Wicked Little Town
Encyclopedia
"Wicked Little Town" is a song from the off-Broadway musical
, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
and the subsequent film adaptation
. Composed by Stephen Trask
, the song is a poetic reflection on the doomed love between two of the characters, Hedwig and Tommy Gnosis.
to Tommy, while in the film, she sings a low-fi version of the song to Tommy when they meet in a donut shop, and later in the film, a full, Rock ballad reprise
version was created for Tommy to sing to Hedwig. After his relationship with Hedwig was revealed, with his career as a rock icon imploding, Tommy sings that he is sorry for how much he has hurt Hedwig, that he never understood she was "more than a woman or a man" and that now he finally sees how much he took from her by stealing her songs. He also tells her that her ideas about soulmates and cosmic destiny are preventing her from moving on ("Maybe there's nothing up in the sky but air...") and then, wishing her well, he slips away into the darkness, leaving Hedwig in tears.
It is notable that a line in the song, "If you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice" is literally played out in the story, as Hedwig stalks Tommy around the country from concert to concert, "following his voice." It could also be said that Tommy followed Hedwig's voice, given his hero worship
of her, his taking on the Tommy Gnosis persona
she devised, and his theft of her songs.
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by an East German transgender singer. The text is by John Cameron Mitchell, and the music and lyrics are by Stephen Trask. The musical premiered in 1998 and has been performed throughout the world in hundreds...
and the subsequent film adaptation
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film based on the stage musical of the same title about a fictional rock band fronted by an East German transgender singer. The film was adapted and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, who also portrayed the title role...
. Composed by Stephen Trask
Stephen Trask
Stephen Trask is an American musician and composer, who graduated from Wesleyan University.He was the music director and house band member at the New York club Squeezebox, where he performed with stars such as Debbie Harry, Lene Lovich and Joey Ramone.Trask composed the music and lyrics for the...
, the song is a poetic reflection on the doomed love between two of the characters, Hedwig and Tommy Gnosis.
Summary and context
The original song is basically about a person who falls in love with someone in a wicked town that seems to be impossible to escape. In the story of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hedwig sings the tune as a love songLove song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
to Tommy, while in the film, she sings a low-fi version of the song to Tommy when they meet in a donut shop, and later in the film, a full, Rock ballad reprise
Reprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
version was created for Tommy to sing to Hedwig. After his relationship with Hedwig was revealed, with his career as a rock icon imploding, Tommy sings that he is sorry for how much he has hurt Hedwig, that he never understood she was "more than a woman or a man" and that now he finally sees how much he took from her by stealing her songs. He also tells her that her ideas about soulmates and cosmic destiny are preventing her from moving on ("Maybe there's nothing up in the sky but air...") and then, wishing her well, he slips away into the darkness, leaving Hedwig in tears.
It is notable that a line in the song, "If you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice" is literally played out in the story, as Hedwig stalks Tommy around the country from concert to concert, "following his voice." It could also be said that Tommy followed Hedwig's voice, given his hero worship
Hero worship
Hero worship is defined as the foolish or excessive adulation for an individual. In Wikipedia, you may be searching for:*Hero Worship , an album released by Sandra Bernhard*Hero Worship...
of her, his taking on the Tommy Gnosis persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
she devised, and his theft of her songs.
Covers
- The Hi-Fi Version (sung by Tommy Gnosis)
- Ben JelenBen JelenBen Jelen is a Scottish-born American singer-songwriter who plays the piano, violin, and guitar. He has lived in Scotland, England, Texas, New Jersey and New York. His career has been characterized by near-stardom, with his debut album, Give It All Away peaking at #113 on the Billboard 200 list...
in his album "Give It All AwayGive It All AwayGive It All Away is the debut album by Scottish-American singer Ben Jelen released in 2004 via Maverick Records.The lead single, "Come On", peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart and failed to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, despite Jelen being featured on TRL in January 2004...
"
- Ben Jelen
- The Lo-Fi Version (sung by Hedwig)
- Soft Charisma in the album "Life Inside The Robot Man"