ughhwhyyyyyy

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Lets Run Away Together🎶

This song is actually my favorite in the album, it’s just so fun to sing. However, like Falling Apart, this song is also pretty straight forward about its message, so I kind of felt like there wasn't anything new about the characters to uncover fr. But like Falling Apart, I tried to find something anyway, and I think I did.

just like how Mad is obsessed with putting together a story for The Gaze, Hel also is obsessed with putting together a story for the gaze. Now the gaze that Hel caters to is stretching into whoever might be following Madeline’s “tragic end” but before this, Hel’s “The Gaze” was just Mad

Ernest’s “ah…” is very funny to me

Hel mpreg lover

The “lalala”’s are a peek into Hel’s childish sona she’s hiding with all this red bravado

something i JUST found, in the very very beginning of this song, the lower part under the violins play the leitmotif from Falling Apart, you gotta listen closely for it

this song is A LOT more disjunct and chaotic than That Was Then, This is Now

^ It’s incredibly fast paced and erratic, whereas That Was Then, This is Now is more grounded and walking pace. I mean, it’s comparatively more grounded, there were definitely hints to Hel’s obsession at that point in the musical.

^ I just love the insanity from the violins

at some point during her murder plot explanation, she starts to sound like a pharmaceutical commercial listing sound effects and it’s extremely amusing to me

She sounds extremely witchy hitting those last notes on “away” i love it

Anyway, to go back to this song compared to That Was Then, This Is Now, that song is almost entirely opposite to Let’s Run Away Together. They're very similar to how For The Gaze and Falling Apart are opposites in displaying Mad’s journey. Both songs show Hel and Mad's tumultuous relationship from Hel's perspective and how she uses Ernest to get to Mad, along with hinting at her mental instability, but in Let’s Run Away Together all of that is waayyy less subtle.

The melody in Let’s Run Away Together jumps back and forth often?? i guess?? it's constantly jumping up and down, whereas That Was Then, This Is Now’s melody was always building toward something or resolving itself

Even the difference in the very beginning of each song is jarring. With the swinging flute(? idk wind instruments) and languid cello, That Was Then, This Is Now’s had such a breezy, easy going intro. To cut from that to the tense, shrill violins that introduce Let's Run Away Together is a MASSIVE jump, it perfectly emphasizes the difference in Hel's character

The first few times I listened to this song I didn’t even realize there were verses and a chorus, I kinda just thought their wasn’t any structure to add to the chaos, but I think this adds to the song. There's an assumption that because Hel has gone crazy she is no longer capable of rational thought, and being that this song represents her mental state at this point in the story it appears to be structureless, but none of this is really the case. Everything Hel goes through in this song seems chaotic and insane but there is some reason in the madness. There is a reason why she’s been pushed to this point, and she has created a step-by-step plan to eliminate her target. Even though she’s insane, there is some amount of rationale in her thinking, just liker there is some amount of structure in this song. (or maybe this structure was more obvious to others idk my thoughts are subjective)

Also, this song completely disregards Ernest. That Was Then, This Is Now was a lot more emotionally sincere and appreciative of Ernest, and even though you could tell he was kind of taking the backseat to Hel and Mad’s whole thing, it still felt like he meant something to Hel. This song completely pushed him to the side so they could focus on killing Mad, it’s so tragic for him

This one's a litt;e shorter just cause its reinforcing some stuff we already learned about Hel earlier in the musical, but I had fun going over this one anyway

i love love love this song and i love hel sm

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

The thing is madeline n helen both have issues with self-worth and self-image. Helen just displays it more traditionally while madeline behaves in a self-aggrandising manner to overcompensate. No one craves external validation and accolades that much without feeling an unhealthy need to prove something

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

something that just clicked for me,

in That Was Then, This Is Now, Hel sings “and I finally feel whole”

funny

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

madhel i drew last week <3

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

oh absolutely. she seems the type to make out w a girl to get a guys attention only to realize she actually likes kissing girls

I THINK that "for the gaze" is actually madeline being a dirty awful rainbow capitalist

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Madhel Headcannons Pt. II:

Somehow Madeline is the better driver. Helen has a lead foot, a speed demon in disguise. To be clear, they are both TERRIBLE drivers

Madeline fake faints at any given moment (“it’s acting practice!” “Mad this is the library”) and Helen *attempts* to catch her…there have been plenty of accidents

Staring contests. LONG staring contests, they don’t need to blink.

When Madeline wins an award it’s like there’s a new addition in the household. “Mad where did my bedside lamp go,” “let’s focus on my Tony.”

The Barbie movie WRECKED Madeline. Something about seeing a perfect blonde doll choosing to age and be human realllly got to her. Helen wasn’t peachy keen either, but Mad? Mad was inconsolable, though maybe that was because she didn’t book the part either

In their immortality, they’ve both gone through many hobbies and crafts. Some have been more successful than others. Madeline is actually a decent oil painter and Helen crotchets at the speed of light.

Helen is the queen of night owls. Three a.m., a fresh cuppa, and her laptop and it’s a GO

They (mostly Madeline) are constantly researching and browsing new spray paints like a makeup catalogue. “This one is such wonderful rouge with a lovely eggshell finish!”

Madeline owns ZERO denim

Reverse psychology via Helen if anything has to get done ever

You better believe Madeline’s vanity wins over her pride, as in she still has her Razzie awards (though they are buried in the depths of her closet)

Whenever she gets new damage, Madeline insists Helen needs to kiss it and make it better, “Mad you can’t feel anything you’re dead - and you know it’s not gonna heal, there is no making it better” “Just give me the attention Hel”

“Helen, Hel, Helen, Helen, Helly, Helen, Hel’s Bells, Helen, Helen, Hel-“ “What Mad?!” “Hi” (this happens several times a day)

Madeline had a degree in hogging the covers, not because she can even get cold, but she likes the fluffiness

Their coffee orders are as follows: Madeline with a iced strawberry frappe with extra whipped cream. Helen with black tea no sugar cream or a chai latte with oat milk

Speaking off, Helen? Yearns for dairy. So so so should not have dairy.

After everything that…happened Madeline has a healthy fear of staircases and lightning (it has spread to bad omens) and Helen has a…distaste for umbrellas.

Madeline. Pouting. Need I say more?

Back to driving, Madeline was borne to be a passenger princess, forced to be the primary driver. After Helen hit her 70th curb and dented Mad’s car…her chauffeuring days are over.

It’s tradition that after they visit their graves, they have a “memorial meal” and yap about old times

Remember Helens little cutie beret (dumb hat according to Mad)?? There’s a collection of little dumb hats, including a velvet cloche one Mad had a custom made for her

Cats. A long haired Persian, a sphinx that looks like raw chicken (both picked out by Mad) and a little black cat Helen found in a dumpster, chiding Mads initial distaste with, “you two should get along, similar homes and all”

The consistent back and forth of a kiss followed by “Hel you smudged my paint!!” “Whoopsie”

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

this reminded me of Mad

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

hey just looked up what a cpap machine is, why would Hel date someone who didn’t want her to be able breath while she slept ?? how many guys has she dated that required that she didn’t wear her cpap machine??? ?

That Was Then, This Is Now🎶

I love this song as a narrative device, I think it’s expertly crafted to give enough exposition to the audience in one hit while still having details for later re-listens that enrich the experience further. A lot of the songs in this musical pull this off well, but I’m talking about this one right now

This song is basically about how Hel’s just as obsessed with Mad’s gaze as Mad is w her gaze

The song starts with the main melody from the introductory score in the movie; this is so interesting to me, especially since I didn’t really recognize any other parts of the score in the musical when I rewatched the movie. I think Helen gets this melody because she’s the one who constantly pushes the plot forward: she takes ernest to the show, she’s the first to get the potion, she tries to steal Ernest and kill Mad, she actually does kill Mad. She’s the key ingredient moving the plot, and everyone else is kind of just reacting to her actions. That’s why i believe she gets this melody.

“Now I’m healed, even keeled now that Ernest Menville’s found me” Now that she’s got patriarchal validation that she and Mad both crave respectively, she thinks that she’s now on even footing w mad in terms of success. The same way For The Gaze is not a love song to the audience, this song is not really a love song to Ernest. Ernest is a tool for her to get even with Mad, she doesn’t actually care for him, she just likes how docile he is in her perpetual fight with the real love of her life.

^“That was then, this is now” really means Hel didn’t have the same validation before, but now that she’s does and has successfully made mad jealous she thinks things are different. They are not. She’s still stuck in the same cycle

Music theory thing I wanna point out: on the lines, “I love you, you’re my person forever and always in true” it seems like this is the point of the phrase, their love for each other, because Hel and Ernest sing this part together and the notes build upward toward “true,” which implies that this is where the emphasis is. But Hel keeps going up with “she’ll choke” and finally resolves with “when she sees how loved i am by you.” This just emphasizes that the entire point of their relationship is to get a rise out of Mad, not that they actually just love each other

I saw @disguised-as-a-flamingo point this out here and I wanna expand maybe: Ernest is not really that good of a partner according to this song, or at the very least doesn’t seem to know how to be a partner to Helen. “You don’t care that I give up on dreams ‘cause im too scared to try […] that I spend most my life chasing friends who forget that I’m there.” He doesn’t encourage her toward her goals, which— it isn’t his job to be her life coach, but he could probably encourage her to get a life coach. He could encourage her to stay away from Madeline, but he doesn’t. Hel appreciates this because she wants to keep Mad in her life. That’s why she thinks he’s her person, because he doesn’t challenge the insanity that is her relationship with Mad. He just sits there silently watching her cannibalize herself for Madeline’s attention. And he lacks the agency and self respect necessary to see himself out of this ridiculous situation which is why he’s “perfect” for Helen. All she requires from him is his presence, and he gives it to her and not much else other than that. He is actually willing to sit there and ignore Mad and Hel’s toxicity, and she loves him for it.

Also something I love, on the line, “that I spend most my life chasing friends who forget that I’m there,” the sound of a church bell rings out when she sings “there,” like a funeral bell I take this to foreshadow that chasing Mad leads to her death (or it could be a wedding bell bc she and Mad end up together forever in the end, either work really)

Something that took me a while to realize, after she sings “and Helen Sharp will never be the same,” the melody from If You Want Perfection plays in the respective major key for this song and I think that’s so cool I love it

I like that the creators broke up this scene from the movie into two separate scenes so this song could establish Hel’s character. Originally, Ernest was already enchanted by Madeline in her wardrobe, but that doesn’t happen in the musical until Tell Me, Ernest. It’s just nice because now we get a clear understanding of Hel’s goals and her relationships with Ernest and Mad from her perspective. Smart narrative choice

I also love how this song functions as Hel’s “I want” song. It seems like Hel has what she wants already, as she already has Ernest who gives her the confidence she desires and she gets to see Mad jealous, so an “I want” song seems unnecessary for her atp. But it’s like she turns this into an “I want” song because of how insatiable she is for Mad’s attention. The story could’ve ended here because she already got what she wanted: Mad’s attention and envy, and Ernest just being there ig. But she keeps pushing anyway.

I just wanted to point out a few things I noticed and like about this song. This song had to grow on me at first tbh and I love it now. I love Hel she is my blorbo or whatever she’s insane she just like me fr

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Falling Apart🎶

I wasn’t really planning on doing an analysis for this song just because it’s pretty straight forward and if I felt like if I did one I’d just be explaining the plot, but I’ll try anyway. I have an overall goal for these analyses, I’m trying to put a puzzle together, so I can’t really afford to leave any stone unturned

This song is almost opposite from For The Gaze in numerous ways

Main difference is For The Gaze was Mad at her highest, this is Mad at her lowest

Both songs are very showy, but this one is more despairing and dramatic, whereas For The Gaze is dazzling and captivating

The melodies feel opposite, For The Gaze has a more languid and ascending melody and Falling Apart has a melody that constantly spirals and descends

And since we’re talking about melody, the main melody in this song kind of reminds me of flight of a bumblebee

Also she starts this song with more people on stage than when she ends, emphasizing her loneliness, and For The Gaze has her alone on stage in the beginning and ends with the company surrounding her

This song isn’t nearly as structured and layered as For The Gaze, which I think contributes to why I didn’t even think it necessary to analyze in the first place. There are multiple times in this song where Mad doesn’t even finish her thought, it’s very scrambled and messy. It’s all just very chaotic and its message is very clear the moment the song starts. It isn’t a strategically layered show tune, it’s a panic attack.

Somewhere in the middle of the song, Mad lays out the life she always saw for herself, which included

someone to hold at night while her husband sleeps downstairs

the kind of fame that makes you scared to go outside

sassy butler who’s on call

tiny gowns (because she’s small)

and that sweet enchanting feeling of knowing that everything she did made Helen jealous

And the last thing piqued my interest because it sounds kind of familiar. Everything she did? Just like how “everything [she does] is for The Gaze”? So that basically confirmed for me that Hel is a part of The Gaze that Mad caters to, something I’ve already alluded to in previous analyses.

Anyway, besides that, Madeline had lived this exact life!! There really isn’t any reason for her to be upset right now because she got what she wanted. But she’s still upset because she knows it isn’t going to last forever. She hasn’t really changed much as a person, yet her body continues to decay. The only signs of her maturation are physical, there isn’t much going on mentally. And instead of actually being mature for once finding solace in her unavoidable demise, she tries to fix her physical maturity.

Clearly Mad cannot handle change. I think she’s convinced that change beneath her, as she thinks she’s too perfect for change. Especially since she’s found what will keep The Gaze on her, why would she want to change and risk The Gaze losing interest? She isn't the problem-- her body is the problem. Beating a dead horse always works when it keeps spitting out money.

But in this song she’s having to come to the realization that she’s not perfect and she will change. And change causes the whole show for The Gaze to fall apart.

Her narcissism also really comes out in this song obvi. Her visceral reaction to be compared to a mother, her panic at someone other than her having the spotlight for once, and her unwillingness to accept that she’s not gonna be young and “perfect” forever. This is one of her most genuine moments in the whole musical and it’s genuine because her mask has kind of been forcibly ripped off.

Beyond all this though, I think I'm finally sinking my teeth into something madhel related. Everyone keeps talking about their relationship like Mad's feelings for Hel are in the forefront of her consciousness. I think it's more likely that Mad is actually so attracted to Hel that she's viewed her as competition and kept her attraction so deeply suppressed that it became unrecognizable to her.

You know how it's stereotyped that a guy will try to impress a girl to the extent of showing her up at something she's good at just so she'd recognize him? I think that's what Mad has been doing to Hel for 20 years. And I think the second Hel does better than her at-- idk being hot?? she thinks that Hel won't be as interested in her because she won't be as impressive anymore.

The more of these songs I fall into the deeper the rabbit hole appears to be, i fear i will be the one falling apart soon

Also, she falls down the stairs

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

​The only person permitted to disagree with her is Hel and that’s because she thinks it’s hot

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

ougughuhhh my shaylaaa

why do all my shaylas die

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Because if Mad is one thing, she is theatric

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Madeline Ashton has donated $2,000,000 to the LGBTQIA+ community.

"Let me in!” the two-time Oscar-nominated actress exclaims. “I hope they make it more contagious!”

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Madeline🎶

this’ll be a shorter one, but why not. This is the lowest point Helen reaches in the story so it’s important I cover it

First of all, this song is creepy as hell

^ Off the bat I’ll risk being “too woke” to establish that this song does contribute to negative stereotypes of those experiencing mental health issues. However I think it’s also our responsibility as audience members to be media literate and try to understand what the artist was trying to say about the character without letting it affect how we treat the people around us. So with all that out of the way, I’m now gonna literate some media

^ I think the creepy tone is less about making the audience scared of Hel and more about conveying her anxiety and paranoia related to Mad. Madeline has effectively taken everything from Hel, pushed her past her breaking point, and now it’s like Hel is constantly in this state of waiting for when Mad will next strike to take something else from her.

Her voice is no longer as full (throaty) and confident as it once was, now it’s all whispery and childish representing how completely vulnerable she is after Mad took everything from her. It’s like Mad completely stripped her down into a childish husk

^ I really like the emphasis that the vocal change brings, especially because of how much character Hel’s regular voice has in it (aagagah i love Jennifer Simard vocal portrayal of her)

There is something to be said about the fact that Madeline has the ability to affect anyone this intensely (psusy so good she gave me psychotic distress) crazy in love ig. I could definitely see this boasting Mad’s pride even higher (and who even knew that was possible)

Also the psychiatrist helping her kinda sucks. Like, Hel isn’t gonna immediately let go of her obsession, that’s not how obsession works duhh. But her doctor gets really impatient with her for regressing. I’m not a medical or psychiatric professional, but I can recognize when a person is being treated poorly by their doctor://

I feel like this song really emphasizes how toxic their relationship is and that these two seriously need to be far away from each other. But they’re otp ig :/

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

DBH Song Analyses Masterpost

since it’s a series now

The girls

For The Gaze

That Was Then, This Is Now

Madeline Ashton’s Intimate Wedding Extravaganza

Madeline

Falling Apart

Let’s Run Away Together

Confrontation/Hit Me

Alive Forever

misc.

Ernest? Menville??

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

DBH: Truly for the gays...

lemme just ramble for a sec...

Madeline didn't lie when she said this show is for the gays.

The original film is iconic in its own light, and is already loved by like- every gay person to walk the earth. Its legendary leading ladies, the dark glamour aesthetic, the horror twist that remains comedic and catty; I could go on forever.

BUT THIS MUSICAL-

Like- just starting with the aesthetics, it is jaw-dropping. A stereotypically flamboyant display of feathers, sequins, rhinestones and beads; some of the best costuming I have ever seen. Then the sets- oh god the sets... Lit to absolute perfection; the space is transformed so amazingly behind that ostentatious purple curtain. And we cant forget the wigs. Ohhhh the wigs! Voluminous, bouncy, quaffed to absolute perfection. These women are in full drag from opening number to the curtain call. Its amazing. It is everything you could expect with the source material in mind, and then some.

But where it gets even better is the plot. I mean- its just a tad gayer... The original film is iconic and gay on its own, but not for the same reasons as the musical. The Broadway plot undeniably leans into romantic undertones between Helen and Madeline which level up the whole thing. It remains true to the reasons queer people resonated with the original horror-comedy, while leaving enough subtext for the audience members who resonate with WLW tropes to get something new from it as well. Nothing from the source material is lost, and it is just as funny, witty and charming as it started. It is just tweaked to be loved by all different types of people, all for the sake of laughter and a love for Broadway.

Its just really beautiful to me that it has become something meaningful to queer people far and wide. I am a gay guy, and I could go on about everything that this musical does for me, but the best part is that my reasons for loving it can be totally different than what does it for the next person, and so on. A movie that our community resonated with for reasons unintentional year after year, now has become something that so many find representative of their queer identity in endless ways.

Weather it inspires your inner diva, scratches the itch for fashion and glamour, or maybe you just find the pretty ladies hot, its a reminder that being gay can mean a lot of things, and all of them can find somewhere safe in Death Becomes Her.

Sorry I am really gay and love this show so fucking much. Probs will delete later cuz I cringed myself out reading this back.

[ughhwhyyyyyy]

Madeline Ashton’s Intimate Wedding Extravaganza ( and a lil bit of Ernest’s Real Vows)🎶

This scene?song? is hilarious and completely packed with character development it’s so so good I’m gonna talk abt this one today. Warning tho I went a little more crazy w this one

I'll go over the more silly stuff first

the amount of passion in the singer’s voice when he sings “Hai catturato” has me dying laughing every time

I love the officiant’s voice

^I like how he emphasizes “til death” when asking Ernest, as if warning him like “keep in mind how long you’ll be with this woman for.”

^ “Madeline, do you take THIS 👉🏾👨🏻 man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” this kills me every time

All that aside tho, this scene has been so confusing for me to figure out specifically because determining Madeline’s goal for this wedding has been maddening pun intended. I think I figured it out tho??? idk I'm gonna walk you through my thought process so we're all on the same page

At first, I was just trying to analyze Mad’s vows just to figure out what she was saying, and initially landed on a very confusing conclusion

I thought it was interesting how Madeline’s vows and Luciano’s translation almost sound identical at first until you realize where the focus is in what each of them are saying. When Mad says, “I will take your hand to hold my heart” she puts the focus on the action of marrying Ernest, she acknowledges her choice and her control in the situation. But when Luciano translates this to “You hold my heart in your hands” the focus is more on what Mad is allowing Ernest to take from her. This is presumably the part that Mad doesn’t want to say out loud, that she’s giving something up to Ernest in marrying him. I took this to mean that she’s vowing to give him her vulnerability and acknowledging the fragility of it.

And THIS confused the SHIT out of me because why would Madeline Ashton give her vulnerability to Ernest Menville?? She doesn’t give a damn about that man???? She rewrote his vows into an advertisement!!!! So I had to back track a little and gave myself some questions.

What does this wedding mean for Madeline?

What does the opera singer really represent?

What does her "heart" represent?

and Why is she lying to Ernest??

The last question particularly stunned me, not because Mad is above lying to Ernest (she isn't), but because she seemingly has no reason to lie. Why would she promise her vulnerability to Ernest until death if his opinion generally speaking obviously doesn't matter to her? She isn't even honoring this promise in the moment! This whole wedding is for show!! Then I realized: she isn't giving her vows to Ernest, she's giving them to The Gaze.

I think the opera singer, Luciano, represents who Madeline is trying to become. This wedding, I believe, is Mad committing full time to The Gaze. So she isn't really lying to Ernest because she isn't even talking to him.

^ That’s why Mad sings her vows mostly to Luciano instead of Ernest. She’s not devoting herself to Ernest. She's really just committing herself to her desired version of herself. The "translation" is really just a way for her to exchange vows with herself.

^ I believe when she says "heart" its a little more literal than I was taking it. I think when they sing "I will take your hand to hold my heart/You hold my heart in my hands" they might actually be referring to the "heart" as simply their life force. She gives her heart to The Gaze, and promises to keep The Gaze on her alive.

Mad's vows, in this light, seem more like a part of the script she wrote to create the most romantic spectacle out of her wedding she possibly could. And Ernest's "lines" are very inconsequential to her, so she just turned them into an ad for script efficiency. And Luciano sings "I do" for Ernest, as if they're in a play and those are the next lines. It's like by marrying Mad, Ernest has become another actor in her show for the gaze.

So with all this in mind, when Hel comes in and interrupts the "show," it makes sense when Mad gets upset, because Hel is interrupting the show that Mad is putting on for her (among others), as she is a part of The Gaze that Mad caters to. It feels kind of like when a kid puts on a show for their parents and the dad gets too silly and interrupts, unintentionally upsetting the kid. (I'm NOT imposing a weird freudian thing on madhel btw!!! This is just the vibe I get)

And Ernest speaks his vows Mad wrote for him but sings his actual vows, showing the difference in his commitment to something he didn't come up with versus what he did. But I think I'll talk abt his stuff later, I'm fried rn. I talked abt it a little bit here.

my conclusion: they should have a picture of this girl in the next dsm