and in both times Cassie is just incredible in 'The Music and the Mirror.' It was one of the high points of the show.

Re: 'Let Me Dance For You'

LMDFY was one of three songs written for the show. M&TM and "Inside the Music" are the others. McKechnie performs ITM in her one woman show and some think it's the best song of the three. If you can get the OCA, she does it on there with the suggestion that it's "a little rangy".

I think M&TM is just way too long onstage. Even though ACL the show hasn't aged well at all, that number really seems out of place. Although the choreography is credited to Bennett, McKechnie says that she choreographed the number herself in her autobiography. That would explain a lot.

Even though Alyson was terrible, given the choice between her and listening to runner-up Ann Reinking singing, I'd rather have Reed.
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