If I Only Had A Brain Lyrics – Wizard Of Oz, The

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Studio track from The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording), pairing the Scarecrow’s solo with the road song.
2. Vocals by Paul Keating (Scarecrow) and Danielle Hope (Dorothy) under producers Nigel Wright and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
3. Classic music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, incorporated into the 2011 stage adaptation that added new numbers elsewhere.
4. Album released May 9, 2011 on Polydor via The Really Useful Group’s license; this cut plays about 2:40 and moves at a brisk medium swing.
5. Placed in Act I right after Dorothy meets the Scarecrow and before the Tin Man entry, mirroring the 1939 film’s journey arc.

Creation History

The 2011 London Palladium revival folded the film’s Arlen-Harburg standards into a new stage book crafted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams, with additional songs by Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Keating’s Scarecrow keeps the conversational patter and soft-shuffle feel, while Hope’s interjections tether the scene to Dorothy’s quest. The cast album, tracked under producer-engineer leadership from Nigel Wright alongside Lloyd Webber, captures a clean studio balance - reeds and rhythm section nudging the swing while strings soften the edges. According to Playbill, the cast gathered for a CD signing on release week, underscoring how central the recording was to the Palladium run.

Highlights

Keating leans into the vaudeville syncopation - consonants clipped, vowels lifted on offbeats - so the rhyme-play lands like a soft tap routine. The arrangement dovetails straight into the road motif, letting Hope’s bright timbre ride the melodic hook. The splice is tight: Scarecrow’s inner monologue blooms into communal motion. A small thing, but listen for the rhythmic grin when the word “because” stacks - it’s practically percussion.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Dorothy lands in Oz, meets a straw man who believes he lacks intelligence, and invites him along to the Wizard who supposedly grants remedies. The first half is his wish-song - a comic manifesto about the life he could lead with a “brain.” The second half flicks into a traveling chorus as the pair step onto the Yellow Brick Road. It’s exposition by melody: new friend, shared purpose, forward motion.

Song Meaning

The piece fuses yearning with momentum. The Scarecrow’s self-doubt reads like a playful mask for a deeper insecurity - a reminder that perceived deficits can be social stories, not facts. The segue into the road song shifts from introspection to community, turning private longing into a collective journey. Mood-wise, it’s buoyant and a touch sly: swing rhythm, patter lines, and a hook that practically skips.

Annotations

“Life would be a ding-a-derry”

A nonsense flourish rooted in music hall diction - playful optimism as a coping tool. It keeps the scene light while the subtext pokes at worthiness.

“Because of the wonderful things he does”

Faith in authority - the Wizard myth - propels the plot. The 2011 staging keeps the candy-shell gleam while quietly setting up a later unmasking.

“I could think of things I never thunk before”

Colloquial rhyme as character-building. The humor humanizes the Scarecrow; his language already shows wit, undercutting his own premise.

Style and instrumentation

Genre fusion sits between show tune and swing-pop. The groove taps medium swing, clarinet and reeds shading the two-step feel while rhythm section keeps it spry. The emotional arc starts self-effacing, turns curious, and lands in bright camaraderie.

Context

Historically, the film set this two-part template - character wish-solo into walking chorus - and the Palladium edition largely honors that placement, wrapping it in a polished studio sheen. Variety’s review of the production praised its showmanship and craft, which frames songs like this as forward engine rather than stand-alone set piece.

Key Facts

• Artist: Paul Keating, Danielle Hope, Nigel Wright, Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Featured: Paul Keating as Scarecrow, Danielle Hope as Dorothy
• Composer: Harold Arlen
• Lyricist: E. Y. Harburg
• Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber; Nigel Wright
• Release Date: May 9, 2011
• Genre: Musical theatre, Pop
• Instruments: Orchestra with reeds, rhythm section, strings
• Label: Polydor - under exclusive license from The Really Useful Group
• Mood: Upbeat, witty
• Length: 2:40
• Track #: 9 on the London Palladium cast album
• Language: English
• Album: The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording)
• Music style: Medium swing show tune with patter elements
• Poetic meter: Mixed - primarily anapaestic patter with conversational enjambment

Canonical Entities & Relations

Questions and Answers

Where does this number sit in the 2011 show?

Act I, at Dorothy’s first stop on the road - right after “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

Why pair the Scarecrow solo with the road chorus?

It turns a private wish into shared action - the scene literally steps forward as the characters do.

What’s distinctive about Keating’s delivery?

Light swing and crisp consonants, with a spoken-sung patter that keeps the jokes buoyant.

How fast is the track?

About 120-125 BPM in medium swing, tidy and danceable without rushing.

Is the 2011 orchestration different from the film?

It’s cleaner and more contemporary in balance - reeds and rhythm slightly forward, strings warming the edges.

What’s the character beat for Dorothy here?

She becomes recruiter-in-chief - empathetic, practical, and already forming a team dynamic.

Any live references to check out?

Yes - West End Live clips with Hope and Keating show the staging energy and comic timing.

What makes the lyric still land?

Wordplay that’s humble and sly - the jokes wear well because the heart of the wish is universal.

How to Sing If I Only Had a Brain / We’re Off to See the Wizard

Vocal range: roughly G3 to B4 for the Scarecrow lines. Tempo: about 120-125 BPM in a medium swing. Feel: conversational patter that flips to a buoyant march when the road chorus arrives.

1. Tempo & groove: Practice with a metronome near 122 BPM. Keep the swing light - think triplet undercurrent, not heavy shuffle.
2. Diction: Pop the internal rhymes (“thinkin’/Lincoln,” “reason/reason”). Consonants are your drum kit.
3. Breath: Plan quick snatches before the rhyme chains. Use a low, quiet inhale to avoid telegraphing the breath.
4. Flow & rhythm: Let phrases sit slightly behind the beat in the solo; nudge on top for “We’re off to see...” so the energy lifts.
5. Accents: Lean on setup words before punchlines - it makes the joke land without shouting.
6. Ensemble & doubles: When Dorothy joins, match vowel shape and release - same “ee” in “see” or it will smear.
7. Mic craft: Work close in the patter for warmth; pull back a touch for the chorus to avoid overloading transients.
8. Common pitfalls: Over-swinging the eighths, rushing the “because” stack, and dropping pitch on repeated phrases.
9. Practice materials: Use a swing metronome, a karaoke track at 120-124 BPM, and a lyrics-only script to rehearse patter pacing.

Additional Info

The 2011 stage adaptation kept this number essentially in its classic spot while threading new Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice material around it - a design choice that, according to Variety, emphasized spectacle without losing the story’s clean line. Cast lists confirm Paul Keating’s Scarecrow and Danielle Hope’s Dorothy across the Palladium run, and the album’s studio release framed their performances with radio-ready polish. For context, Harold Arlen’s estate materials note MGM hired Arlen and E. Y. Harburg in 1938 to build the original film score - the DNA that still carries this track. And if you want a taste of the live snap, West End Live footage shows the same patter-and-skip chemistry on an outdoor stage.

Sources: Wikipedia, Playbill, Variety, CastAlbums.org, Apple Music, Spotify, Discogs, Harold Arlen official site.