Randy Newman

Paroles Faust (description) Randy Newman

 537

Faust (description)


ACT 1

It is 4004 B.C., and the Lord has just created the Universe. He and His Original Angels celebrate the Lord's great acheivement (Glory Train). Lucifer, the Lord's favorite, and the best looking angel by far, makes a little mistake, as will happen at parties, and is banished from Heaven forthwith and forever.

The centuries fly by. Lucifer, the Devil, now reigns in Hell where to the surprise of many, he has proven to be an effective administrator--harsh to be sure, vicious, even sadistic, ruthless when necessary but always fair. His life has not been an easy one however, and he longs to return to Heaven where they now have golf, roller coasters and Hawaiian music. He promises revenge (Can't Keep A Good Man Down).

The Devil visits the Lord in Heaven. He notices the Lord seems bored, and even for Him, a little irritable (note unfortunate reference to Buddhists and lack of modesty in How Great Our Lord). He senses that the Lord may have lost a step or two, and decides to take advantage of it. The Devil contends that the Lord made a mistake when He created Mankind. The Lord says he doesn't make mistakes. Knowing Him and His little, not weaknesses exactly, idiosyncrasies perhaps, better than anyone, the Devil goads the Lord into making a bet -- a representative specimen of Human life on Earth is to be selected, the Devil will try to corrupt the selectee. After negotiating a bit, even at one point considering a Canadian (Northern Boy), they agree on Henry Faust, a schizophrenic student from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana (Bless The Children). Should the Devil win, he would be permitted to move back up to Heaven. If the Lord wins, he would get Faust's soul which proves to be so tiny as to be almost invisible, but it is important to the Lord as are we all. The two old adversaries part amicably and get on with the rest of the show.

The Devil makes himself known to the boy and proffers a contract which Henry signs without reading. The Devil is astonished. Henry explains he doesn't like to read on his own time. The Devil dislikes Henry at sight; he's a bad boy alright, but in such an unimaginitive, illmannered, uncultured way (The Man)that the Devil, though sure of victory, is desheartened by the company he must keep. In any case, the Devil is certain that Henry will come through for him, and that he will once again abide with the Lord in Heaven. Right next door if possible. In addition, the Devil happens to know that an important member of the Lord's staff, an English Angel, is angry about the Lord's inexplicably cavalier treatment of his country, which did, after all, win those two Big Wars thereby saving the world (Little Island).

After spending some hard time with Henry, the Devil zips up to Heaven to pass a few quiet hours in the best place he knows. He unexpectedly encounters the Lord and some Angel Children. The Devil complains about having to deal with a barbarian like Henry. The Lord sympathizes, not liking the kid any better than the Devil does, and incidentally, genuinely worried about the viability of his bet--the Devil in Heaven would be intolerable. He'd ruin everything and probably would want to come over all the time and "do things" like they did as boys. The Lord loads up and with the help of the children, fires off an inspirational song at the Devil (Relax, Enjoy Yourself).

ACT 2

Faust has never been in love except with himself. The Lord decides to send down Cupid to shoot Faust to get a love thing going for the boy. The Lord's personnel resources are staggeringly comprehensive. Cupid shoots Faust at a big St. Patricks Day Easter Bunny festival in South Bend on Easter Sunday. Henry falls in love with Margaret, the poorest, nicest and most beautiful girl in South Bend (Gainsville). The Devil, raging inwardly at the Lord's perfidy (Cupid is after all a mythological figure from a pagan culture), notices Margaret has a friend with her, Martha, the most sophisticated girl in Indiana (Life Has Been Good), and one who has seen action not only at Arlington Park, but at Belmont, Aqueduct and Bay Meadows. The Devil falls for Martha hard; as only a middle-aged man can fall for a beautiful heartless young girl. Believe me. It's the truth. He's headed for trouble (I Gotta Be Your Man). Martha seems to reciprocate his feelings for her (Feels Like Home). It's a trick. Too late. Martha Dumps the Devil (Bleeding All Over The Place). Meanwhile, Margaret, against her better judgment, falls in love with Faust (My Hero). Faust poisons her mother so he can be alone with her, sleeps with Margaret, impregnates her, and with the Devil's help kills Maraget's brother, Valentine, who sees Faust leave his sister's humble little sleep chamber. Henry and the Devil are forced to skip town. They head for a cabin the Devil keeps on Lake Superior near Duluth. They bring their own water and stay a year.

In South Bend, Margaret has Henry's child, and crazed with grief and shame, drowns it in a creek. This is the comic high point of Goethe's original play, and one of the most delightfully urbane moments in all of German literature. In a hilarious courtroom sequence, Margaret is convicted of murder and sentenced to die at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. She sings a lullaby (Sandman's Coming) though her baby is, of course, dead. She sings to a blanket!

Henry attempts to rescue Margaret who is already in the spirit world in spirit but because she was so good in life, the Angels come down and take her off to Heaven even before she is dead. Henry is impressed. He asks the Lord for forgiveness and takes some of the poison he gave Margaret's mother. The Devil laughs, his own move to Heaven seems imminent; he says he's going home to pack. Henry, expiring noisily, with neither dignity nor courage (he tries to induce vomiting to rid himself of the poison) asks again for forgiveness. The Devil laughs, but Lo! The Angels decend. The Lord's voice booms down "he is saved." Henry ascends to Heaven, favoring the Devil with a little wave as he goes. At this point, the impartial observer, if one such could be found, might agree that the Devil has been denied the victory to which he was entitled. Predictably, he is angry, very angry. Then after rage, depression, deep depression. He stands alone inthe cell. Head down, beaten. Even the Lord, watching from above, feels sorry for him.

A wind begins to blow, a warm, dry wind. The Devil's hair is ruffled as the breeze freshens. His cape billows to the east. He wags his tail. He thinks of something that makes him very, very happy (Happy Ending)

Merci parce que vous corrigez ce texte
 

Laisse un commentaire à la chanson

Artistes associés

Actualités du monde de la musique

Rihanna et A$AP Rocky Dévoilent le Nom de Leur Deuxième Enfant

12/09/2023

La chanteuse de renom Rihanna et le rappeur A$AP Rocky ont récemment fait la une des journaux du monde entier en dévoilant le nom de leur deuxième enfant.

La Musique à Paris

30/05/2023

Avec son riche héritage culturel et sa scène musicale dynamique, Paris offre un paysage sonore unique qui continue de captiver les mélomanes du monde entier.

"Drum Temple" Le nouveau voyage d'Omaar

19/04/2021

Il vient de loin, d'une terre riche de culture et de traditions millénaires, une terre qui surplombe le Pacifique, mais qui se baigne aussi dans les Caraïbes et qui ces dernières années est surtout connue pour les terribles nouvelles liées au trafic de drogue

Le R.E.M. quarante ans plus tard

13/04/2021

C'était le 5 avril 1980 quand un groupe inconnu et sans nom a joué dans une église désacralisée de la ville universitaire d'Athens en Géorgie. À peine deux semaines plus tard, ils ont choisi un nom R.E.M. , et ilt ont sortiun single et en 1983 un album "Murmur".

Les Gorillaz célèbrent 20 ans d'activité

02/04/2021

Avec 7 albums à leur actif, le groupe est une source d'inspiration et de créativité au niveau mondial, au cours de ces 20 années il n'a cessé d'influencer le paysage musical et de créer des tendances.

Le Hellfest 2021 a été annulé

12/03/2021

Nous continuons donc à voir un balancement entre les festivals d'été et non, nous devons les annuler car nous ne pouvons pas garantir la sécurité.

Le premier album de Black Country


Il sont 7, ils ont presque tous la vingtaine, ils aiment le post-rock et aussi expérimenter différents sons. Plus qu'un groupe, Black Country est une communauté.

Maluma et la tradition jamaïcaine

24/02/2021

J'ai l'impression qu'avant d'aborder le sujet traité dans cet article je dois faire une prémisse: le reggaeton n'est pas vraiment mon genre préféré, il se réfugie dans un rythme très banal avec des textes que 99% du temps décrivent la femme comme un objet disponible à l'homme macho.

Le premier film de Sia

11/02/2021

Le film très critiqué «Musique» de Sia qui voit son début en tant que réalisatrice vient d'être nominé comme meilleur film au Golden Globe 2021. L'actrice principale Kate Hudson a été nominée dans la catégorie Meilleure actrice.

20 ans du Viva Vera Project

04/02/2021

En mars 2020, l'industrie de la musique a réalisé qu'elle devrait se réinventer pour survivre aux règle dictées par presque tous les gouvernements pour tenter d'endiguer la catastrophe sanitaire créée par l'épidémie de coronavirus.

Le producteur Phil Spector est mort

22/01/2021

Il nous a quittés à l'âge de 81 ans, Phil Spector. Il était un producteur et compositeur, l'une des plus grandes personnalités dans le domaine de la musique pop rock des 60 dernières années

Save your tears: la dernière vidéo de The Weeknd

18/01/2021

The Weeknd nous donne un autre morceau de l'histoire qui relie toutes les chansons qui font partie de son album After Hours.

Les dix meilleurs albums du 2020

12/01/2021

Le magazine américain Pitchfork, reconnue autorité en matière de musique indépendante, après avoir rédigé le classement des dix plus belles chansons du 2020, nous remet les dix meilleurs albums quelques heures avant la clôture de cette année.

Le prix MoPOP pour Alice in chains


Un casting de stars a rendu hommage à Alice in chains il y a deux semaines. Le 1er décembre, le Museum of Pop Culture de Seattle a remis le Founders Award au groupe américain.

L'Amérique de Sufjan Stevens

24/11/2020

Don't do to me what you did to America ... ainsi ouvre la chanson America du dernier album de Sufjan Stevens.

Changement climatique et live musique: le court métrage de Massive Attack

05/11/2020

Massive Attack vient de réaliser en collaboration avec le Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research un court métrage sur les risques du changement climatique liés à la live musique.