Theatre
By Numbers
Six The Musical By Numbers: Every song in the stage musical
Here’s your breakdown of every song on the Six soundtrack
It’s all about the numbers in Six. The former wives of Henry VIII aren’t just delivering a history lesson, but a pop concert, each getting a turn in the spotlight to tell her story. They’re the girl group history never saw coming. If you want to get to grips with the soundtrack before seeing the show, or you’ve got one – or all – of the songs firmly lodged in your brain, we’ve got you covered. Here’s your breakdown of every song in Six the musical.
Ex-Wives
No Way
Don’t Lose Ur Head
Heart of Stone
Haus of Holbein
Get Down
All You Wanna Do
I Don’t Need Your Love
Six
‘Ex-Wives’
Playing on the popular rhyme used to remember the fates of each of Henry VIII’s wives, the six women decide to take their stories to their own hands and prove that they’re more than just their endings. They introduce the premise of the show, then each individually offers a small preview of their own numbers and stories.
For history fans, there are plenty of Easter eggs to listen out for in the music and the lyrics, in both this opening number and the rest of the show. You may notice that the old English folk song ‘Greensleeves’ is woven into the mix – it’s a common myth that Henry VIII composed the song for his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
Key lyric: “So I picked up a pen and a microphone/History’s about to get overthrown”
‘No Way’
The first of the solos is this forceful number from Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife. It explores her refusal to grant him an annulment after he decided he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. The song references Henry’s assertion that his marriage to Catherine – and specifically her fertility – was cursed because of her previous five-month marriage to his brother Arthur. Catherine counters by pointing out that she has given birth to Henry’s child already – their daughter Mary.
The slow section towards the end of the song references the Legatine Court in which Catherine knelt in front of Henry, asserting her loyalty and asking him to name a way in which she had been anything less than a good wife. The music than ramps up to a furious conclusion, mirroring the way in which the real-life Catherine stormed out of the court, declaring them impartial.
Key lyric: “If you think for a moment/I’d grant you annulment/Just hold up, there’s n-n-n-n-n-n-no way”
‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’
Anne Boleyn goes next, her cutesy, British-pop style solo reminiscent of Lily Allen, in stark contrast to Catherine. She sings about her early flirtations with Henry, and declares that the whole situation quickly got away from her – through no fault of her own, she maintains. Everyone just needs to calm down.
The track references Anne’s unpopularity amongst the British public, Henry’s creation of the C of E, and the infidelity on both sides of the marriage – which of course had more severe consequences for her than for him.
Key lyric: “Sorry not sorry ‘bout what I said/I’m just tryna have some fun”
‘Heart of Stone’
Jane Seymour, who claims to be the only wife Henry truly loved, takes the stage now. Her power ballad tells an imperfect love story, a genuine affection between the two of them disrupted by her illness and untimely death. She knows, however, that Henry’s love is fickle, and could disappear if it wasn’t for their son, Edward, who is his pride and joy. Despite all the ups and downs of her relationship with Henry, Jane’s love at least is constant.
Jane Seymour was engaged to Henry just a day after Anne’s execution. Luckily, Anne is still generous enough to sing backing vocals on this number.
Key lyric: “You came my way/And I knew a storm could come too/You’d lift me high, or let me fall”
‘Haus of Holbein’
The solos are broken up with another group number, and we’re transported to the house of Hans Holbein the Younger. Holbein was a famous painter of portraits, responsible for painting many members of Henry’s court, Jane Seymour, and Henry himself. His most infamous portrait though, as we’re about to discover, is one of Anne of Cleves. On the strength of this painting, Henry agreed to marry Anne – and then was horrified when Anne herself arrived. He claimed she looked nothing like her picture.
Key lyric: “Hans Holbein goes around the world/Painting all of the beautiful girls”
‘Get Down’
As Anne of Cleeve brags in her solo, she actually didn’t do too badly out of her very brief marriage to Henry. He made a sizable settlement on her, and because she complied with the divorce without complaint, he even made her an honorary member of the royal family, sometimes referring to her as his sister. She certainly seems to consider herself the luckiest of all of them, enjoying her riches, palace and acres of land.
The song also interpolates another popular children’s rhyme. “I’m the queen of the castle, get down you dirty rascal,” sings Anne. “Get down!” she orders, as the beat drops. ‘Get Down’ also includes references to songs by other artists, including Beyoncé and Kanye West.
Key lyric: “You, you said that I tricked ya/Cos I, I didn’t look like my profile picture”
‘All You Wanna Do’
It’s Katherine Howard’s turn now. She’s very aware of her effect on men – but as the song continues, she starts to realise that perhaps she isn’t the one with the power. ‘All You Wanna Do’ details her rumoured love affairs with older men, beginning from the time she was thirteen – and how none of them end particularly well for her. Of course, none are more disastrous than her relationship with Henry – she’s the second ‘beheaded’ in the famous rhyme. A ‘friendship’ with Henry’s associate Thomas Culpeper is what ultimately leads to her execution.
‘All You Wanna Do’ sounds very much like a parody of a Britney Spears song. The comparison is appropriate – Spears ‘sex appeal’ was also discussed long before she was old enough to have any such thing.
Key lyric: “All you wanna do baby/Is touch me, when will enough be enough, see?”
‘I Don’t Need Your Love’
Finally, Henry’s sixth wife takes centre stage. Catherine Parr is the one who saw Henry buried, and is defined by that fact. In ‘I Don’t Need Your Love’, she addresses the first part of the song to Thomas Seymour, who she most likely wanted to marry instead of Henry – and did marry after Henry died. Her song asserts that she doesn’t want to be defined by her romantic connections – marriage is a matter of survival, but there’s far more to her than that.
Key lyric: “It’s not what went down in history/But tonight I’m singing this for me”
‘Six’
The song’s closing number playfully imagines what might have happened if the women hadn’t married Henry, and had instead had other options available to them. In this alternate version of history, they band together to form a girl group, and perform to their adoring crowd.
Key lyric: “Too many years lost in history/We’re free to take our crowning glory/For five more minutes”
Six The Musical is currently playing at the Vaudeville Theatre – find your tickets here
