Chorus Line, A Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

"A Chorus Line: Original Broadway Cast Recording" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album of the 1975 musical?

Yes—the Original Broadway Cast Recording, released in 1975 by Columbia Masterworks. A 40th-anniversary reissue later expanded and remastered it.

Who created the score and lyrics?

Music by Marvin Hamlisch; lyrics by Edward Kleban. The book was by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.

Which song opens the audition?

“I Hope I Get It” launches the show with the dancers’ breathless first cut—fully diegetic, set on a bare stage.

Who performs “The Music and the Mirror” in the show?

Cassie—originally Donna McKechnie—dances and sings it as an on-the-spot plea to be allowed back into the chorus.

What’s the emotional anthem everyone remembers?

“What I Did for Love,” led by Diana and ensemble near the end—it’s about devotion to the craft, not romance.

Was the album a chart or awards success?

It peaked on the U.S. albums chart and was Grammy-nominated for its year. The show itself won nine Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Notes & Trivia

• The official Broadway opening at the Shubert Theatre was October 19, 1975, after summer previews that began July 25; the piece first bowled over audiences at The Public Theater in spring 1975 (according to Playbill).
• The original cast album was produced by Columbia legend Goddard Lieberson—his final Broadway cast album project.
• Orchestrations are credited to Bill Byers, Hershy Kay, and Jonathan Tunick; Donald Pippin served as the original music director and did vocal arrangements.
• Val’s comic showstopper was retitled from its infamous working name to “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three” so the punchline wouldn’t be spoiled in print.
• “What I Did for Love” quickly escaped the theater and was recorded by multiple pop artists—not bad for a song that, in context, is about love of the work (as reported by The New York Times and Playbill features over the years).
• Fifty years on, the show’s creators and alumni marked the milestone with a Shubert Theatre celebration featuring original cast and Broadway stars.

In the original production actors were: C. Wilzak, S. Allen, S. Williams, R. Baughman, T. J. Walsh, K. Bishop, M. Stuart, P. Blair, M. Serrecchia, W. Cilento, D. Percassi, C. Cissel, D. McKechnie, C. Clerk, C. Mason, K. Cole, R. LuPone, R. Dennis, P. Lopez, D. Drake, B. Lee, B. Edwards, N. Lane, P. Garland, R. Kuhlman & C. Kirsch. Initial study of the musical began in early 1974, when the idea arose to combine several Broadway actors that were dancing tap dance. They originally wanted to join some professional group to dance in productions on Broadway. Michael Bennett, who was invited to be the director of this process, several years after sued over the rights on the entire musical for a long time, because of the great efforts that he has spent on it without an official adoption on the position and considering this piece only his work, not belonging to other creators (which were 5). Marvin Hamlisch was the author of the score. This musical was nominated for 12 different Tony awards, among which was also Best Musical. In 1976, the show received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which is very rarely happens for musicals since this Prize is awarded for the best narration of drama & musicals are very, very not often have this advantage. At the time of its closing, the show was the longest in the history of Broadway, until it was surpassed by the following stagings – Cats, The Phantom of the Opera & Les Miserables. One of the founders of this musical even said that Cats surpassed A Chorus Line in figure artificially, distributing tickets to the right and to the left so a show only to suppress the record of exhibitions before its closure. There is, however, no doubt in two other ones, because they have crossed this figure long ago. In addition, two more shows at the moment – The Lion King and Chicago – also surpassed the record, and is still played successfully; their halls are always stuffed with people.

Overview

Why does a bare stage feel bigger than a scenery-stuffed spectacle? Because the music does the lifting. A Chorus Line’s score turns breath and heartbeat into rhythm—the sound of needing the job. The cast album bottles that urgency: brassy hits for bravado, plié-soft textures for memory, and a closing kickline that weaponizes uniformity. You can hear the sweat between the snares. The trick is simple and savage: songs arise as audition material, confessions, or pep talks. That keeps the album unusually “present tense”—more documentary than fantasy—while still sweeping like a classic Broadway record.

Genres & Themes

• Broadway show-tune classicism ? crisp dance rhythms and bold hooks that read to the back row.
• Jazz-pop brass & pit percussion ? the adrenaline of cuts and callbacks; the band sounds like a metronome with nerves.
• Memory ballads ? interior monologues set to long melodic lines (“At the Ballet,” “What I Did for Love”).
• Concept-musical framing ? diegetic music that reveals character under pressure; truth disguised as material.

Key Tracks & Scenes

“I Hope I Get It” — Company
Where it plays: The very first audition combination; all diegetic on the empty stage.
Why it matters: Establishes breathless stakes and the show’s present-tense point of view; the pit becomes a stopwatch.

“I Can Do That” — Mike
Where it plays: Mike’s anecdote about stealing his sister’s lesson slot; a solo vaudeville burst.
Why it matters: Folds biography into technique—back-story delivered as tight soft-shoe confidence.

“At the Ballet” — Sheila, Bebe, Maggie
Where it plays: Three intertwined testimonies; a memory-chorale that shifts from confessional to haloed reverie.
Why it matters: Harmonies layer trauma and escape—ballet as refuge and self-mythmaking.

“Dance: Ten; Looks: Three” — Val
Where it plays: A cheeky “how I got castable” memoir; diegetic, comic, and a little scandalous.
Why it matters: Satirizes industry superficiality; punch-line craft with a brassy wink.

“The Music and the Mirror” — Cassie
Where it plays: A danced plea mid-audition; music becomes breath, mirror becomes scene partner.
Why it matters: Collapses star past and chorus present; the album’s purest dancer-as-narrator moment.

“What I Did for Love” — Diana & Company
Where it plays: After a devastating injury rocks the room; a non-romantic credo about art and cost.
Why it matters: Reframes “love song” as vocation; became the score’s breakout standard.

“One” — Company
Where it plays: The uniform rehearsal that becomes the glittering finale.
Why it matters: Precision as poetry; individuality submerged into showbiz sheen—on purpose.

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• When Zach forces personal histories, “At the Ballet” lets Sheila/Bebe/Maggie transmute pain into harmony—three pasts braided into one line of sound.
• Val flips authenticity into strategy; “Dance: Ten; Looks: Three” weaponizes candor to expose casting bias without losing the laugh.
• Cassie argues to be “one of many” in “The Music and the Mirror,” her melody stretching like a dancer fighting muscle memory and pride.
• After Paul falls, the room’s ego evaporates; “What I Did for Love” answers the show’s thesis: if dance is taken away, what’s left?
• “One” seals the paradox—after all the intimacy, the album ends with identical faces, perfect kicks, and feelings tucked under gold lamé.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

The musical grew from taped late-night interviews with working dancers; Michael Bennett shaped those stories into a “concept musical” with choreography as argument. The album captures that documentary heartbeat in studio form.

Marvin Hamlisch’s tunes and Edward Kleban’s lyrics were tailored to character voices; Donald Pippin’s pit leadership/vocal arranging keeps tempi elastic enough for breath and storytelling. The orchestrations (Bill Byers, Hershy Kay, Jonathan Tunick) slip from pit-punch to haloed strings when memory turns upstage. The original cast album—produced by Columbia’s Goddard Lieberson—was cut at Columbia’s famed 30th Street Studio; forty years on it was remastered and expanded for a new generation.

Reception & Quotes

“The conservative word for A Chorus Line might be tremendous, or perhaps terrific.” Clive Barnes, The New York Times

“The most innovative modern American musical I’d ever seen.” Observer (on the show’s revival)

“A significant study of the competitive and tough world of Broadway.” The Times (London)

Anniversary spotlights and reunion concerts keep the score in the bloodstream; the 50th-anniversary celebration at the Shubert gathered original artists and new stars to salute the songs that built their careers.

Technical Info

• Title: A Chorus Line — Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Year: 1975 (original release; expanded remaster issued decades later)
• Type: Cast album / stage musical soundtrack
• Composers/Lyricists: Marvin Hamlisch (music); Edward Kleban (lyrics)
• Book: James Kirkwood Jr., Nicholas Dante
• Orchestrations: Bill Byers; Hershy Kay; Jonathan Tunick
• Music direction / vocal arrangements: Donald Pippin
• Album producer: Goddard Lieberson
• Label: Columbia Masterworks (original)
• Recorded at: Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York
• Selected notable placements (on stage): Opening “I Hope I Get It”; “The Music and the Mirror” (Cassie); “What I Did for Love” (Diana & Co.); Finale “One”.
• Release context: Premiered at The Public Theater (spring 1975); first Broadway performance at the Shubert Theatre July 25, 1975; official opening October 19, 1975.
• Awards/Charts: Album received a Grammy nomination; show won nine Tony Awards & the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; the album charted on the U.S. Top LPs.
• Availability: Widely available on digital services and as a remastered CD/vinyl anniversary edition. (as stated in Masterworks Broadway’s archival notes)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Entity	Relation	Entity
Michael Bennett	conceived & directed	A Chorus Line (1975 musical)
Bob Avian	co-choreographed	A Chorus Line (1975 musical)
Marvin Hamlisch	composed score for	A Chorus Line
Edward Kleban	wrote lyrics for	A Chorus Line
James Kirkwood Jr.; Nicholas Dante	wrote book for	A Chorus Line
Donald Pippin	music direction & vocal arrangements on	Original Broadway production / cast album
Bill Byers; Hershy Kay; Jonathan Tunick	orchestrated	A Chorus Line score
Goddard Lieberson	produced	A Chorus Line Original Cast Recording
Columbia Masterworks	released	Original Cast Recording (1975)
The Public Theater (NY Shakespeare Festival)	premiered	A Chorus Line (spring 1975)
Sam S. Shubert Theatre (Broadway)	hosted	Broadway transfer & long run
Donna McKechnie	originated role	Cassie
Priscilla Lopez	originated lead vocal on	“What I Did for Love”

Sources: Playbill; Masterworks Broadway; Concord Theatricals; The New York Times; The New Yorker; The Times (London); Discogs; MusicBrainz; CastAlbums.org; People magazine; Wikipedia (cross-checked facts only).