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Glitter and Be Gay Text
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© 2025 AllMusicals.com
Leonard Bernstein
If there is one Broadway song that personifies vivacity, vocal virtuosity, and exuberance, it is surely this one. And, indeed, some may recognize the melody of the over-the-top song for coloratura soprano (think of the young Barbara Cook or Madeline Kahn), “Glitter and Be Gay,” from its use as a theme for the Dick Cavett television show. Candide was originally conceived by Broadway legend, Lillian Hellman, who chose Bernstein for the music. He worked with a gaggle of lyricists, including James Agee, Dorothy Parker, and others, before they arrived at the final version.
Had I remained
Beside my lady mother,
My virtue had remained unstained
Until my maiden hand was gained
By some Grand Duke or other.
Ah, 'twas not to be;
Harsh necessity
Brought me to this gilded cage.
Born to higher things,
Here I droop my wings,
Ah! Singing of a sorrow nothing can assuage.
And yet of course I rather like to revel,
Ha ha!
I have no strong objection to champagne,
Ha ha!
My wardrobe is expensive as the devil,
Ha ha!
Perhaps it is ignoble to complain...
Enough, enough
Of being basely tearful!
I'll show my noble stuff
By being bright and cheerful!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Enough!
I'll take their diamond necklace
And show my noble stuff
By being gay and reckless!
Ha ha ha ha ha! Voltaire’s Cunégonde rarely laughs; Wilbur’s revels because she must.
Leonard Bernstein rarely wrote an easy bar, and his coloratura showpiece “Glitter and Be Gay” proves it—five-plus minutes of aerial acrobatics masquerading as cabaret sparkle.
Premiering on New Year’s Eve 1956 in the operetta-turned-Broadway-romp Candide, the aria asks Cunegonde (Barbara Cook) to juggle satire, self-pity, and diamond-drunk glee. Ha!
Pearls and ruby rings...
Ah, how can worldly things
Take the place of honor lost?
Can they compensate
For my fallen state,
Purchased as they were at such an awful cost?
Bracelets...lavalieres
Can they dry my tears?
Can they blind my eyes to shame?
Can the brightest brooch
Shield me from reproach?
Can the purest diamond purify my name?
And yet of course these trinkets are endearing,
Ha ha!
I'm oh, so glad my sapphire is a star,
Ha ha!
I rather like a twenty-carat earring,
Ha ha!
If I'm not pure, at least my jewels are!
Enough!
Cook’s diction sharpens on consonants—pearls, ruby—like light bouncing off cut gems.
The tempo ratchets up; high-wire coloratura runs scale to a high E-flat on “name,” then pirouette through triplet laughter. Enough!
I'll take their diamond necklace
And show my noble stuff
By being gay and reckless!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Ha!
Observe how bravely I conceal
The dreadful, dreadful shame I feel.
Ha ha ha ha! Song: Glitter And Be Gay. Broadway musical soundtrack lyrics. Had I remained
Beside my lady mother,
My virtue had remained unstained
Until my maiden hand was gained
By some Grand Duke or other.
Ah, 'twas not to be;
Harsh necessity
Brought me to this gilded cage.
Born to higher things,
Here I droop my wings,
Ah!
Singing of a sorrow nothing can assuage.
And yet of course I rather like to revel,
Ha ha!
I have no strong objection to champagne,
Ha ha!
My wardrobe is expensive as the devil,
Ha ha!
Perhaps it is ignoble to complain...
Enough, enough
Of being basely tearful!
I'll show my noble stuff
By being bright and cheerful!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
The iconic laugh motif—twenty-plus “Ha!”s fired like confetti cannons—lampoons polite Parisian laughter even as it dares the soprano to keep rhythmic control.
“Forced to bend my soul / To a sordid role / Victimized by bitter circumstance”
Notice the descending chromatic bass under “sordid role”; Bernstein paints moral slippage one half-step at a time.
“Pearls and ruby rings—ah, how can worldly things / Take the place of honor lost?”
Here the orchestra thins to harp and solo violin.
Ha!
Pearls and ruby rings...
Ah, how can worldly things
Take the place of honor lost?
Can they compensate
For my fallen state,
Purchased as they were at such an awful cost?
Bracelets...lavalieres
Can they dry my tears?
Can they blind my eyes to shame?
Can the brightest brooch
Shield me from reproach?
Can the purest diamond purify my name?
And yet of course these trinkets are endearing,
Ha ha!
I'm oh, so glad my sapphire is a star,
Ha ha!
I rather like a twenty-carat earring,
Ha ha!
If I'm not pure, at least my jewels are!
Enough!
E. Runyan
© 2025 William E. Runyan
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Glitter and be gay,
That's the part I play;
Here I am in Paris, France,
Forced to bend my soul
To a sordid role,
Victimized by bitter, bitter circumstance.
Alas for me!
By curtain call, nobody doubts why “Glitter and Be Gay” Lyrics enjoy legendary status in soprano audition rooms—and nightmare status in their neighbors’ apartments.
Voltaire’s Cunegonde has survived war, piracy, and serial “rescues” that land her in gilded captivity as a Parisian courtesan.
Ha!
Pearls and ruby rings...
Ah, how can worldly things
Take the place of honor lost?
Can they compensate
For my fallen state,
Purchased as they were at such an awful cost?
Bracelets...lavalieres
Can they dry my tears?
Can they blind my eyes to shame?
Can the brightest brooch
Shield me from reproach?
Can the purest diamond purify my name?
And yet of course these trinkets are endearing,
Ha ha!
I'm oh, so glad my sapphire is a star,
Ha ha!
I rather like a twenty-carat earring,
Ha ha!
If I'm not pure, at least my jewels are!
Enough!