Sweet Charity (soundtrack)
| Sweet Charity – The Original Sound Track Album of The Musical Motion Picture of the '70's | |
|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | 1969 |
| Label | Decca |
The original soundtrack to the 1969 motion picture Sweet Charity was released by Decca Records in the same year.
Background
[edit]The musical's creative team substantially revised it for the film: Cy Coleman co-wrote two new songs – "My Personal Property" and "It's a Nice Face" – with Dorothy Fields and adapted the song "Sweet Charity" to a new melody. Moreover, four songs – "You Should See Yourself", "Too Many Tomorrows", "I'm the Bravest Individual" and "Baby Dream Your Dream" – are absent from the film adaptation.[1]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
In his retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann notes that the soundtrack version of the musical was "substantially shorter than the Original Broadway Cast album" – as a result of four songs having been deleted, — and "far less complete". But what is "far more problematic", he continues, is that "the outstanding Gwen Verdon, for whom the show was created, was replaced on-screen by the only adequate, but supposedly bankable Shirley MacClaine". "The soundtrack album is vastly inferior to the Original Broadway Cast album," he concludes.[1]
Neverheless, Ruhlmann also notes that even though the film "was a bomb at the box office", "it has come to be a cult favorite because it shows off choreography by director Bob Fosse."[1]
Chart performance
[edit]The album reached number 72 on the Billboard's Top LPs chart.[2]
Track listing
[edit]LP – Decca DL 71502
All lyrics are written by Dorothy Fields; all music is composed by Cy Coleman.
| No. | Title | Note(s) / Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture" {a) "Big Spender" {b) "It's a Nice Face" {c) "Sweet Charity" {d) "Where Am I Going?" {e) "I'm a Brass Band" | Instrumental – Orchestra | |
| 2. | "My Personal Property" | Shirley MacLaine | |
| 3. | "Big Spender" | Ballroom Girls | |
| 4. | "The Pompeii Club" (Rich Man's Frug) | Instrumental – Orchestra | |
| 5. | "If My Friends Could See Me Now" | Shirley MacLaine | |
| 6. | "There's Gotta Be Something Better than This" | Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly | |
| 7. | "It's a Nice Face" | Shirley MacLaine |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rhythm of Life" | Sammy Davis and Ensemble | |
| 2. | "Sweet Charity" | John McMartin | |
| 3. | "I'm a Brass Band" | Shirley MacLaine | |
| 4. | "I Love to Cry at Weddings" | Stubby Kaye and Ensemble | |
| 5. | "Where Am I Going?" | Shirley MacLaine | |
| 6. | "Finale: Sweet Charity" (Rebirth) | Instrumental – Orchestra |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1969–1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 13 |
| US Billboard Top LPs[2] | 72 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Ruhlmann, William. "Cy Coleman: Sweet Charity [Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- 1 2 "ALBUM - Soundtrack - Sweet Charity". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via elpee.jp.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 281. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.