"Kansas City" is a song from the 1943
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
''
Oklahoma!
''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...
''. The plot set-up for it is the return of cowboy Will Parker from an excursion to the
city of the same name. He describes his experiences in song. The song describes the wonders of the city and its entertainments (from the viewpoint of a country bumpkin), all reprising with the concept that the conditions (in 1906) represent the ultimate in progress, with little more expected.
For the
1955 motion picture, a few lyrics about a burlesque stripteaser had to undergo minor changes to pass film censorship. In the original Broadway musical, Will sings:
For the film, these were changed to:
Building
The song includes the lyrics:
The tallest buildings there in 1906 (the era when the musical is set) were the 12-story
New York Life Insurance Building and the newly built 17-story
Commerce Trust Tower. A major seven-story building at the time was
The Jones Store
The Jones Store Company was an American chain of department stores located in the Kansas City area formerly operated by Mercantile Stores Company and the St. Louis, Missouri-based May Co.
History
The Jones Store Company was founded in 1887 as an ...
at 12th and Main which took up an entire block and was .
Covers
* Political satirist
Randy Rainbow
Randy Stewart Rainbow (born July 6, 1981) is a Grammy nominated American comedian and singer, best known for spoof interviews that blend political satire and musical parodies from a progressive perspective.
Early life
Randy Rainbow was born ...
did a parody of the song, changing it to "Ted and Lindsey!" about public dislike of
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Senators
Ted Cruz
Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...
and
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
.
References
Songs about Missouri
Songs from Oklahoma!
Songs about cities in the United States
1943 songs
Songs with music by Richard Rodgers
Songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Songs about Oklahoma
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