Here On Who Lyrics – Seussical

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Placed early in Act I, “Here on Who” snaps the world of Whoville into focus with brisk patter, Sousa-tinged march rhythms, and antiphonal crowd writing that lets the Mayor and Mrs. Mayor volley worries while Horton listens in. On the Original Broadway Cast album, you hear the tight pit-band snap under the choral “who-who” refrains and the comic cutaways for the Grinch, which telegraph Seussical’s collage style. The album track available from the official cast playlist confirms the cut’s sequencing and performers.

Stylistically, Ahrens + Flaherty’s score leans into a grab-bag of Broadway idioms - from ballad warmth to Motown pulse to John Philip Sousa strut - and this number sits squarely in that last lane, with parade snare and buoyant woodwind chatter shaping the bustle.

Creation History

Music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; orchestrations for the Broadway production by Doug Besterman. The commercial cast album was recorded in December 2000, produced by Phil Ramone, and issued by Decca Broadway/UMG in early 2001. Physical retail listings and Playbill’s season roundups place the street date on February 6, 2001, with Apple Music and other platforms showing a 2001 UMG release.

Onstage, the original staging used a clever visual reveal: a giant magnifying glass descended from the flies to “show” Whoville while the Cat mirrored the gag with a handheld lens at Horton’s clover.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

The Mayor and Mrs. Mayor introduce Horton - and us - to a community in crisis. Whoville is tiny, airborne, and vulnerable. The Whos brag about their miniature parades, grocery stores, and civic pride, but fear storms, crashes, and a looming war. A Grinch cameo reframes his famous tale as an annual, good-humored pageant, and a Lorax aside hints at felled Truffula trees. Horton makes the song’s moral pivot: he’ll protect them because a person is a person, no matter how small. The main cast list for the number includes the Mayor, Mrs. Mayor, the Grinch, Horton, and the Whos, matching published show materials.

Song Meaning

Under the whimsy, the piece argues for stewardship and scale-aware empathy. It’s a civic anthem disguised as a town-tour patter song. The Who-world names specific threats - militarism and ecological damage - while Horton’s credo anchors the musical’s ethic of care. Junior and youth editions often trim or reshape these references, but this original cut makes them central.

Annotations

“Then he heard it again, calling over and over. So he tried to think WHO might be down on that clover!”

“The original production featured a giant magnifying glass swooping down from the flys to reveal Whoville...”

“Every Who down in Whoville... Did not”

“We’re on the brink of war...” ? Butter Battles over bread orientation.

“The Truffula trees were all cut down.”

“But that’s another story...”

Rhythm and style

The engine is a buoyant march feel - think Sousa parade filtered through Broadway chorus writing - with quick interior rhymes and responsive crowd vocals. That “A-ladela-deladela” riff works like a rhythmic glue between straight-laced municipal pride and rising panic.

Emotional arc

It starts chipper - tiny umbrellas, tinier floors - then tilts toward dread as war talk and environmental loss creep in. Horton’s promise steadies the frame, planting the score’s central maxim for later reprises.

Cultural touchpoints

The lyric braids in the Dr. Seuss multiverse: Grinch as community theater tradition, Butter Battle Book as allegory, and Lorax as ecological conscience. These links are explicitly flagged in show summaries and song lists.

Key Facts

• Artist: Stephen Flaherty, Anthony Blair Hall, Kevin Chamberlin (Original Broadway cast performance on album includes Stuart Zagnit and Alice Playten as the Mayor and Mrs. Mayor)
• Composer: Stephen Flaherty
• Lyricist: Lynn Ahrens
• Producer (album): Phil Ramone
• Release Date (album): February 6, 2001
• Album: Seussical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Label: Decca Broadway / Universal Classics Group
• Recording date (album session): December 18, 2000
• Genre: Stage musical - Broadway march/patter hybrid
• Language: English
• Music style: Parade-march pulse, call-and-response ensemble writing

Refs:

Questions and Answers

When did Stephen Flaherty release “Here on Who”?

As part of the Original Broadway Cast album for Seussical, released February 6, 2001 on Decca Broadway/UMG.

Who wrote “Here on Who”?

Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; the Broadway production featured orchestrations by Doug Besterman.

Who sings it on the cast album?

Primarily the Mayor and Mrs. Mayor with company - on Broadway those roles were Stuart Zagnit and Alice Playten, alongside Kevin Chamberlin as Horton.

Was “Here on Who” ever released as a single?

No - it appears as an album cut on the 28-track Original Broadway Cast recording; no standalone single release is documented.

Which Seuss stories thread through this song?

Horton Hears a Who! frames the scene; the lyric nods to How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Butter Battle Book, and The Lorax.

Awards and Chart Positions

The track itself did not chart or receive individual awards. The Broadway production, however, earned a 2001 Tony nomination for Kevin Chamberlin (Best Actor in a Musical) and multiple Drama Desk nominations during its run.

Additional Info

Two performance-edition notes shape how “Here on Who” plays. In the Junior adaptation, the Grinch’s extended bit gets cut, leaving a single line - a practical tweak that tightens pacing for youth productions. And before Broadway, a lengthy Lorax sequence lived in the show; after Boston it was excised to lighten an already long evening, with the Lorax idea preserved only as a quick lyrical aside.

If you’re cataloging recordings, the official YouTube “Topic” upload confirms the album track and gives you a clean reference thumbnail - useful for production decks and program notes.