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

Song Overview

This track stitches Tin Man’s yearning solo to the jaunty road motif that propels Dorothy and friends toward the Emerald City. The melody and lyric come from Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg’s 1939 film score; the 2011 London Palladium production shaped a fresh orchestral sheen around them. On the album, Edward Baker-Duly (Tin Man) does the patter and croon; Danielle Hope (Dorothy) pops in for the balcony gag and the perky travel chorus. It’s brisk, bright, and exactly the sort of welcome that gets a house leaning forward.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Album cut from The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording) - Tin Man’s feature linking into the traveling chorus.
2. Performed by Edward Baker-Duly (Tin Man) with Danielle Hope (Dorothy); arranged within Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 2011 staging.
3. Music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E. Y. Harburg - classic film material framed by a modern West End pit.
4. Placement: Act I - after Dorothy meets the Tin Man, before the full foursome assembles.
5. This version favors clean diction, shiny percussion, and a tighter runtime compared with many stage renditions.

As theatre writing, it’s a sly two-step: a character soliloquy with light vaudeville wink, followed by a jaunty earworm that functions like narrative glue. The band keeps a clip in the hi-hat and pizzicato strings, while brass tag the punch lines. Baker-Duly leans into the “empty kettle” comic image without losing warmth; when the chorus hits, the groove turns bouncy and buoyant, perfect for scene traffic. According to cast-album listings, this track runs a taut two-plus minutes - long enough to land the Tin Man’s want, then get the plot moving again.

Creation History

The backbone is Arlen and Harburg’s 1939 number for Jack Haley’s Tin Man, here trimmed and tucked for stage pacing. The 2011 London production folded the tune into a relay structure - each companion gets their “If I Only…” turn, then everyone clicks into “We’re Off to See the Wizard.” The cast album was issued in May 2011 with Nigel Wright and Andrew Lloyd Webber overseeing the commercial recording. The show’s musical bill credited Arlen and Harburg for the original film songs, with additional material elsewhere by Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. A handful of West End Live clips from that season capture the exact staging DNA: crisp steps, playful mugging, and a road-song that doubles as scene-change engine.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Dorothy and the Scarecrow stumble on a rusted figure. Once oiled, the Tin Man reveals what he lacks and what he imagines he could feel if he were whole. He dreams of tenderness, art, and a Romeo-and-Juliet balcony. Then Dorothy steers them back to the task at hand, and the familiar traveling chorus snaps into place - because the Wizard might fix everything.

Song Meaning

It’s a classic want-song in comic dress. The Tin Man doesn’t just crave a physical object; he craves permission to feel. The couplets sketch a fantasy self - kinder, gentler, “awful sentimental.” The chorus shifts the emotional air from yearning to momentum. On record you can hear the tonal pivot: the orchestration drops the wistful rubato for a jaunty strut, matching the story’s next beat.

Style and arrangement

Think music-hall swing folded into family-musical polish. The tempo sits in a moderate-bright pocket; woodwinds chatter between lines; brass underline the jokes. The reprise hook is pure forward motion - the kind of rhythmic leash you can lead a scene with.

Key Facts

• Artist: Edward Baker-Duly (Tin Man) with Danielle Hope (Dorothy)
• Composer: Harold Arlen
• Lyricist: E. Y. Harburg
• Producer (recording): Nigel Wright; Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: May 9, 2011
• Album: The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording) - track 10
• Label: The Really Useful Group licensing via Decca/UMG platforms
• Genre: Musicals - classic film song in modern stage arrangement
• Length: 2:18
• Instruments: orchestra with strings, woodwinds, brass, rhythm section
• Mood: sprightly, yearning, then jaunty
• Language: English
• Music style: list-song turns into road-song; patter elements with bright orchestration
• Poetic meter: conversational anapest with trochaic snaps on end-rhymes

Canonical Entities & Relations

Questions and Answers

Where does this number land in Act I?

Just after Dorothy and Scarecrow meet the Tin Man; the trio then kicks into “We’re Off to See the Wizard.”

What’s distinct about the 2011 album arrangement?

It trims fat, spotlights crisp diction, and segues quickly into the traveling hook - efficient, actor-friendly, and scene-smart.

Who sings on the commercial track?

Edward Baker-Duly as the Tin Man, with Danielle Hope chiming in as Dorothy on the balcony gag and the road chorus.

Is this a new song from 2011?

No. It’s the classic Arlen/Harburg piece from 1939, newly staged and recorded by the 2011 company.

Why does the Romeo balcony bit appear?

It’s comic shorthand for the Tin Man’s romantic imagination - his fantasy of feeling “awful sentimental.”

How fast is it?

Often marked around a moderate-bright 120-ish for the solo, with the road chorus in the low-to-mid 130s depending on production tempo.

What voice type fits Tin Man here?

Baritone-tenor comfort zone, sitting around the middle register with occasional lifts - friendly for lyric baritones who like patter.

Does the recording feature the Scarecrow or Lion?

Not on this cut. They join on neighboring tracks and in live medleys; here the spotlight stays on Tin Man and Dorothy.

How does this track serve the album’s flow?

It tags character want, then switches to locomotion - a clean on-ramp into the journey stretch of Act I.

Any standout live document for reference?

Yes - West End Live clips from 2011 show the same relay structure and buoyant tempo fans know from the album.

Awards and Chart Positions

Production recognition: The 2011 London Palladium revival that generated this recording was nominated for Best Musical Revival at the 2012 Olivier Awards. No notable single-track chart action is documented for this cut.

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

Key & tempo: Original film sources cite Ab or F major across versions; stage scores often mark the solo “moderately, brightly” around 120 BPM, with the road chorus frequently near 130-135. Expect transpositions in licensed materials.

Vocal range: Typical Tin Man casting calls list Bb2-G4 as the working range - lyric baritone territory with conversational phrasing.

Step-by-step

1. Tempo: Set a steady moderate click. Keep rubato for the Romeo balcony aside, then lock the groove when the chorus enters.
2. Diction: Consonants sell the jokes - “empty kettle,” “awful sentimental.” Land rhyme tails cleanly without punching them flat.
3. Breath: Use quick, low breaths between couplets; save a fuller tank for the two long “because” chains in the chorus.
4. Flow & rhythm: Let the verses swing gently - it’s a soft-shoe feel. The chorus wants a light march, not a stomp.
5. Accents: Orchestrations will tag your buttons. Sit back on the beat until those brass pips; then place the punch line right on top.
6. Ensemble/doubles: If Dorothy joins you, match vowel shapes on “wizard” and “because.” Agree on where to lift in the “because, because…” chain.
7. Mic craft: Verse - closer, warm; chorus - step off a touch to avoid blasting the bounce. If unamplified, think “speak-sing, then spin.”
8. Pitfalls: Rushing the hook, swallowing final consonants, or turning the balcony bit into parody. Keep the heart - let the joke land itself.

Practice materials

Grab a licensed PVG or vocal score for the 2011 version, then a metronome track at 120 and 135. A live medley reference helps with ensemble timing. As stated in cast-album databases, this cut comes in just over two minutes - aim to tell the story without milking the bits.

Additional Info

For context, Paul Keating’s Scarecrow and David Ganly’s Lion complete the 2011 principal trio on adjacent tracks and in medleys; West End Live footage preserves the relay feel. Cast-album resources log the track ordering precisely - Tin Man’s piece is track 10, with the Scarecrow at 9 and Lion at 11. According to Playbill’s casting coverage at the time, Danielle Hope anchored Dorothy during the Palladium run, with Michael Crawford as the Wizard and Professor Marvel.

Sources: Wikipedia, CastAlbums.org, Official London Theatre, Spotify, Apple Music, Discogs, SongBPM, Tunebat, West End Live footage, Playbill.