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Song Dossier
Song Title: Meant To Be Yours
Composer/Lyricist: Kevin Murphy & Lawrence OKeefe
Show Title: Heathers

WORKING WITH LYRICS

1. FIND THE DINGS

Write your lyrics in sentence form without punctuation marks. Speak the lyric
and clap on each new impulse. Add a slash, checkmark, or period in between
each ding (beat).

Record your initial thoughts and reactions in the margins or within the text.

What sensory details (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) does the lyric
evoke?
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2. PARAPHRASE
Unknown Words or Phrases: Write the definitions below

Lyrics Paraphrase
Paraphrase the lyric in your own
words.
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3. LYRICS AS POETRY

Lyrics Observations
Write the lyrics in stanzas and add Record your observations in the right
your own punctuation so that it column.
makes sense to you.
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WORKING WITH MUSIC

4. INITIAL REACTIONS
My initial reactions to the music is that it is very jolting in the beginning. It has
a very hard driven beat. The music has a lot of dissonance and without lyrics it
leaves me very apprehensive. It has a glorified gloom to it. Also the music at
many parts sounds full of rage. I see red when I listen to the music.
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5. MUSIC AS SCRIPT
Using your musical knowledge, observe what the music says from a dramatic
perspective. What can you infer about character or dramatic circumstance
based on the following elements in your song? How can you justify the
composer and lyricists choices with your own behavioral choices?

Melody: (Repetition, scalar movement, or large intervals)

Clashing chords. Repetition of chords. Small interval.

Tempo:
Fast tempo. Driving tempo.

Rhythm:
Jolting, but consistent.

Accents:
Much of the song is accented

Dynamics:
Really impressive dynamics. Has multiple parts that tell the story in different
ways. Simple, yet complex in the actual music righting.

Key/Tonality:
Minor.

Key Changes:
One key change. There is a large shift of emotion, from pleading to
desperation.

Accompaniment:
Does a really good job at driving the story and supporting the lyrics.

Dissonance:
Lots of dissonance between higher chords on the piano and the lower bass
chords.
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6. ACTION SCORE
What is the character doing in each section and what changes? Create a chart
that reflects the characters actions in relation to the musical divisions
created by the composer.

Intro, Verse, Lyrics

A, B, C,
Rideout?

Verse (A) You chucked me out like I was trash,

For that you should be dead
But! But! But!
Then it hit me like a flash,
What if high school went away instead
Those assholes are the key!
Theyre keeping you away from me!
They made you blind, messed up your mind
But I can set you free!

You left me and I fell apart,

I punched the wall and cried
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Then I found you changed my heart and set loose all that
truthful shit inside!
And so I built a bomb
Tonight our school is Vietnam!
Lets guarantee theyll never see their senior prom!
Chorus (B) I was meant to be yours!
We were meant to be one!
Dont give up on me now!
Finish what weve begun!
I was mean to be yours!
Verse (A) So when the high school gym goes BOOM with everyone inside
Pchw! Pchw! Pchw!
In the rubble of their tomb
Well plant this note explaining why they died.
Verse? We, the students of Westerburg High
Will die. Our burnt bodies may finally get through
To you. Your society churns out slaves and blanks
No thanks. Signed the Students of Westerburg High
Goodbye.
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Verse (A) Well watch the smoke poor out the doors.
Bring marshmallows,
Well make smores!
We can smile and cuddle while the fire roars!
Chorus (B) I was meant to be yours!
We were meant to be one!
I cant make this alone!
Finish what weve begun!
I am all that you need!
You carved open my heart!
Cant just leave me to bleed!
Bridge (C) Veronica, open theopen the door, please
Veronica, open the door.
Veronica, can we not fight anymore
Please, can we not fight anymore
Veronica, sure, youre scared,
Ive been there. I can set you free!
Veronica, dont make me come in there!
Im gonna count to three!
(spoken) One! Two! Fuck it!
Rideout Please dont leave me alone
You were all I could trust
I cant do this alone
Still I will If I must
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Character in a JD is bitter, hurt, and alone, forced to deal with adult

Nutshell things as a child.
Dramatic Function This song is dramatic exposition for J.D. It allows
Veronica to discover what his true intentions are. Also
is JDs last plea to have Veronica join him or else shes
going down with the rest of her classmates.
Previous Action I have gotten all of my classmates to sign a petition,
which is actually a mass suicide note. Ive pieced
together my fathers explosives in to several bombs. I
have just arrived at Veronicas house and climbed
through her window.
Superobjective To get Veronica to cure his loneliness.
Song Objective I want to persuade Veronica into coming with me and
joining me in destroying the things that make our
world bad.
Ideal Outcome Veronica will come out of the closet and kiss me.
Stakes If I can kill all of my classmates, Veronica will never
cry again and I will be her hero.
Obstacles Internal: Self-Doubt
External: Veronica will not unlock her closet.
Tactics Punch, Plead, Beg, Scare, Guilt, Blame, Forgive,
Confess, Break, Destroy, Caress.
Relationship Veronica is who I am talking to. She is my ideal girl.
We have been magnetically drawn to each other. She is
the first person Ive trusted in a long time. She and I
have had sex. She and I have similar views on a lot of
things, or so I believe.
Environment Veronicas bedroom. Its not a very familiar
environment, however, I am too much in a mood to
care. I take command of the environment.
Pinch/Moment Veronica locks herself in her closet.
Before
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Arc Losing arc. However, in my final losing moment, I vow

to finish what I started and bomb the school.
Personalization This song is difficult to really put myself in, but if I
think of it as a love song, I can easily place myself in
that desperate for love and to be loved place.

PRODUCTION ANALYSIS
I. Production History
First Production Off-Broadway: March 31st, 2014-August 4th, 2014. 145
performances.
Composer Laurence OKeefe & Kevin Murphy
Lyricist Laurence OKeefe & Kevin Murphy
Librettist Laurence OKeefe & Kevin Murphy
Director Andy Flickman
Choreographer Marguerite Derricks
Original Cast Barrett Wilbert Weed, Ryan McCartan, Jessica Keenan
Wynn, Elle McLemore, Alice lee, Katie Ladner, Evan Todd,
Jon Eidson, Charissa Hogeland, Cait Fiarbanks, rachel
Flynn, Dustin Sullivan, Dan Domenech, AJ Meijer, Anthony
Crivello, Daniel Cooney, Michelle Duffy, Molly Hager,
Matthew Schatz
Significant Original source material was the film Heathers from
revivals, film 1988.
adaptations
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Critical Analysis Playbill: Deliciously, darkly funny, romantic and moving

Quotes Variety: One bright creative move was bringing the
murder victims back from the dead to sing and dance
and mouth off at Veronica and J.D. for pulling them out of
high school before they could graduate. And in song after
song, the scribes consistently come up with sharp lyrics,
many of the lines lifted directly from the movie, for the
characters deepest or most superficial thoughts.
EW: When the stage version gradually does break away
from its source, it does it in all the wrong ways: Veronica
and J.D. have a traditional love-ballad romance, which
undercuts the subtle moral tension of the original and
makes it a clear black-and-white division once J.D. goes
off the deep end.

II. Libretto Analysis

Date and Time The 1989-90 School Year.
Geographical Sherwood, Ohio
Information
Economic It was a substantial time of economic growth. It focuses
Environment on the upper middle class in suburban Ohio.
Political Many people are conservative, but this is a period of time
Environment when new ideas and open views are leaking into suburbia
across the nation.
Social The High School Environment is very cut throat. The
Environment popular kids and those who arent are very distinguished.
Cliques are very defined. You know who is cool and you
know who isnt.
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Synopsis Veronica Sawyer is brought into the Popular Clique of

girls, the Heathers, because of her brilliant signature
forging skills. Veronica meets JD who she begins to really
like, they both hold the same disdain for high school and
the current pop culture. Veronica fights with the head
Heather and to make it up to her she brews a hangover
cure. JD jokes by offering up Drain-o. The cups get
switched and Heather Chandler is killed. Veronica forges
her suicide note. This becomes a trend for the two and
causes suicide to become a trend, even past the ones
the faked, include Kurt & Ram. Veronica cant continue
and ends things with JD. To get her back, JD collects
signatures for a petition and then plants bombs under
the school gym. Veronica fakes her death to throw JD off,
who sneaks into her room to bring her to the bombing.
Then Veronica heads to the school to stop JD from
bombing the school. JD gets accidentally shot and
Veronica thinks she killed JD. Veronica moves the bomb to
the football field to save the school. JD shows up, fatally
wounded and offers his life to save Veronicas. After the
bomb goes off, the school gathers to see what happened.
Veronica takes Heather Chandlers scrunchy and Veronica
announces a call to arms to prevent what has happened
from ever happening again.
Meaning of the Heathers refers to the three Heathers that run
Title Westerberg High. Heather Chandler, Heather Mcnamara
and Heather Duke.
Idea of the Inner Beauty. But also provides a retrospective look at the
Musical/Message Teen Culture during the Late 1980s.

CHARACTER DISSECTION
I. Physical
Name Jason Dean. J.D.
Gender Male
Age 17
Assets Cunning, Smart.
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Flaws Bitter. Revengeful.

Vocal Profile In this song, in particular, he doesnt speak in his
normal pattern. He is choppy and often times doesnt
know what to say. Hes being driven by emotion. So this
matter of speech doesnt reflect his normal vocal
patterns.
Movement Profile Radiate.
Health In perfect physical health. Mental health is unstable.
Point of Vanity Hair
II. Social
Place of Birth Las Vegas, NV
Place of Residence Sherwood, Ohio. Just moved here in Late August, right
before the school year began.
Occupation Student
Income None
Education Senior in High School
Race White in the original, but can be ambiguous
Nationality American
Dialect/Diction I speak very articulately. Smarter than I let on, but my
vocabulary tells it all.
Class/Status Middle Class.
Place in Rebel
Community
What do the I'm a moody suburban rebel.
writers say about JD seeths
you? JD glares at his father with quiet fury
JD looks away, a little self conscious
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What others say Veronica: Baudelaire-quoting-badass

about the Heather C: Calls me Red-Dawn
character? Veronica: Im not strong like you
Veronica: Mostly hes aware, if sometimes too rock and
roll
Martha: Theres something off about that J.D.
Veronica: You dont understand right from wrong
Veronica: I let his anger fester and infect me
What the Hes damaged. Forget who you are fight pain with
character says more pain Happiness comes when everything numbs
about himself I love 7/11, its the one constant thing in my life. I was
alone. I was a frozen lake.
Private Life vs. Has a large private life. Doesnt like people to know too
Public Life much about him. Prefers to stay an outcast.
II. Psychological
Qualities Smart. Caring. Defensive. Protective. Strong. Cunning.
Witty. Funny. Thoughtful.
Philosophy of Life If you arent contributing to the world in a postive way,
why are you alive?
Exceptional He is incredibly cunning and smart.
Abilities
IQ 120 IQ
Center Gut/groin (willing) centered.
Amusements He burns ants with a magnifying glass. Hangs out in
7/11 often. Spends too much time alone.
Sex Life Has sex often. Hasnt meant anything until now with
Veronica.
Politics Not specified, but probably more liberal.
Moral Standards Low morals, however, believes that he is doing a service
to the world with everything he does.
Faith, Spirituality, Believes in God, heaven, and hell.
and Religion
Temperament Hot Headed when confused. Cool and Collected when in
situations he has time to think and plan.
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Biggest Dreams, To eliminate all the rotten people in the world with
Goals, and Veronica at my side.
Expectations
Disappointments Having Veronica walk out on me. Not having a father
who cares.
Fears, Phobias, Being alone.
Obsessions, Quirks
Catastrophic/ Watching his mother commit suicide by walking into a
Defining Life building her father was contracted to demolish two
Events minutes before it exploded. JD watched her wave from
the window right before it was detonated.