Theatre
By Numbers
The Book Of Mormon By Numbers: Every song in the stage musical
Here’s your breakdown of every song on The Book Of Mormon soundtrack
Nine Tonys and four Oliviers don’t lie – The Book Of Mormon has been one of the most beloved shows on the West End for over a decade. Written by the creators of South Park, it’s suitably irreverent, but expert in the line it walks between shocking and endearing. Nothing is sacred at the Prince of Wales Theatre, but those willing to brave the flames are in for a sharp, funny take on religion, love and what it means to believe. If you want to prepare yourself beforehand – or to check that you definitely heard what you think you heard – here’s your guide to every song in the stage musical of The Book Of Mormon.
‘Hello!’
The Book Of Mormon opens by reinforcing the most widely-held Mormon stereotype – that of smiling, suited young men knocking on doors to regale people with stories of Jesus Christ. ‘Perfect’ Mormon Elder Price leads his fellow missionaries in a demonstration of how to cold call – but Elder Cunningham is having difficulty picking it up.
Key lyric: “Hello, my name is Elder Price, and I would like to share with you the most amazing book.”
‘Two By Two’
In ‘Two By Two’, the Mormons go into more detail about what a mission entails and what it means to them – Elder Price in particular is excited to find out where he is being sent and with who. As his friends are sent to Norway, France and Japan, he waits in anticipation for his assignment. He’s hoping to be sent to his favourite place in the world, Orlando, but to his disappointment finds himself off to Uganda with the less than perfect Elder Cunningham.
Key lyric: “Two by two, we’re marching door to door!/’Cause God loves Mormons and he wants some more!”
‘You And Me (But Mostly Me)’
A take on the classic ‘I want’ song, ‘You And Me (But Mostly Me)’ interpolates a little of Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’ for that showstopper effect. Unlike in ‘Defying Gravity’, where Elphaba asks for Glinda’s help before resigning herself to setting out on her own, Elder Price would quite like to be changing the world on his own. Still, he’s doing his best to be a good Mormon and work with his mission brother – so long as Elder Cunningham stays mostly out of his way.
Key lyric: [ELDER PRICE] “You and me, but mostly me/Are gonna change the world forever/’Cause I can do most anything”
[ELDER CUNNINGHAM] “And I can stand next to you and watch!
‘Hasa Diga Eebowai’
When Elders Price and Cunningham arrive in Uganda, they are antagonised by the local warlord before being welcomed to the village by Mafala Hatimbi. A parody of The Lion King’s ‘Hakuna Matata’, ‘Hasa Diga Eebowai’ spoofs the idea that people going through times of trouble can make themselves feel better by repeating a jaunty phrase, and as the Elders hear about the terrible living conditions in the village, it takes them a little too long to realise that ‘Hasa Diga Eebowai’ isn’t as friendly as it sounds…
Key lyric: “If you don’t like what we say/Try living here a couple days/Watch all your friends and family die/Hasa Diga Eebowai!”
‘Turn It Off’
Elder Price and Elder Cunningham meet their fellow missionaries stationed in the area, led by the disillusioned Elder McKinley. None of the other Mormons have been able to convert anyone to the church, but they advise Elder Price and Elder Cunningham that it’s best not to feel bad about this – it’s actually best not to feel any negative feelings at all. ‘Turn It Off’ tackles the Mormon practice of refusing to discuss the unpleasant aspects of life and suppressing ‘bad’ or complicated feelings in typical irreverent fashion.
Key lyric: “Turn it off/Like a light switch/Just go click/It’s a cool little Mormon trick!”
‘I Am Here For You’
Elder Cunningham’s unbridled optimism actually starts to win Elder Price over in this brief lullaby. Whilst trying to sing Elder Price to sleep and give him a pep talk all at once, Elder Cunninham points out that the failure of the other Mormons will only make Elder Price’s eventual victory so much more impressive – something that Elder Price likes hearing.
Key lyric: “Tomorrow’s a latter day”
‘All-American Prophet’
Elder Price begins teaching the village about Mormon beliefs, starting with Joseph Smith and how he unearthed the third section of God’s gospel. With Elder Cunningham assisting him, he describes how the Mormon people eventually ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This monologue is partly prompted by Price’s desire to show the villagers why the Mormon missionaries are different from the Christian missionaries they’ve met before. The song also serves as a way to roughly explain Mormonism to audiences who may not be familiar with it.
Key lyric: “Have you heard of the all-American prophet?”
‘Sal Tlay Ka Siti’
Mafala’s daughter Nabulungi, whilst hiding from the General as he threatens their village, fantasises about Price’s description of the promised land. She romanticises Salt Lake City based on very little information and states her intention to move there one day.
Key lyric: “Right on the next bus to paradise/Sal Tlay Ka Siti”
‘Man Up’
After witnessing extreme violence, Elder Price wants to abandon his mission and transfer to Utah, telling Elder Cunningham that he doesn’t want to work with him anymore. Crushed, Cunningham tells himself to ‘man up’ just like Jesus had to. Whilst Elder Price departs, Cunningham’s sticking power seems to be paying off already – Nabulungi has convinced the villagers to listen to what he has to say.
Key lyric: “Just like Jesus, I’m growing a pair”
‘Making Things Up Again’
As Act Two begins, we learn that in order to hold the attention of the villagers, Elder Cunningham has begun combining Mormon gospel with his favourite sci-fi and fantasy stories. His conscience begins to plague him in the form of his father, Joseph Smith and figures from Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars and his other favourite stories, but Cunningham reasons that if what he’s saying is helping people, the lies are justified.
Key lyric: “You’re making things up again, Arnold/You’re taking the holy word and adding fiction”
‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’
Elder Price is also plagued by guilt, but his is for leaving Uganda and asking to go to Orlando instead. His old childhood nightmares of hell return and he eventually decides that he needs to return to the mission he was originally assigned.
Key lyric: “Jesus hates you, this we know/For Jesus just told you so!”
‘I Believe’
Cunningham has managed to get several Ugandans interested in joining the church, but until the General can be convinced, no one will convert. Inspired by Cunningham’s success and reimbued with religious purpose, Elder Price decides to approach the General himself.
‘I Believe’ is a parody of ‘I Have Confidence’ from The Sound Of Music, in which Maria gives herself a pep talk before taking a position as governess to seven children – the irony being that “a warlord who shoots people in the face” is a slightly more legitimate reason to be afraid.
Key lyric: “Now I must be completely devout/I can’t have even one shred of doubt”
‘Baptize Me’
Meanwhile, Nabulungi asks to be baptized into the church. She and Elder Cunningham share a tender moment – the double entendres that follow probably don’t need further explanation…
Key lyric: “I’m about to do it for the first time/And I’m gonna do it with a girl”
‘I Am Africa’
Inspired by the recent successes, the other Mormon missionaries express how they feel that they have the spirit of Africa inside them – despite being still incredibly white, American and Mormon. The song also acts as a parody of African support songs sung by American and British musicians over the last few decades.
Key lyric: “Africans are African, but we are Africa”
‘Joseph Smith American Moses’
When the mission president comes to visit the village, the villagers perform the story of Joseph Smith as told to them by Elder Cunningham – with all its inaccuracies. The story they tell is absurd, but the song also demonstrates the genuine comfort and inspiration that the people find in Cunningham’s nonsense. Still, the mission leader is far from impressed.
Key lyric: “I got da golden plates/I gonna lead the people/We gotta stick together/We gotta help each other”
‘Tomorrow Is A Latter Day’
Nabulungi is heartbroken to realise the stories aren’t true, but the other villagers tell her that they always knew Cunningham’s tales were metaphors and not meant to be taken literally. Elder Price and Elder Cunningham decide to remain in Uganda and help the people there make it their paradise. They create their own branch of the religion – the show ends with Ugandan Elders handing out Cunningham’s ‘The Book Of Arnold’.
Key lyric: “We’re gonna be here for each other/Every step of the way/And make a latter day tomorrow!”
The Book of Mormon is now playing at the Prince of Wales Theatre – find tickets here
