When I Find My Baby Lyrics – Sister Act The Musical

Song Overview

When I Find My Baby is the London cast’s villain song in Sister Act, introduced by Chris Jarman as mob boss Curtis Shank. On record, its slick 70s-soul chassis hides a comic-horrific engine: sugarcoated harmonies and satin bass lines carry threats that keep getting nastier. The track appears on the Original London Cast Recording issued in 2009, with Ghostlight handling later digital distribution.

Review and Highlights

Alan Menken sets up a velvet lure: a slow-burn groove, stacked male backing vocals, and a tuneful hook that could pass for a love ballad until the verbs turn violent. That bait-and-switch is the joke and the scare. The goons’ call-and-response keeps sweetening the sound while escalating the crimes. On the album, Jarman’s Curtis cuts through with oily certainty, and the arrangement leans into 70s radio sheen.

Creation History

Sister Act opened at the London Palladium on June 2, 2009, with Patina Miller (Deloris), Sheila Hancock (Mother Superior), and Chris Jarman (Curtis Shank). The number anchors Act I from the villain’s POV. Later revisions for Broadway changed details - including renaming the antagonist Curtis Jackson - but the London cast album preserves Shank and this track’s darker comic bite.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After Deloris witnesses a murder and flees to the police, Curtis vows to silence the witness. He rallies his crew, mapping the search while fantasizing about how he’ll do it. The humor comes from contrast: a love-song chassis that keeps swerving into mayhem. The number pays off again in Act II with a brief reprise during the attempted break-in.

Song Meaning

It’s a character study in denial and control. Curtis sings like a man in love with power, not a partner. The music flatters him; the lyric exposes him. By dressing violence in satin, Menken and Slater let the audience laugh at the audacity while clocking the danger. It also sharpens Deloris’s arc: the more toxic his “romance” sounds, the more radical the convent’s community feels.

Annotations

“SHANK”

The West End villain is Curtis Shank; on Broadway he becomes Curtis Jackson. The function stays the same, the name shifts with the rewrite.

“Stuff”

Lyric clean-up: “stuff” appears in some transcriptions with spacing glitches; cast recording confirms the plain noun amid the patter.

“I’m gonna drown that girl!”

On the London track, the backups tag “drown that girl,” while Curtis sustains his previous belt. It’s a stacked-arrangement gag - menace multiplied by harmony.

Style, references, and rhythm

The chart sits in 70s R&B territory - satin strings, pocket bass, baritone swagger. Think slow-jam croon weaponized. The comedic lineage lines up with other Menken villain numbers dressed as crowd-pleasers, but here the joke is era-specific: the lush romance of Philadelphia soul used as camouflage.

Emotional arc

It starts confident, turns obsessive, then giddy with imagined violence. The goons’ echoes - “shoot,” “stab,” “shake” - turn into a twisted hymn. That escalation is the laugh line and the chill.

Cultural touchpoints

Later productions and student shows keep the template - handsome groove, ugly intent - because it plays fast and clear in a house. Regional reviews often note how the number’s sweetness sharpens the villainy.

Key Facts

• Artist: Chris Jarman with the Original London Cast of Sister Act
• Composer: Alan Menken
• Lyricist: Glenn Slater
• Release Date: June 27, 2009
• Album: Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy - Original London Cast Recording
• Label/Publisher: Stage Entertainment UK original issue; later digital via Ghostlight Records
• Length: approximately 4:25 on official upload; around 4:00 in licensed backing tracks
• Language: English
• Setting: Act I, Curtis and goons plan to find Deloris
• Alternate versions: Brief Act II reprise in some stagings; Broadway version retains the idea with story changes
• Notable performers on recording: Chris Jarman (Curtis), with ensemble goons often listed as Nicolas Colicos, Thomas Goodridge, Ivan De Freitas alongside the London company

Questions and Answers

Is there an official audio upload of this track?

Yes. Ghostlight’s “Provided to YouTube” channel hosts the London cast recording audio with Jarman.

Where does it sit in the show?

Act I, after Deloris goes into hiding; Curtis outlines his plan to “get” her, setting up the Act II break-in gag.

Who originated Curtis in London?

Chris Jarman created the role of Curtis Shank in the 2009 West End production at the London Palladium.

Did the character’s name change on Broadway?

Yes. In the Broadway rewrite he’s Curtis Jackson, while the London album preserves Curtis Shank.

Has the song been staged widely beyond the West End?

Yes. University and regional productions frequently feature it, usually keeping the soulful groove versus grisly lyric contrast that makes the number land.

Awards and Chart Positions

Awards/Nominations: The West End production that features this track opened to multiple honors; the musical later received five Tony nominations on Broadway, and London principals Sheila Hancock and others garnered major nods during the 2010 awards season.

Album charts (UK): The Original London Cast album reached no. 8 on the Official Independent Albums Chart in August 2009 and appeared on related weekly rundowns.

How to Sing When I Find My Baby

Vocal range & color: Low baritone lead with crooner sheen. Keep the placement warm and deceptively tender, resisting growl until the threats stack up.

Rhythm & phrasing: Sit behind the beat. Treat the verse like pillow talk; clip the violent verbs for contrast. Backing trio should lock tight on unison vowels before blooming to thirds.

Acting notes: Smile through the worst lines. He’s selling “devotion,” not rage. The audience should hear a love song until the penny drops.

Safety & taste: Directors often stage the goons as clowns to soften the content. Let the comedy land without sanding off the danger that motivates the plot.

Additional Info

Chris Jarman’s London credit as Curtis Shank is well documented across production listings and interviews; later UK tours and revivals have recast the role many times, and some recent albums show revived recordings with updated casts.