Ninja tune

Not the record label, but a song's ability to sneak up on you from the shadows and come out kicking.
Today's ninja tune:
"Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors.
I love this song, but I have no idea how it lodged itself in my head.
Hopefully, it will be stuck in your head, too.

Here's a version from some actress' web site.

Then there's this crappy Mandy Moore, Adam Pascal version from Bravo.



My problem with both of the above renditions is that there is no heart and Seymour sounds as though he is a full-fledged hero--not a reluctant one. And Audrey isn't someone who suffers from abuse and low self-esteem, she's just the chick to whom the dude is singing. Meh.

Here, this one's a little better, but still, you can tell the performers get all performer-y and care more about showing off their range than staying true to their characters. (Its the new B'way cast, starring Kerry Butler, in case you were wondering.)

For my money, Ellen Greene is da bomb. Not only does she have some pipes, she embodies Audrey. She originated the role off-Broadway in 1982 an reprised the role for the film. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any MP3s of either version on-line. So you'll just have to settle for Amazon snippets.
[Orig. B'Way Cast]
[Mo. Pic. Sdtrk.]

May this song be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.