Wednesday, March 09, 2005

If I Were a Rich...Girl?

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I'm a notorious radio channel changer -- while driving to work, one hand is on the steering wheel, the other on the radio dial. I'm continually tuning out and then tuning in to a disc jockey, or to an on-air guest on a program, and my music interests are varied.

This morning I was looking for something good on the radio and came up against a song performed by Gwen Stefani and rapper Eve. The song is called "Rich Girl" and parts of hit borrow the tune of Fiddler on the Roof's "If I Were a Rich Man!" When Harnick and Bock penned that tune, they could not foresee it being adapted some 35+ years later by a rap artist and played on R & B stations. Yes, the tune is catchy, but to me it almost seems so sacrilege for these women to be bastardizing a thoroughly Broadway showtune.

What does Tevye/Topol say? And now, what does Tevye/Harvey Fierstein say? Aw, maybe they just shrug it off, do the little Tevye dance and say "...l'chaim, to life!"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's an older hiphop "Rich Girl" song, by Lady Saw if i remember correctly. I heard it a few years ago.

-Steg (dos iz nit der šteg)

Chaim said...

I was thinking about posting about this very topic. It's frightening how catchy the song is. What on earth got her to think to take from that song?