"La Vie Bohème" (french: The Bohemian Life) is a song from the 1996

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 ...

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

''. It is a celebration of

bohemianism Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...

, especially the type present in 1980s

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, which begins with a mocking of the character Benny's statement that "Bohemia is dead".http://www.siteforrent.com/abouttheshow/the-story-of-rent.html RENT: The Broadway Tour The song features the characters of ''Rent'' listing ideas, people, trends, and other symbols of bohemianism and shouting out what and who inspires them, such as jazz poet

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

and counterculture-era

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Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...

. The song is broken into two parts, labeled "La Vie Bohème A" and "La Vie Bohème B"; between the two halves of the song is an interlude ("I Should Tell You") featuring a romantic duet between the characters Roger and Mimi, during which they each learn that the other is

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and tentatively decide to begin a relationship together. In the stage musical, the second part of the song opens with a brief dialogue between the characters Maureen and Joanne discussing a protest instigated by Maureen earlier in the play, before the cast continues the celebration of bohemianism.

References

1996 songs Idina Menzel songs List songs Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin Songs from Rent (musical) Songs written by Jonathan Larson Bohemianism {{1990s-song-stub