'' Smash'' is an American

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 ...

television show that premiered on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

, Monday, February 6, 2012. It was announced on June 9, 2011, that NBC had signed a deal with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

for a soundtrack of the series. The deal gave Columbia worldwide, digital and physical rights to the first season, with options to subsequent seasons. The deal included both original songs written for the series and any covers of songs featured on the show. By the end of the first season, 36 studio recordings of the show's musical performances were released, 31 of them on iTunes and five with the deluxe edition of the first season soundtrack. The first season soundtrack, ''

The Music of Smash ''The Music of Smash'' is the first soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series '' Smash''. It was released by Columbia Records on May 1, 2012 and sold 39,000 copies in its first week. As of June 27, 2012, it has sold ...

'', was released on May 1, 2012. A deluxe edition, with additional songs, was available exclusively from

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

until early 2013. A second soundtrack album from the show, '' Bombshell'', which serves as the "cast album" for ''Bombshell'', the main show-within-the-show, was released on February 12, 2013, in standard and deluxe versions, the latter again exclusively from Target. A third soundtrack album, ''The Music of Smash: The Complete Season 1'', was released digitally exclusively by

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

on May 21, 2013. It consists of 36 songs that had been previously released for Season 1, either as singles or on the previous soundtrack albums, including the deluxe Target edition of ''The Music of Smash'' (which is currently out of print). A fourth soundtrack album, ''The Music of Smash: The Complete Season 2'', was released digitally exclusively by iTunes on May 21, 2013.iTunes, "The Music of Smash: The Complete Season 2"
/ref> It consists of 51 songs: 48 from the second season and 3 from the first season - Ivy Lynn's version of "Never Give All the Heart" and demos of "Smash!" and "Second Hand White Baby Grand".

Performers

Season 1

Most songs in the first season are performed by the cast of ''Bombshell'', which consistently includes Karen Cartwright (

Katharine McPhee Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.'' Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...

) and Ivy Lynn (

Megan Hilty Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in ''Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical'', ...

), and, at times, Michael Swift (

Will Chase Frank William Chase (born September 12, 1970) is a Tony Award-nominated American actor, director, and singer, best known for his work on Broadway and for his role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC's ''Nashville''. Early life and educatio ...

) and Rebecca Duvall (

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

). Other main characters to sing include Tom Levitt (

Christian Borle Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in ''Something Rotten!''. Borle also ...

), Dev Sundaram (

Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey (born 28 May 1973) is a British actor and singer, who starred as Neal Hudson on the CBS TV medical drama '' Code Black''. He is best known for playing Zafar Younis on the BBC One spy drama series '' Spooks''. In 2014, he played ...

), Frank Houston ( Brian d'Arcy James), Ellis Boyd (Jaime Cepero), and Eileen Rand (

Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as no ...

). Julia Houston (

Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...

) and Derek Wills (

Jack Davenport Jack Arthur Davenport (born 1 March 1973) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''This Life'' and ''Coupling'', and as James Norrington in the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' series. He has also appeared ...

) have each been featured in choreography. Minor cast members, such as Sam Strickland (

Leslie Odom, Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him a Tony Award f ...

), have given performances as well. Various guest stars have appeared in the series, many of them giving vocal performances. These have included

Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...

as television star Lyle West,

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...

as Ivy's mother Leigh Conroy,

Annaleigh Ashford Annaleigh Amanda Ashford (née Swanson; born June 25, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her work on television as Betty DiMello on the Showtime period drama ''Masters of Sex'', and on Broadway as Lauren in '' Kink ...

as Lisa McMann, and

Norbert Leo Butz Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and is one of only nine actors ever to have won the ...

as himself.

Season 2

Many of the same characters from the first season deliver performances in the show's second season, again with Karen Cartwright (

) and Ivy Lynn (

) being the notable leads. Other vocal performers include Veronica Moore (

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

), Jimmy Collins (

Jeremy Jordan Jeremy Jordan may refer to: * Jeremy Jordan (actor, born 1984), American actor and singer, notable for being an actor and Broadway performer * Jeremy Jordan (singer, born 1973) Don Henson (born September 19, 1973), known professionally as Jerem ...

), Kyle Bishop (

Andy Mientus Andrew Michael Mientus (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor. He is best known for starring in the Broadway musicals '' Spring Awakening'', ''Les Misérables'', and ''Wicked'', and on television in the NBC musical drama '' Smash'' and as H ...

), Ana Vargas (

Krysta Rodriguez Krysta Anne Rodriguez (born July 23, 1984) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Ana Vargas in the NBC series '' Smash'', Summer Henderson in the NBC series '' Trial & Error'', Maxine Griffin in the ABC series '' Q ...

), Leigh Conroy (

), Tom Levitt (

), Julia Houston (

), Sam Strickland (

), Terry Falls (

Sean Hayes Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, and one American Come ...

), Simon as JFK (

Julian Ovenden Julian Mark Ovenden (born 29 November 1976) is an English actor and singer. He has starred on Broadway and West End stages, in television series in both the United Kingdom and United States, in films, and performed internationally as a concert ...

), Daisy Parker (

Mara Davi Mara Davi (born January 22, 1984, Alameda County, California) is an American actress, singer, and dancer; she made her Broadway debut as Maggie Winslow in the 2006 revival of ''A Chorus Line''. Biography Mara Davi grew up in Highlands Ranch, Col ...

), unnamed actress playing young Marilyn (

Sophia Anne Caruso Sophia Anne Caruso (born July 11, 2001) is an American actress and singer best known for originating the role of Lydia Deetz in the Broadway musical ''Beetlejuice'', a role for which she won a Theatre World Award. She also portrays Sophie in ''T ...

) and ensemble members Bobby (

Wesley Taylor Wesley Taylor (born August 13, 1986) is an American stage actor and writer, best known for his work in musical theatre and television. Theatre career In summer 2008, Taylor performed in Barrington Stage Company's production of the musical ''See ...

) and Jessica (

Savannah Wise Savannah Wise (born April 25, 1984) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She played Jessica on the NBC American musical theatre dramedy television series '' Smash''. She is also known for her work on Broadway as Evelyn Nesbit in the 2009 r ...

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

and

Kathie Lee Gifford Kathryn Lee Gifford (née Epstein; born August 16, 1953) is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress and author. From 1985 to 2000, she and Regis Philbin hosted the talk show ''Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''. Gifford is a ...

played themselves in cameos.

Songs

Season 1

In the first season, all original songs contain music and lyrics by

Marc Shaiman Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Broadw ...

and

Scott Wittman Scott Wittman (born November 16, 1954) is an American director, lyricist, composer and writer for Broadway, concerts, and television. Life and career Wittman was raised in Nanuet, New York, graduated from Nanuet Senior High School in 1972 and a ...

, except one where indicated.

Season 2

The second season features original music from four different fictional musicals, ''Bombshell'', ''Beautiful'', ''Hit List'' and ''Liaisons'', as well as ancillary songs written by the fictional songwriters behind ''Bombshell'' and ''Hit List''. All of the songs have music and lyrics by Wittman and Shaiman, except for the songs from ''Hit List'', which for the most part were written by a combination of other musical theater writers and contemporary rock singer-songwriters. The use of additional songwriters was done in part to "open up the sound" of ''Smash''.BroadwayWorld.com, June 28, 2012 "Update: Smash picks new Broadway songwriters for Season 2"
/ref>

Notes

*A ^ From episode credits *B ^ From the sheet music during the episode

Digital singles sales

References

External links

The Futon Critic: Smash episode listings

Amazon.com MP3 store: Smash cast songs

ASCAP Database Music Search

NBC.com Smash Music, Season 2 episode song information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Songs in Smash Smash Smash songs