Shucked Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

"Shucked (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" Description

Questions and Answers

When did the Shucked cast album drop?

Digitally on May 5, 2023, with a CD release on June 9, 2023.

Is there an official soundtrack for the London premiere?

No separate London album; the 2023 Original Broadway Cast Recording is the canonical release used for most productions.

Which number became the breakout showstopper?

“Independently Owned” (Lulu’s anthem) — critics repeatedly singled it out during Broadway and the 2025 London run.

Did Shucked win any major awards connected to performances on the album?

Yes. Alex Newell won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, widely associated with their performance of “Independently Owned.”

Where did the musical go after Broadway?

A North American tour launched in October 2024 (continuing into 2026), followed by a UK premiere at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from May 10 to June 14, 2025.

Is a film version happening?

Yes. A feature adaptation is in development with Mandalay Pictures; bookwriter Robert Horn is set to write the screenplay.

Notes & Trivia

• The album was produced by Jason Howland, Billy Jay Stein, Shane McAnally, and Brandy Clark; the label is Sony Masterworks Broadway.
• “Independently Owned” quickly became the signature clip shared in TV spots and awards-night montages.
• The show’s roots trace back to a long-gestating project that evolved into a country-pop Broadway score.
• Broadway ran at the Nederlander Theatre from April 4, 2023 to January 14, 2024; the cast album preserves that company’s sound.
• UK premiere casting in 2025 included Sophie McShera (Maizy), Ben Joyce (Beau), and Georgina Onuorah (Lulu) — the album’s arrangements guided the London bandbook.
• On tour (2024–26), orchestrations stayed true to the album but a few lyrics and transitions were tweaked for venues on the road.
• A film adaptation is in development — good news for soundtrack completists.

Overview

How do you make a Broadway album smell like fresh-cut fields and still snap like a New York punchline? Shucked answers with a barn-raising of tight harmonies, steel-string bite, and joke-forward storytelling. The Original Broadway Cast Recording captures a bright, banjo-and-fiddle–flecked palette that treats country idioms as pop hooks, not pastiche. It’s slick where it needs to be and delightfully front-porch when it doesn’t.

The record mirrors the show’s “farm-to-fable” arc: a corn crisis in Cob County sends Maizy out of her comfort zone and drags a city con-man into town. You hear it in the sequencing: triumphant ensemble openers, confessional ballads that stall (then soften) stubborn hearts, and a mid-album showstopper that steals breath and a few Tonys-adjacent headlines (as reported by Entertainment Weekly). The result? A cast album you can spin cold and still follow the story beats, even without the sight gags and corny puns ricocheting around the theater.

Genres & Themes

• Contemporary country-pop ? emotional plainspokenness; melodies ride conversational lyrics to keep punchlines crisp.
• Bluegrass textures (fiddle/banjo/mandolin) ? small-town kinship; quick-picking underscores community hustle and teamwork.
• Power-ballad sheen ? personal resolve; when Maizy or Beau level up, the guitars widen and drums square off.
• Honky-tonk swing ? comic mischief; rhythm-section bounce signals a peanut-gallery zinger is incoming.

Key Tracks & Scenes

“Independently Owned” — Lulu
Where it plays: Lulu plants her flag as Cob County’s self-sufficient entrepreneur; diegetic vibe bleeds into full show-band blast.
Why it matters: Character thesis song and the album’s breakout moment; brass and belt sell radical self-reliance with a wink.

“Walls” — Maizy
Where it plays: Maizy wrestles with leaving home to save the corn; a quiet decision blossoms into motion.
Why it matters: The intimate vocal places us inside her doubt-to-drive pivot; a textbook Act I “I want” that the album renders with glossy warmth.

“OK” — Beau
Where it plays: Beau admits heartbreak he’s been pretending not to feel; reflective, non-diegetic ballad.
Why it matters: A soft-country confessional that humanizes stubbornness; the arrangement opens into catharsis on the final chorus.

“Bad” — Gordy & Company
Where it plays: The con-man’s swagger introduction; rhythmic groove, sly backup vocals, city-slicker energy.
Why it matters: Establishes the outside-world vibe that will clash (and then blend) with Cob County’s sound.

“Maybe Love” — Maizy
Where it plays: Late-Act I revelation; strings and pedal tones nudge her toward emotional honesty.
Why it matters: The album’s romantic centerpiece, balancing sincerity with the show’s irreverence.

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• When the corn blight hits, the ensemble opener sets a communal pulse — a sonic promise that “town first” will drive every choice.
• Maizy’s jump from “Walls” to “Travelin’ Song” moves the harmonic center from homey I–IV–V comfort to brisk modulations, mirroring the leap from Cob County to the “big city.”
• Lulu’s “Independently Owned” reframes the love plot: the groove says she doesn’t need romance to complete her — any coupling must meet her tempo.
• Beau’s “OK” is the mask drop; stripped arrangement ? stripped pride. By the final chorus, he’s musically aligned with Maizy again.
• Gordy’s patter and the band’s slick syncopation flag his outsider status until the finale stitches his motif into the town’s instrumentation.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Music & lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally; book by Robert Horn; direction by Jack O’Brien. Orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision by Jason Howland (also a producer on the album). Electronic music design by Billy Jay Stein. The OBCR sessions aimed to preserve the Broadway pit’s acoustic twang — fiddle, mandolin, guitar — while framing vocals with pop clarity. (as reported by Playbill)

Cast continuity: The album stars the original Broadway principals whose interpretations shaped later stagings — a throughline you can hear echoed on the North American tour (2024–26) and the 2025 London premiere.

What changed later? Minor lyric/transition tweaks surfaced on tour; London’s orchestral forces followed the OBCR blueprint with UK musicians, keeping the same groove-forward mix.

Reception & Quotes

The Broadway opening (April 4, 2023) drew upbeat notices for joke density and performances; London’s Open Air Theatre (May 10–June 14, 2025) again praised the ensemble and crowned “Independently Owned” the night’s roof-raiser (according to the Financial Times). Alex Newell’s Tony win in 2023 became a milestone moment often tied to the album’s most replayed track.

“A cute new musical with a corn-fed sense of humor… it’ll probably put a smile on your face.” Entertainment Weekly

“Supremely silly… thrives on charm, clever wordplay, and a spirited ensemble.” Financial Times

“Escapist, corny romp… catchy score and engaging performances.” Times Union (Albany)

Technical Info

• Title: Shucked (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Year: 2023
• Type: Cast album (digital & CD)
• Composers/Lyricists: Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally
• Book: Robert Horn (show credit)
• Music Supervision/Orchestrations/Arrangements: Jason Howland
• Album Producers: Jason Howland, Billy Jay Stein, Shane McAnally, Brandy Clark
• Label: Sony Masterworks Broadway
• Broadway run: Nederlander Theatre — Apr 4, 2023 to Jan 14, 2024
• After Broadway: North American tour launched Oct 2024; London premiere at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre ran May 10–Jun 14, 2025
• Notable placements (stage moments mirrored on album): “Independently Owned,” “Walls,” “OK,” “Bad,” “Maybe Love”
• Film adaptation: In development at Mandalay Pictures; screenplay by Robert Horn
• Availability: Streaming on major platforms; CD in print

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Playbill; Masterworks Broadway; IBDB; Entertainment Weekly; The Guardian; Financial Times; Official Shucked site; Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Times Union (Albany).