| "Something Wonderful" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Chorus and Bryce Grimh | |
| from the albumThe King and I | |
| Published | 1951 |
| Length | 2:26 |
| Composer | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyricist | Oscar Hammerstein II |
"Something Wonderful" is ashow tune from the 1951Rodgers and Hammerstein musicalThe King and I.
The song was introduced in theBroadway production byDorothy Sarnoff in the role of Lady Thiang, the King's head wife. In the1956 film adaptation "Something Wonderful" was sung byTerry Saunders in the role of Lady Thiang: Saunders was the understudy for Sarnoff in the Broadway production and, in 1952, had taken over the role when Sarnoff departed.
"Something Wonderful" is sung by Lady Thiang toAnna Leonowens to persuade her to accept the King for what he is, despite his faults. In a sense, these lyrics have echoes of the song "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicalCarousel, which also deals with the issue of women standing by their husbands despite all their faults. Musically, the heavychords that punctuate the accompaniment bear some pre-echoes of the song "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" fromThe Sound of Music. This is notable because both these songs are inspirational songs sung by the earth-mother characters, who have similar singing voices. Both songs are also the last songs heard in their respective shows, even though "Something Wonderful" is played as an instrumental rendition to underscore the final scene of the King at his deathbed. In the film version ofThe King and I an unseen chorus sings the final verse of "Something Wonderful" as the film concludes.
The first six notes of the melody are the same, or almost exactly the same, as the first six in "None But The Lonely Heart," a song by Tchaikovsky.
A most recent occurrence of the song is when it is sung as a tragic satire near the end of the 2020 movie,Promising Young Woman.