Stages of a theatre kid Level 1: listening to sountracks Level 2: watching shows Level 3: Watching Seth's deconstructions of the songs

Discovered the Lavin recording 8 hours ago and have listened to it ~25 times since. Seth is nailing everything that has caused me to also become obsessed with this brilliantly INSANE track. The modulation/dropback at the end? NUTS. The fade-out?? CRAZY. Hi-C??? FRUCTOSE. This 1966 recording is my pick for best single of 2019 tbh

So many amazing things in this song... I love all of her different inflections/pronunciations. For example: the way she pronounces/voices "square" in "though you're horribly square." Or "try" in "let us give it a try." Or "tell" in "takes a woman to tell." Or when she flips the r in "through" in "when I get through." Or the little gutteral sound on the h in "red hot" possibilities. And of course all of the things Seth said (especially "I'm not gonna bit you yet.") Love this song/performance!

Seth, I am obsessed with your obsession. I can't stop watching this.

Best use of the staircase joke ever. Excited to find someone as obsessed with this song as I am, although I don't like that weird fade-out thing at the end.

Brilliant deconstruction of a great song and interpretation by the great Linda Lavin. It makes me enjoy it all the more, and I learned so much. Thank you and lots of love. Keep doing this please!

It blew my mind to know these musicals were written by the same guy who did Bye Bye Birdie and Annie. I️ never would have linked those three together

How about getting Titus Burgess to sing this song, he'd rock it! Also, I miss these videos and wish you'd return to this series.

I went to see this show because of the amazing Jack Cassidy and walked away humming "You've Got Possibilities". After nearly 50 years, it still rattles in my brain. A great Deconstruction and I agree that Linda Lavin is an incredible talent.

I was just singing this song today. Beautiful deconstruct.

The hilarious thing about this number is that Linda Lavin is trying to undress Clark Kent, first the tie, then the coat. Clark Kent, being a respectable man of the 1940s or 1950s cannot allow this to happen. But, also, he cannot allow her to unbutton his shirt or remove his pants because she will then discover his Superman outfit. He knows this, and of course, the audience knows it. The more he retreats, the bolder she becomes, and the more the music builds.

Seth, I just saw Superman at "Encores!" tonight (with Lynda, your old next door neighbor). This song blew me away. I came home to see if I could hear other versions, and I came upon this. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, I'm both obsessed with the song AND obsessed with this video!

I don't understand why Seth doesn't mention the modulations from verse to verse. This is part of what gives the song the overall drive. PS I saw Linda Lavin sing this on Bway in the original show. It is my favorite show tune along with "Oh, to be a movie star" sung by Barbara Harris in The Apple Tree

I just found all of you yesterday... I was looking for something about Jaques Brel (the man, not the show) and bumped into this. I stayed up until 3 am watching. Wow. I'm obsessed. I'm so glad I got to see some of these amazing stars sing the songs Seth deconstructs. I'm old enough to have seen Andrews in Sound of Music, Verdon in Damn Yankees, Cook & Preston in the Music Man when I was a kid. I so relate to this material and this point of view!

I just listened to this performance of this song about 20 times in my car; so obsessed with it. Then I came home and found your video on youtube, and was relieved to find I (or rather, "Hiii") am not the only one. Great song, great performance, great orchestration. Thanks for this!

Late to the party, again, but first … one of my voice teachers once suggested adding the H sound to any vowel that starts a phrase. So "I" would be "H-i" and say "Either" would be "h-either" etc. Something about the power/breath on a vowel being weaker … sorry, can't remember why, I just know that to this day I often find myself adding Hs to vowels. Second, one thing you didn't mention is that both times she says "Let us" she puts such a scoop /richness to the words, it's almost like she's drunk. (Did you notice that? And sounding that way only, I mean) But you really made me love this song more than I already do -- well, the whole show is incredible and I'm sorry it didn't do well on Bdway - Jack Cassidy's songs in the show are incredible, too.

Now I'm going to remember your acting every time I listen to this song.

Dude I could listen to you talk abt this all day, great insight. Cant wait to watch more videos.

Agreed. This song is a great discovery.

I also just saw this at Encores last night and was looking up other versions. I love how you analyzed everything, and made it fun and funny. Now I must have this cast album! Thank you.

OMG I cannot even believe you deconstructed this song, which I have been playing over and over and over for the past three days since a friend gave it to me to consider for a cabaret act. I can't understand that fade-out at the end AT ALL and am wondering how the heck to end the number myself! Too funny. Okay - I loved and noticed every single thing you talked about, but I can't believe you missed the weird choice to sing "POSSI-BILI-DEEZ" instead of "POSS-IBILI-TEEZ." No "t!" Give me the "T," Miss Lavin! It is truly a great vocal and acting performance. Bringing back this old chestnut for sure.

I love this so much! I was brought here by an archived episode of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast (NPR). Glen Weldon mentioned this video, and I instantly became obsessed with the song and your great deconstruction. Well done!

I just found this song today and I LOVE IT!! So cute and so much fun!

Bass player was Chuck Israels...drummer, John Perelli

Great analysis. I love your enthusiasm. :) I played that album over and over in the early 70's. I never got to see the original show, but I saw the TV adaptation. Once.

It's official, I love you! I've been in love with this score for a few years now and your lip synching made my day! This song is so wenchy and sounds like it would be a blast to perform.

There isn’t enough of SETH Deconstructing!

Love that song and show, and this explication.

I love you, Seth!

Thank you for pointing out all of the peculiar things, but also all of the awesome things she does with this song that I never appreciated before!

I saw this when I was 6 yrs old At the Alvin theatre ( now Marriott Marquis hotel ) It was so wonderful, I remember it well, he flew on stage. For a kid that’s major One thing I will correct you please , Linda did NOT sing it or portray it with timid persona, she was a seductress in all the sense of the word. When she says “ underneath there’s something there “ she starts to unbutton his shirt ( which obviously conceals his S. He whines “ Nnnnnn No!” He walks around the stage trying to avoid her moves, she peruses . Yes I was 6, but it was my first show and I remember it to this day like yesterday. Ps I love your work Thanks !

this song sung by her is my happy place

This is one of my favorite Broadway showtunes. My high school (Dorsey High in South Los Angeles) mounted "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman" in the Fall of '66. We had a very progressive drama teacher. We had a black Superman and a white Lois Lane who couldn't sing. They had a girl who could sing in the wings and Lois would lip sync. You can imagine how well that worked! This Tuesday I'm going to visit my singing coach who is 98! and I will be singing this song. She's been my singing coach for 45 years. Godeane Eagle. She was the go to voice coach for movies and television from the 70's well into the 2000's.

I love this song, and I love your video.

Have long loved the song and especially her interpretation of it. You are the master of analyzing and highlighting the details that make it great, but props are due also to Eddie Sauter, just an incredible arranger from the big band era on.

Seth is astonishing!

I love how you have the record of Ethel Merman in Gypsy on your wall. GREAT SHOW

I see the word "deconstruct" and OK, I suppose I'll learn something. OMG you're dishing out a feraking master class in performance - and entertaining as hell! I want to watch again and again just to see you do that vibrato thing with your hand. BTW @8:55 The song really ends that way in the show. I was in a San Jose Children's Musical Theater production of this show circa 1980. You'd think they would let Sydney belt out that note and take her bow, but no. They just kind of dance off stage. I guess it hints at the passion they've built up that doesn't end with the song.

Eddie Sauter arrangement! (Can you believe that guy also did 1776?!?) Didn't do a lot of Broadway but clearly a genius at it, as evidenced by those clarinets and that bass in the vamp. Pulled from his Wikipedia page: Orchestrator Jonathan Tunick said of Sauter's Broadway work: "Eddie did these marvelous things, always theatrical, always effective. And completely unlike anybody else."

This song has aspects of "Whatever Lola Wants" from "Damn Yankees"

loved the fact that you couldn't stop acting!

I suspect on stage, the song ended with Lavin (as Sydney) leading Clark off stage, hence the fade....

Seth, every since 'writing on the wall' Devon in your apartment, I've been obsessed

Hey, I hate to nitpick, but at around 3:30 you mention the violins coming in-however, Eddie Sauter (the orchestrator of It's A Bird) notably excluded violins from the pit. The instruments you hear are in fact violas. Sauter's string section was solely violas, celli, and bass for this show. Other than that, I love the vid! Wonderful to hear people appreciating this show!

Does anyone please has the FULL sheet music of this? So with the extra verse and extended ending???

HAHAHAHA! This is great. I'm obsessed with this album!

Anyone know where the complete sheet music for this song may be purchased? Music Notes has two versions and both are incomplete.

I love you.

(And I totally don't get the 1/2 step modulations at the end, only to go back down....)

Omg, I love you be my best friend! ❤️

When she sang, "Collar, pure Peoria"I use to think peoria was a type of cheap cotton, but instead she means it's middle of the road or middle class just like the city of Peoria.

Eddie Sauter!

Ugh! I love you!! Can I be your hag? :*

Seth, again you leave out mentioning orchestrator Eddie Sauter!

I would respect Seth Rudetsky so much more if he wouldn't say things like "anyhoo."