Spread The Love Around Lyrics – Sister Act The Musical

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Finale songs carry a show’s aftertaste. This one tastes like disco spun through a church social. Alan Menken builds a four-on-the-floor engine, horns flashing, handclaps working overtime. Glenn Slater’s lyric keeps the theology light and the community loud. By the last chorus the company stacks into gospel layers and the pulse doesn’t let go. Critics singled out the show’s Philly-soul colors and called this number a full-throttle disco payoff - which tracks with what your ear hears in the brass and strings.

Highlights

• Call-and-response scaffolding turns the ensemble into a crowd you can practically see dancing down the aisles.
• Harmonic lifts in the back half juice the final modulation - classic finale architecture.
• Text keeps saying “join,” “jump in,” “reach out” while the groove does the inviting. Simple words, effective staging fuel.
• As a finale it doubles as narrative closure and literal curtain-call celebration.

Creation History

Sister Act premiered in the West End in 2009, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. The London production starred Patina Miller as Deloris and Sheila Hancock as Mother Superior; the number sits at the end of the show’s arc as the papal-performance blowout.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

The story brings a once-wary convent and a runaway nightclub singer to the same place: a stage in front of the Pope. The bad guys are handled, nerves settle, and the choir that Deloris trained does what it does best - throw light. “Spread the Love Around” plays like a benediction and a block party at the same time, with Mother Superior stepping forward, the Monsignor hyping, and the full company closing the loop on the show’s central bet: shared music can change a room.

Song Meaning

It isn’t subtle. Love is a verb here - sung, danced, passed hand to hand. The lyric pushes participation over contemplation, which fits a musical that pivots from cloistered caution to extroverted service. Mood starts warmly ceremonial, then jumps to communal release as the beat takes over.

Annotations

“Nothing matters more than love.”

- Opening credo. It frames the finale’s sermon in one line, then lets the band argue the case for four minutes.

“Get up... jump in... reach out.”

- Imperatives that act like choreography notes. They prime audience bodies as much as character movement - a classic Menken trick when the goal is joy.

Style and rhythm

Disco chassis, gospel paint job. Four-to-the-bar kick, syncopated guitar, punchy horns, and a choir that rides the downbeat. Those Philly-soul nods aren’t accidental; reviewers heard them too.

Emotional arc

From statement of belief to call to action. The song escalates community: solo - section - company - audience.

Cultural touchpoint

Broadway and West End finales often double as curtain-call anthems. This one fits squarely in that lineage, ending with the company playing to a papal crowd inside the story world.

Key Facts

• Artist: Sheila Hancock (Mother Superior, Original London Cast)
• Writers: Alan Menken (music), Glenn Slater (lyrics)
• Album: Sister Act (Original London Cast Recording)
• UK Release Date: June 27, 2009
• U.S. Release: March 22, 2011 digital, March 29, 2011 CD
• Label: Stage Entertainment Ltd in the UK; Ghostlight Records in the U.S.
• Producers (album): Doug Besterman, Michael Kosarin, Alan Menken
• Length: 4:48
• Track #: 20 on the London cast album
• Language: English
• Genre: West End show tune with disco and gospel influences
• Instrumentation: rhythm section, horns, strings, large chorus

Questions and Answers

Who wrote “Spread the Love Around”?

Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater.

Where does the number appear in the show?

It closes the musical as the company’s papal performance.

Who’s on the London cast track?

The Original London Company, with Sheila Hancock featured as Mother Superior alongside Patina Miller and the ensemble.

Who released the album in the U.S.?

Ghostlight Records, with digital on March 22, 2011 and CD on March 29, 2011.

What does the song sound like?

Disco pulse, gospel choir lifts, and Philly-soul colors that critics highlighted when the show hit Broadway.

Awards and Chart Positions

• Laurence Olivier Awards 2010: Original West End production nominated for Best New Musical; Sheila Hancock nominated for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical or Entertainment.

Additional Info

The Broadway transfer kept the finale’s party DNA intact; watch Patina Miller lead “Spread the Love Around” with Carolee Carmello and company to see how the number lands as an outright celebration.