Was “If Only You Would Listen (Alternate Version)” released as a single?

Yes—alongside “You’re in the Band” and “Stick It to the Man,” it hit Google Play the week the album dropped.

Does the song appear in the filmed 2016 West End version?

No—the film uses the on-stage arrangement without the alternate coda.

Are there notable covers?

Junior Leeds Elite Team (2017) and The Broadway Star Experience (2023) are two fan-favorite YouTube covers.

How many streams does the track have on Spotify?

Roughly 6 million as of July 2025.

Why include an “Alternate Version” at all?

The deluxe cut gives each child soloist extra bars that the theatre version omits.

If Only You Would Listen Lyrics – School of Rock

If Only You Would Listen Lyrics

Students

You always talk, talk, talk all the time.
You never let me get in a word.
I wish i had, i had a dime
For ev’ry thought i’ve swallowed unheard.
No matter what it is that i do,
It’s like i just can’t seem to get through.

I’ve got so much to say,
If only you would listen.
I’ve tried ev’ry which way,
And still you never listen.
Can’t you see i’m hurting?
I couldn’t be more clear.
But i promise,
One day i’ll make you hear.

You know i try, try, try to explain--
I’m not the kid you want me to be.
And yet it’s all, it’s all in vain--
You just don’t wanna see the real me.
You think you know what i’m all about--
And yet you just keep shutting me out!

I’ve got so much to share,
If only you would listen.
You could prove that you care,
If only you would listen.
I’m not gonna beg you--
You’ll never see a tear.
But i promise, one day, i’ll make you hear.

Yeah, you’ll see one day,
I’m gonna make you hear me.
Gotta find a way,
But you are gonna hear me.
Got so much to say
And i’m gonna make you hear me.

Maybe then you’ll listen!
You gotta listen!
You need to listen!
You better listen!

I’ve got so much inside,
If only you would listen!
Joy and anger and pride,
If only you would listen!
It’s not much i’m asking
I only want your ear.
Yeah, i promise, one day i’ll make you hear.
It’s not much i’m asking,
I only want your ear.

And i promise, one day i’ll shake you,
So damn hard that at last i’ll wake you,
Yeah, i promise, one day i’ll make you hear!

Last Update: July, 23rd 2025

Song Overview

If Only You Would Listen lyrics by The Original Broadway Cast of School of Rock — The Original Broadway Cast of School of Rock is singing the 'If Only You Would Listen' lyrics in the music video.

“If Only You Would Listen (Alternate Version)” is the quiet rebel on the School of Rock: The Musical cast album—an anthem where kids trade power chords for pleas. Released as a bonus track on the 2015 deluxe edition and produced by Rob Cavallo with Andrew Lloyd Webber, the song keeps gaining traction: the official audio tops 1.3 million YouTube views, while lyric videos spin through classrooms and choir rooms worldwide.

Personal Review

The Original Broadway Cast of School of Rock performing If Only You Would Listen — Performance in the music video.

The first piano chord lands like a diary being cracked open. Strings swell, then back off, letting pre-teen voices take center stage. No flashy riffs—just heartbeat guitar, brushed cymbals, and a melody that climbs a fifth on the word “listen,” begging the adults to do exactly that. On Cavallo’s mix the kids’ consonants pop, every s and t a tiny sling-shot. One sentence? A three-minute confessional that turns the classroom into a confessional booth with amplifiers.

Song Meaning and Annotations

If Only You Would Listen lyric video by The Original Broadway Cast of School of Rock — A screenshot from the 'If Only You Would Listen' video.

In the show, the number splits into four mini-solos—Tomika, Zack, Billy, and Summer—each venting frustration at parents too busy or too afraid to hear them. Lyrically, Glenn Slater swaps Lloyd Webber’s usual wit for straight-up candor: “So much hurt bottled inside.” Harmonic motion stays in F major, yet a sudden IV-minor chord on “pain” injects pop-punk ache into Broadway gloss.

Dramaturgical engine. The scene flips the musical’s power dynamic. Dewey (the faux-teacher) has spent Act I yelling; here the kids claim the mic. Their soft rock ballad foreshadows “Stick It to the Man,” proving they can shred feelings before they shred guitars.

Alternate Version twist. The bonus cut swaps orchestral pads for a tighter rhythm-section groove and adds a choral tag—“You gave me my voice, so I’ll be here.” This coda, absent in the show, sharpens the mentor-student feedback loop central to School of Rock.

Musical fingerprints.

Meter & Feel. A laid-back 6/8 gives the melody a lullaby sway, undercut by syncopated guitar pops that keep it from drifting into saccharine territory.
Instrumentation. Cavallo layers subtle Hammond organ under the final chorus—a hat-tip to classic rock humility rather than arena bombast.
Vocal Arc. Each child sits comfortably between A3 – E5, but the collective climb to G5 on the last “listen” turns the plea into a mini-victory scream.

“Now that I’ve found you, you can’t just disappear.”

A nine-syllable gut-punch: fear of abandonment slipped inside a power-ballad rhyme scheme.

Verse Highlights

Verse 1

Tomika’s line “All the things I should’ve said” lands on descending thirds—musical sighs of regret.

Chorus

Chord shift to ii7 adds Gospel warmth; background vocals echo listen in clipped eighths, like knocking on a locked door.

Bridge

Key modulates a whole step to G major, mirroring newfound confidence after Dewey affirms the kids’ worth.

Song Credits

Scene from If Only You Would Listen by The Original Broadway Cast of School of Rock — Scene from 'If Only You Would Listen'.

Featured Vocalists: Isabella Russo, Brandon Niederauer, Bobbi MacKenzie, Evie Dolan (Original Broadway kids)
Producers: Rob Cavallo, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Composers: Andrew Lloyd Webber (music), Glenn Slater (lyrics)
Release Date: December 4 2015 (deluxe cast album)
Genre: Broadway Pop-Rock Ballad
Instruments: piano, electric guitar, Hammond organ, brushed drums, string pad
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Mood: Vulnerable, empowering
Length: 3 min 35 sec (alternate version)
Track #: 19 on School of Rock: The Musical [Deluxe]
Language: English
Poetic meter: Mostly iambic trimeter with rising anapests on chorus hook
Copyrights © 2015 School of Rock Broadway Limited Partnership

Songs Exploring the Need to Be Heard

“You Will Be Found” – Dear Evan Hansen (2016): Like “If Only You Would Listen,” this arena-sized ballad begins with whispered insecurity before blooming into choral catharsis. Where the School of Rock kids plead for parental ears, Evan Hansen begs an online crowd for validation—digital echo chamber versus classroom hall.

“Superboy and the Invisible Girl” – Next to Normal (2009): Natalie’s rock burst mirrors Zack’s guitar-wielding frustration. Both tracks pit adolescent identity against adult myopia, but Kitt’s alt-rock harmonies darken the mood, showing what happens when nobody listens soon enough.

“Seventeen (Reprise)” – Heathers The Musical (2014): Veronica’s plea “If you could just be normal” deforms the same melodic plea for understanding. Yet, while Heathers spirals into carnage, If Only You Would Listen channels rebellion into music class triumph.

Questions and Answers

Was “If Only You Would Listen (Alternate Version)” released as a single?: Yes—alongside “You’re in the Band” and “Stick It to the Man,” it dropped on Google Play the week of the album’s launch.
Does the song appear in the filmed 2016 West End version?: No—the London pro-shot retains the stage arrangement, not the bonus “Alternate” coda.
Are there notable covers?: YouTube houses dozens; Junior Leeds Elite Team’s 2017 clip (_IgE3fmr6jk) and The Broadway Star Experience’s 2023 HD performance rank among the most-watched fan renditions.
How many streams does the track have on Spotify?: As of July 2025 the Alternate Version sits just over 6 million plays.
Why include an “Alternate Version” at all?: Webber wanted the deluxe album to showcase each kid soloist evenly; the extended outro lets every voice surface, something the on-stage blocking can’t always guarantee.

Awards and Chart Positions

The School of Rock cast album peaked at No. 37 on the UK Official Physical Albums Chart, a strong showing for a new-work cast recording. In 2017 the West End production snagged the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music, crediting its young rockers for “reinventing pit-band energy.”

How to Sing?

Range: A3 – G5 (soloists); ensemble tops at E5.
Breath Tips: Use quick diaphragmatic sniffs before the high G’s—phrases are longer than they look on paper.
Tempo: Album sits at 84 bpm; directors often shave to 80 for school choirs.
Tone: Belt the chorus with a hint of twang to cut through guitars without microphones.
Emotional Cue: Imagine venting into a stairwell—intimate yet aiming upward.

Fan and Media Reactions

“A rare Broadway ballad that makes parents in row F cry and their kids fist-pump at the same time.” – Playbill tweet

“That six-note hook is our classroom’s morning anthem.” – Teacher comment, Edutopia blog

“Webber’s best ‘quiet’ song since Sunset Boulevard.” – UK Theatre Critic Paul Taylor

“1.3 million plays and my kids still sing it in the car.” – YouTube user Guitarmom77

“Proof that giving children the mic can shake a Winter Garden ceiling.” – The Wall Street Journal

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