These 5 Waitress songs will bake you happy!
Posted on 19 July 2019
Before this five-star pie show had the West End’s taste buds tantalised, it was, and still is, a huge Broadway hit! Despite this musical being the longest-running show that New York’s Brooks Atkinson Theater has ever been graced with, and all the raving from pie lovers and critics alike, I hadn’t heard of Sara Bareilles’ masterpiece until the West End launch! At the launch, Sara herself had me absolutely pied in the face with her gorgeous tones and witty words. Waitress has had a slice of my heart from that day on!
A big part of what makes you fall for this musical comedy is the absolute stellar soundtrack from Bareilles; the songs are hilarious, heart-warming and heart-breaking. They're everything you could hope for from a musical and the Broadway original cast recording will have you a huge fan before you’ve even seen the show! However, when you see the songs performed live, whether stateside or here in the West End’s Adelphi Theatre, they’ll steal an even bigger slice of your heart.
Every song on this soundtrack is absolutely god tier but I gave myself the arduous task of picking my top 5 Waitress songs. An impossible feat, almost, however, feast your pies on my top 5 picks below and see if you agree…
5. The Negative
If you haven’t seen Waitress on stage, at London’s Adelphi Theatre or New York’s Brooks Atkinson Theater, or the 2007 film of the same name, and don’t know the story, you probably figured out that the main character(s) are waitresses. This musical follows the story of Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pie extraordinaire, and her two friends, Becky and Dawn, also waitresses. ‘The Negative’ is one of just a few songs they get to sing together, along with the likes of ‘A Soft Place to Land’ and ‘Opening Up’. Like many of the songs on the soundtrack it will have you cracking up, the lyrics are clever and funny, but as well as it giving us, the audience and/or listeners, a giggle, it shows us a real insight to the friendship of these three women, which is the perfect pie crust foundation of this show.
4. Everything Changes
‘Everything Changes’ is the final song before the finale, and it is quite simply the flawlessly whipped meringue on the pie; the perfect way to round off the show. This song is led by Jenna and accompanied by her best friends Becky and Dawn and is composed of sugar, butter and dreamy melodies. The soft harmonies and emotive lyrics will have you tearing up and simultaneously give you a sense of empowerment. Each Jenna brings something different to this song, but you still come away with that same fire in your heart and that is why it the most idyllic song to end on. ‘Everything Changes’ is the perfect personification for the light at the end of the tunnel; filled with hope and happiness after a long, hard battle.
3. What Baking Can Do
Throughout Waitress you learn more about Jenna and get to truly know her, and ‘What Baking Can Do’ is one of those songs that teach us more about this incredible character. This song takes a look at Jenna’s past and her love for pies. It really emphasises that Waitress is more than a pie show and Jenna is more than a waitress and pie maker. Pies are her comfort and an escape. As the title says, it tells us ‘What Baking Can Do’ and what it does for Jenna. As well as the iconic lyrics ‘sugar, butter, flour’, which you will find yourself singing constantly, this song goes from gentle melodies to powerhouse high notes that will leave you chilled to the bone. Lucie Jones is currently wearing Jenna’s apron and leading the West End production and the way she performs this song is absolutely breath-taking.
2. Bad Idea (and Bad Idea - Reprise)
This is a little bit of a cheat to include two songs but technically a reprise means a repeat so, therefore, I think we can get away with this one. Besides, you simply cannot include ‘Bad Idea’ without the ‘Bad Idea – Reprise’! This number is one of the more fun and upbeat songs and comes to us from Jenna and Dr Pomatter. Again, for those who aren’t familiar with the story, Jenna finds herself unenthusiastically pregnant (it isn’t a party!) and just when she thinks it can’t get worse, her long-term doctor has retired. Dr Pomatter is her new doctor and their relationship quickly spirals away from professional. The tempo is bubbly and will have your knees bouncing and your head bobbing. For a musical that has dark and heart-breaking elements, this is one of the comedy numbers that is quite simply infectiously happy.
1. She Used to Be Mine
It’s probably no surprise that ‘She Used to Be Mine’ tops this list. It isn’t just the best song from the Waitress soundtrack but probably one of the best songs in the world of musical theatre. It’s certainly one of the most popular songs currently and it’s not hard to see (hear) why when you take a listen yourself. This number is an undoubtedly powerful work of art. Sara Bareilles, songwriting genius that she is, truly outdid herself with this one. The lyrics call out to so many, gripping hearts of thousands night after night in theatres on both sides of the pond and to an even further audience via the likes of Spotify where you can listen to the original Broadway cast recording. You need a “voice” to sing out the belting high notes of this song and a huge reserve of power to do this song justice. It’s full of heartache and pain and everyone will find themselves relating in some way, hence the numerous covers that have seen this song go viral multiple times in various styles and ranges. It is without a doubt that ‘She Used to Be Mine’ is going to remain a timeless classic, even after the current Waitress productions serve their last slice of pie.
Waitress Cast Album Karaoke
Would you agree that these are your top 5 Waitress songs? Perhaps I missed out your favourite song to belt out and singalong to; at home of course. Although, if you were wanting to sing your favourite number on the stage at the Adelphi Theatre then you just might be able to. Cast album karaoke is the ultimate way to enjoy the songs and even sing your favourite. What do you have to do? Well, it’s simple! When the next cast album karaoke is announced be sure to buy your ticket and go enjoy the show as you usually would and make sure you stick around afterwards. A couple of cast members will be the hosts and if you sign up, you just might be able to sing on a West End stage with them!
Get discounted Waitress tickets and save up to 40%!
Reading all about these incredible songs has no doubt made you want to see and hear them performed live again by the incredible West End cast at London’s Adelphi Theatre. So, if you desperately need to see Lucie Jones and David Hunter’s rendition of ‘Bad Idea’ then get your tickets for Waitress at a discounted price and save up to 40%! £78 tickets are now offered at £55 (save 29%), £66 tickets are now £45 (save 32%), £54 tickets are now £35 (save 35%), £42 tickets are now £25 (save 40%), and £30 tickets are now £20 (save 33%)!
These amazingly cheap tickets for Waitress are a part of our LTD20 celebrations in which we celebrate turning 20 by giving you cheap London theatre tickets! This offer is running until 26 July so be sure to secure your discounted Waitress tickets whilst you can!
