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My Gen X Playlist: Stars – Les Miserable

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Daily writing prompt
What was the last live performance you saw?
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The last live performance I saw was Les Miserable late last year. As I mentioned in a prior post, this was my first musical I saw back in my college days and is still my favorite. I never did read the book, though. The 1,376 pages were a little intimidating back then. Hell, they’re intimidating now. At least with a musical, you become visually engrossed in the story, inspired by the music and the story is finished in a fraction of the time it takes to eventually turn that last page. So I vote for musicals. Today’s prompt is a good reminder to attend more live performances.

Stars is a wonderful song sung by the character Javert. Because he is the main antagonist in the story, I never would have imagined that his solo would be one of my favorites. But it is. It’s truly amazing.

There was an audition on Britain’s Got Talent that I caught on YouTube awhile back. The judges rolled their eyes when a group took the stage thinking they were just another wannabe boy band. It turns out these wannabes sang Les Miserable songs. Here’s Collabro’s audition of Stars. Simon Cowell’s before and after reactions are priceless. They eventually went on to win the entire competition. It just goes to show, never judge a 1,376 page book by its cover.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

[Javert:]
There, out in the darkness
A fugitive running
Fallen from God, fallen from grace
God be my witness
I never shall yield
Till we come face to face
Till we come face to face

He knows his way in the dark
But mine is the way of the Lord
Those who follow the path of the righteous
Shall have their reward
And if they fall as Lucifer fell
The flame, the sword

Stars, in your multitudes
Scarce to be counted
Filling the darkness with order and light
You are the sentinels
Silent and sure
Keeping watch in the night
Keeping watch in the night

You know your place in the sky
You hold your course and your aim
And each in your season returns and returns
And is always the same
And if you fall as Lucifer fell
You fall in flame

And so it must be
For so it is written
On the doorway to paradise
That those who falter and those who fall
Must pay the price

Lord let me find him
That I may see him
Safe behind bars
I will never rest
Till then, this I swear
This I swear by the stars!

[Gavroche:]
That inspector thinks he's something
But it's me who runs this town
And my theater never closes
And the curtain's never down
Trust Gavroche, have no fear
Don't you worry, auntie dear
You can always find me here

23 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Stars – Les Miserable”

  2. I’m not somewhere where I can listen to the songs right now and I haven’t seen the musical live but man I loved the movie with Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. So powerful!

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  3. I’m jealous! I’ve never been to Les Misérables live show. Maybe one day.
    I read the book in both French (when I was in high school) and in English (when I learned English).
    Victor Hugo is one of my favorite authors. I read some of his greatest novels.
    La Esmeralda is another wonderful story inspired by the 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.

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      1. You will enjoy reading the book. Although, some pages of the book seemed a little boring. Just because that’s Victor Hugo’s way of writing. He can describe a chair for example in ten pages. 😅

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      3. Don’t miss his powerful quotes. The book contains a plethora of powerful quotes that are truly remarkable. He was a wise man!

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  4. Stars is a great song. I too listened to this all through college. When a teacher had us do a lyrical analysis for our favorite songs, everyone else was doing Bohemian Rhapsody and Only the Good Die Young, and I was up there writing out the lyrics to A Little Fall of Rain on the blackboard. I felt like such an idiot, though now I think the girls in the class thought it was romantic. And then a couple years ago Les Mis done went and got popular. I did read the book, but I had to skip some of the longer history passages. Victor Hugo painted the picture I use on here for my WordPress-published novel The Peaceful and Just. I don’t know where I found it and I hope it’s in the public domain. It should be.

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    1. All the music is so good. That’s another good one. Gotta give you props for choosing that song. And yes, I’m sure the girls thought so, so it may have been worth it. I’ll check out your WordPress picture. Very cool you used VH painting

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  6. Great post – Simon Cowell’s before and after reactions are ALWAYS priceless! Linda xox

    (PS I remember singing Les Mis songs as a tween and my mother always being flustered… and then one day I got older and figured out I was impersonating a lady of the night (with gusto!))

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  7. So I’m not a fan of most musical theater, but this one is amazing. I did read the book( at least I think I did) and really could not umagine how it could be a musical. Then I saw it.
    There was a kid in my daughters class who sang the role of Javair and did an unbelievable job. He went on to sing and act on broadway(he really was that talented) great choice of a topic. I enjoyed the Simon Cowel clip also!

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    1. I was fortunate that this was my first musical. If I saw something else, I probably wouldn’t be open to see anything else.

      Pretty amazing the kid went off yo broadway. I think it’s cool when someone follows their dream and makes it. Gives hope for others to follow.

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  8. We saw Les Miserables in London on a vacation there many years ago. Pretty amazing show.

    1,376 pages… whoa… I’m reading a historical book that’s about 600, and I’ve had to renew it at the library several times!

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