Dr Horrible's Musical Commentary Song List
Songs from Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Commentary: The Musical
When Joss Whedon’s Internet sensation Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was released on DVD, it contained the usual DVD commentary in which cast and crew discussed the making of the film. What was less usual was the inclusion of Commentary: The Musical, sung by the original cast as well as the writers and producers.
“Commentary: The Musical” Styles and Influences
Like Dr Horrible, Commentary is rich with characteristically Whedon elements – subversion, irony, pop culture references galore and genre-crossing. The songs range from smoky juke-box number (“Ten Dollar Solo”) to rap (“Zack’s Rap”). While the lyrics are humorous, a few songs contain grains of thought-provoking truth: in “Heart (Broken)” Joss laments the making-of culture which dissects every tiny detail of a book or film, while “Nobody’s Asian in the Movies” is insightful. Some viewers noted that Whedon’s own show Firefly has been guilty of a lack of Asian cast, especially given its setting in an overtly Asian-influenced culture.
The Plot of Dr Horrible’s “Commentary: The Musical”
Unlike a regular commentary, the Commentary: The Musical songs do not directly interact with what appears on the screen except in a few brief instances. The musical, like Dr Horrible itself, is not through-sung but contains signficant dialogue between songs. This scripted dialogue pokes fun at the cast and crew of Dr Horrible – notably Nathan Fillion’s ego, Joss’ bleak outlook on life and Felicia Day’s ditziness. The Commentary opens with the gang cheerily and cheesily promising “the best musical commentary ever!”; however, as the songs progress jealousies and rivalries begin to emerge. A number of the film’s supporting cast, including Groupies One and Two, give their own perspective on the movie-making experience (“Ten Dollar Solo”, “Nobody Wants to Be Moist”, “It’s All About Me”), while Zack Whedon publically distances himself from Dr Horrible (“Zack’s Rap”).
A few songs are barely related to Dr Horrible at all. “Strike” is a bittersweet song discussing the Hollywood writer’s strike; “Ninja Ropes” is about a game some of the cast and crew played during filming.
After “Heart (Broken)”, the mounting tension culminates with the entire cast and crew leaving the recording studio except for Neil Patrick Harris. Delighted to finally get his solo, Harris launches into a virtuoso one-man song (“Neil’s Turn”), but realises he cannot do the Commentary alone. Fortunately the cast and crew return, miraculously restored to harmony, just in time to perform an upbeat reprise of the Commentary theme song as Dr Horrible finishes. Lastly, Groupie Number 3 sings “Steve’s Song” over the credits.
The Songs From “Commentary: The Musical”
- Track 1 – Commentary
- Track 2 – Strike
- Track 3 – Ten Dollar Solo
- Track 4 – I’m Better
- Track 5 – All About the Art
- Track 6 – Zack’s Rap
- Track 7 – Nobody Wants to Be Moist
- Track 8 – Ninja Ropes
- Track 9 – It’s All About Me
- Track 10 – Nobody’s Asian In the Movies
- Track 11 – Heart (Broken)
- Track 12 – Neil’s Turn
- Track 13 – Commentary (Reprise)
- Track 14 – Steve’s Song
Nathon Fillion at a Dr Horrible Screening
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