"La Vie Bohème" () 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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

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 a social and cultural movement that has, at its core, a way of life away from society's conventional norms and expectations. The term originates from the French ''bohème'' and spread to the English-speaking world. It was used to ...

, especially the type present in 1980s

Alphabet City, Manhattan Alphabet City is a neighborhood located within the East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its name comes from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan to have single-letter names. It is bounded by Houston ...

, 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. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

and counterculture-era

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

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

. 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 HIV+ 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