Being Alive
March 23, 2023
Ron
"Being Alive" is the Act II finale from Stephen Sondheim's 1970 Broadway musical “Company”, and it is sung by the character Bobby — a bachelor who is facing his 35th birthday and the prospect of living the rest of his life alone. This intensely emotional song is Bobby’s human breakthrough, his revelation that no amount of hiding or buffering can protect him from the effects of love.
It’s such a profoundly stirring number. And isn’t it true? Love is why we all come here to do this thing called life: just so we can know we exist — to have somebody irritate and agitate us into motion like sandpaper to the skin; to have somebody love (or hate) us into aliveness and FEELING. We can never entirely avoid heart contact here because the human intersections are the whole reason we come. This is virtuoso character revelation rendered in song. It’s cynical and poignant and utterly redemptive.
BEING ALIVE
What do you get!
Someone to hold you too close.
Someone to hurt you too deep.
Someone to sit in your chair.
To ruin your sleep...
Someone to need you too much.
Someone to know you too well.
Someone to pull you up short.
To put you through hell...
Someone you have to let in,
Someone whose feelings you spare,
Someone who, like or not,
Will want you to share,
A little a lot...
Someone to crowd you with love.
Someone to force you to care.
Someone to make you come through,
Who'll always be there,
As frightened as you,
Of being alive.
Being alive.
Being alive.
Being alive!
Somebody hold me too close.
Somebody hurt me too deep.
Somebody sit in my chair,
And ruin my sleep,
And make me aware,
Of being alive.
Being alive.
Somebody need me too much.
Somebody know me too well.
Somebody pull me up short,
And put me through hell,
And give me support,
For being alive.
Make me alive.
Make me alive!
Make me confused!
Mock me with praise!
Let me be used!
Vary my days.
Is alone,
Not alive.
Somebody crowd me with love!
Somebody force me to care!
Somebody make me come through!
I'll always be there,
As frightened as you,
To help us survive,
Being alive.
Being alive.
Being alive!
VARIOUS INCARNATIONS OF BOBBY
"Being Alive" from "Company" (1970) — Dean Jones
[The original. The gold standard. We remember Dean Jones from all those Disney comedies of the late 60s/early 70s, but he was a very talented stage performer as well. This video is from the legendary recording session of the cast album for "Company".]
"Being Alive" from "Company" (2007) — Raul Esparza
[Full number from the Broadway production. That's incredibly powerful.]
[Condensed version from the 2007 Tony Awards. Amazing.]
"Being Alive" from "Company" (2010) — Julian Ovenden
[Now that's some fine musical chops right there. Really powerful.]
"Being Alive" from "Company" (2015) — Ramin Karimloo
[What a pretty voice he has.]
"Being Alive" from "Company" (2017) — Bobby Conte Thornton
[With the Carolina Philharmonic. I like this one a lot. He found the meat of the song and acted the snot out of it. Not bad for a 22-year old. He was also in the 2022 Broadway production of "Company", but not in this role.]
"Being Alive" from "Company" (2018) — Neil Patrick Harris
[Our little Doogie from Albuquerque in the fully staged number. Really well done.]
HONORABLE MENTIONS
"Being Alive" from "Company" — John Barrowman
"Being Alive" from "Company" — Adam Driver
[from the motion picture "Marriage Story"]
"Being Alive" from "Company" — Jonathan Groff
[from "Sondheim on Sondheim"]
THE GIRLS
"Being Alive" from "Company" — Patti Lupone
"Being Alive" from "Company" (2006) — Barbra Streisand
[2000]
"Being Alive" from "Company" — Bernadette Peters
[1998]
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