"Many a New Day" is a song from the 1943 musical '' Oklahoma!'', written by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

and

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...

. It was introduced by

Joan Roberts Joan Roberts (July 15, 1917 – August 13, 2012) was an American actress, most famous for creating the role of Laurey in the original Broadway production of ''Oklahoma!'' in 1943. Early years Roberts was born Josephine Rose Seagrist in Man ...

in the original Broadway production. In the 1955 film, the song is performed by Shirley Jones and appears on the soundtrack album. "Many a New Day" is sung by Laurey immediately after Curly McLain leaves the scene with Gertie Cummings. Laurey ostensibly does not care that Curly is with a new girl, though it is obvious she is hurt, especially as shown by the slow restatement of the final lines at the end. The song, like many of its era and like many others by Rodgers and Hammerstein, follows some variant of the Verse + AABA structure, a traditional song layout from the Tin Pan Alley era. Also true to form, the economically constructed melody spans only a ninth. The sequence-driven B section ("Never have I wept into my tea," etc.) is exemplary of Rodgers' writing, and similar progressions can be found in songs such as "I Cain't Say No." In the intro verse, Laurey sings about what she does after a romance, to prove that she is not upset. "''I'll snap my fingers to show I don't care,''
''I'll buy me a brand-new dress to wear.''
''I'll scrub my neck and I'll brush my hair,''
''And start all over again.''"

References

External links

Oklahoma! on IMDb
Songs from Oklahoma! Songs with music by Richard Rodgers Songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Shirley Jones songs {{Show-tune-stub