Footloose Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

The opening of the musical on Broadway was in 1998, where it gave 709 hits, before being closed in July 2000. Richard Rodgers Theatre hosted the play and the director was Walter Bobbie. The musical had mixed reviews. Someone said that the show was itself poorly developed, and only the music in it was good. Some praised the dances for which the producers have emphasized the dancing part, and the lyrics were called mediocre. It is possible that this diversity has influenced that out of 4 Tony nominations, this musical did not get a single award. By the way, stage wardrobe of actors was exhibited in Florida for everyone’s beholding in frames of the project named Costume World Broadway Collection.

The composition of cast on Broadway was: H. Foster, K. Deitch, J. Kushnier, R. Brown, S. L. Anderson, B. Hartung, J. L. Thompson, S. Francis, T. Plotkin, C. Cox & D. Hoty.

Production of the show in London at the Novello Theatre, after the "warm-up tour" in the UK was in 2006. Having stood there for one autumn season, the show was closed. Musical team consisted of: K. Bruce (director), M. Large (costumes and stage lighting), J. Whiteside (lighting), M. Dixon (the chief of the music sound). Actors were: N. McDonald, D. Hough, L. Gorgin, S. McGann, J. Shentall, L. Want, S. Tate–Bauer, G. Spaño, C. Deverill & C. Baker.

Tour of the UK was launched in 2004 in Plymouth, where gave presentations there for almost a month for the break-in, and then a full-fledged tour was launched, which lasted for 24 whole weeks. The second round was in 2006, starting in Cardiff Bay, where the director was Karen Bruce. This production also visited 11 cities and neighboring countries, including Scotland. After the second round of the show, it finally opened in the West End, where was closed some months after, but not because of the failure, but because the theater scheduled its download, which limited the run, not letting it to be continued. At once after the closure, round 3 of country tour was opened, for all the first half of 2007, and then show returned onto the West End, remaining there until December of 2007.

"Footloose: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" Soundtrack: Description.

Production

It’s the kind of album that smells like soda spilled on a Playbill—sugary, loud, unashamed. The Broadway production opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on October 22, 1998, ran 709 performances, and hung up its dancing shoes on July 2, 2000. Walter Bobbie directed; A.C. Ciulla pushed the bodies into the air. Four Tony nominations. Zero wins. Plenty of prom-night catharsis. Across the pond, a UK tour cracked open in Plymouth in 2004, then the West End engagement landed at the Novello Theatre in April 2006 and wrapped that November—limited run, not a meltdown. Karen Bruce took the wheel there, with Morgan Large’s designs, James Whiteside’s lights, and Mike Dixon supervising the sound of all that teenage stomp.

Musical Styles & Engine

Rock combo in the pit; guitar-forward, drum-tight, synths gleaming like chrome bumpers. Tom Snow’s songs chase 80s pop-rock adrenaline while Dean Pitchford’s lyrics swing between pep-rally chant and confessional hush. You can hear the film’s DNA—Loggins, Steinman, Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar—stitched into a stage-ready heartbeat.

Track Highlights & Scene Tethers

• Footloose / On Any Sunday — A double-barreled opener: church bells vs. sneakers squeaking. It sets the moral tug-of-war and tells you, plainly, that the kids are going to win.
• I Can’t Stand Still — Ren’s thesis statement, jittery with city-boy electricity. A character study disguised as a sprint.
• Somebody’s Eyes — Three girls, one warning; gossip as Greek chorus. The harmony feels like alleyway shadows getting longer.
• Learning to Be Silent — The mothers (Vi, Ethel, sometimes Ariel) breathe out years of swallowed words—domestic tremor, not fireworks, and that’s the point.
• Holding Out for a Hero — A fantasy blast that turns the stage into a pop-video fever dream; Ariel wants out, boots-first.
• Heaven Help Me — Reverend Moore alone with the echo; the score lets the grown-ups break, too.
• Let’s Hear It for the Boy — Ren teaches Willard how to dance; friendship looks like footwork here, all grin and elbow.
• Mama Says — Dumb wisdom that isn’t dumb at all; the show’s secret handshake with middle America.
• Almost Paradise — Prom-night stillness, a soft-focus bridge between rebellion and romance.
• Dancing Is Not a Crime — Civil disobedience with a bass line. Yes, your body is a manifesto.
• Footloose (Finale) — The town exhales; the chaperones smile; the band doesn’t stop.

Full Plot & Character Map

Bomont. Small town, big rules. After a tragedy, dancing’s been banned and the church casts a long shadow. Ren McCormack arrives from Chicago with a chip, a cassette collection, and an allergy to sitting still. He collides with Reverend Shaw Moore’s grief-armored authority and with Ariel Moore—Shaw’s daughter, combustion in cowboy boots. Ren rallies the kids for a prom, gets shut down by the council, then does the unthinkable: talks to Shaw like a human being. The Reverend’s armor cracks; the town remembers it’s allowed to be young. Cue the finale confetti—literal or otherwise.

• Ren McCormack — outsider, engine, stubborn optimist.
• Ariel Moore — preacher’s kid with a matchbook; her arc is the town’s arc.
• Rev. Shaw Moore — grief-struck moral center who has to relearn mercy.
• Vi Moore — empathy in a cardigan, the hinge between Shaw’s fear and Ariel’s fire.
• Willard Hewitt — loyal, awkward, dance project turned folk hero.
• Rusty, Urleen, Wendy Jo — chorus of conscience, rumor, and ride-or-die laughter.
• Chuck Cranston — the fist that defines the line Ren won’t cross.

Behind the Scenes & Revisions

Here’s the backstage gossip that actually matters: the show kept tinkering. In 2005, revisions shifted the musical map—“Still Rockin’” popped in, “I Confess” slipped out, the town-council scene breathed differently. Cast album nerds clock that “Still Rockin’” later appears on the reissue like a found B-side, newly polished. And yes, the wardrobe—boots, denim, sparkle—has lived on in South Florida, where Broadway costumes cycle through a museum-collection setting. Somewhere between the sequins and the starch, you can feel how dance-heavy this show always was.

Reviews & Quotes

People argued. A lot. That was part of the fun.

“In Karen Bruce’s production, the dialogue could be communicated by semaphore. And the resolution is pure schmaltz. But what schmaltz!”Brian Logan

“A stage musical that is weaker than its source… yet the audience around me was having the time of their lives.”CurtainUp reviewer

That’s the split, right there: dramaturgy vs. dopamine. Footloose rarely wins the former; it absolutely chases the latter. You can file that under truth-in-advertising.

Technical Info (Album)

• Title — Footloose: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Original Release — 1998 (Q Records); later reissued digitally/physically in 2011 (Ghostlight Records) with tweaks and artwork refresh.
• Genre — Musical Theatre, Pop-Rock
• Notable Writers — Tom Snow (music); Dean Pitchford (lyrics); plus songs by Kenny Loggins, Jim Steinman, Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar.
• Key Tracks — “Footloose,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “Almost Paradise.”
• Label Credits — Q Records (original); Ghostlight (reissue).
• Charts — N/A (cult longevity over chart fireworks).

Trailer Glimpse

Cast by Years (Selected)

1998 Broadway (Richard Rodgers Theatre)

• Ren McCormack — Jeremy Kushnier
• Ariel Moore — Jennifer Laura Thompson
• Rev. Shaw Moore — Stephen Lee Anderson
• Vi Moore — Dee Hoty
• Ethel McCormack — Catherine Cox
• Willard Hewitt — Tom Plotkin
• Rusty — Stacy Francis
• Urleen — Kathy Deitch
• Wendy Jo — Rosalind Brown
• Chuck Cranston — Billy Hartung
• Plus — Hunter Foster, Mary Gordon Murray, John Hillner and company

2004 UK Tour (Launch: Plymouth)

• Direction — Paul Kerryson (tour launch); later Karen Bruce in 2006
• Scope — Three-week Plymouth break-in, then ~24-week national tour

2006 West End (Novello Theatre)

• Ren McCormack — Derek Hough
• Ariel Moore — Lorna Want
• Rev. Shaw Moore — Stephen McGann (David Essex during run)
• Vi Moore — Cheryl Baker
• Ethel McCormack — Caroline Deverill
• Rusty — Stevie Tate-Bauer
• Chuck Cranston — Johnny Shentall
• Wendy Jo — Lisa Gorgin
• Urleen — Natasha McDonald
• Willard Hewitt — Giovanni Spano

FAQ

Is the Broadway album different from later versions?

Yes. A 2011 reissue adds “Still Rockin’” and reflects post-2005 revisions; artwork was refreshed too.

Why do critics call it “mixed” but audiences cheer?

Because dramaturgical neatness and dopamine are not the same metric. This score delivers the latter on cue; the book, less so. And that’s okay.

Was the West End run short because it failed?

No, it closed due to theatre availability; the title then toured again and later returned to the West End.

Where can I see original costumes?

Florida—within a Broadway costume collection/museum context that exhibits wardrobes from multiple shows.

Why this album still hums

I still remember the first time that opening groove kicked in—like someone unscrewed the lid on a town and let out the carbonated air. Does the book wobble? Sure. But the record bottles the feeling of teenagers arguing with gravity, and if you’ve ever had to invent your own party, this music understands you.