By Jan Wahl–
It lives in my head. At least once a day it ventures out with my voice singing the perfect opening lyric, its power evident as it continues to open my soul. Suddenly, the air is cleaner, the sky is bluer, and my heart is full of joy.
The genius Jerry Herman wrote the words and the music for “I Am What I Am.” It is from the Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles, and it has become an anthem for the LBGTQ community and for many others now who are fighting a system of prejudice or hate. This is a powerful song, and reminds us of how music can alter our perceptions and inspire us … if only for the moment.
“You can’t sing a Jerry Herman song without being filled with optimism and hope,” Jason Graae, the superb singer of Jerry’s songs, told me for the San Francisco Bay Times as he was talking about a show he just did for 42nd Street Moon titled Perfect Hermanysaluting Jerry and his shows (Mame, La Cage, Aux Folles, Hello Dolly, Mack and Mabel, and The Grand Tour among others).
Jason agreed with me that there is a trio of geniuses who wrote both the words and the music to some of our greatest music: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Jerry Herman. Yes, I know there are others, but let’s concentrate on these brilliant guys who gave us so much.
I met Jason when we took a cruise with the great man celebrating his 75th birthday. Jerry was kind and sensitive with everyone. This was about ten years ago, and Jerry wanted everyone on this big ship to know he was HIV positive. “Here’s this famous man,” says Jason, “and he wanted people to be aware that, during La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway, many young men died from AIDS. This was early in the days of the disease, and Jerry received experimental treatment almost from the beginning. I met Jerry on a tour we did together in 2000, and he was frail, but defiant, and still full of that special joy. Play or sing one of his songs, and he became the energizer bunny, excited and ready to go.”
Strong women are part of the Jerry Herman world, from Dolly Levi to Mame Dennis to Mabel Norman. Jason agrees and said, “Jerry loved women. His mother would open the window every morning of his boyhood and sing out, ‘It’s today!’ That, of course, became a number in Mame. Our mothers brought Jerry and I together—his mother a pianist and music teacher, my own mother a chorus girl. Jerry was supported and nurtured by his mother from an early age. My mom was hoping my passion for dancing would go from ballet to jazz (she thought that was a bit more butch).”
Jason continued, “My mother was ebullient, delightfully judgmental. Jerry’s women are also, with a great sense of survival. ‘I Am What I Am’ is the mother lode of all anthems. It is defiant, full of pride and rage. It’s visceral for me to sing, not about being the victim but about who we are, our own inventions and beauty. It was a gay anthem and still is, but also for anyone who thinks outside the box, a beautiful love song to ourselves.”
The other day I watched Jason sing and perform “Before the Parade Passes By” from Jerry’s Hello Dolly. I had tears in my eyes when I got done dancing to it. My own amazing mother used this song to help her through being a young widow with three children, looking for a way to survive on her own. As Jason said, it is optimistic and defiant. She used this song as a personal anthem the rest of her life.
You can’t get a couple of show queens like Jason and I together without going into rapture about great musicals. If the younger folk out there don’t know musicals, we decided on a few you should start with: Funny Girl, That’s Entertainment Parts One to Three, The Music Man, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Singin’ in the Rain. Those are just a few ideas! For more inspiration, check out Jason’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/mhtbnmn7
When a song lives in you, it is special and important. Find your own tune and celebrate yourself!
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian, film critic on various broadcast outlets, and has her own YouTube channel series, “Jan Wahl Showbiz.” She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com
Published on May 20, 2021
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