The Little Shop of Horrors (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the official soundtrack to the 1986 film.
About[]
The album was originally released on CD, cassette tape, vinyl record, and it's now available digitally. Several singles were issued, including two different remixes of "Dentist" ("Edit" and "Dub") and at least three variations of "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space."
In addition to outright omitting "Suppertime II" and Miles Goodman's orchestral score, there are drastic musical and lyrical deviations in every song except "Da-Doo." The reprise of "Somewhere That's Green" was not included in the theatrical cut and would have seemed out of place on the album, but they included a severely truncated chorus version of "Don't Feed the Plants."
Robby Merkin, who orchestrated the original Off-Broadway production, pulled double, triple and quadruple duty, receiving a variety of credits on the album and overseeing the production in England.
Lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken were tied up with other projects and had no direct involvement. Menken was taken aback when Miles Goodman was nominated for a "best original score" Golden Globe, and he made it a point to compose future film and TV scores for his works,[1] though (like director Frank Oz himself) Menken was not asked to participate in the creation of "The Director's Cut."
At least three additional songs were recorded for use in the film but have never seen the light of day: "Your Day Begins Tonight", "Crystal, Ronnette & Chiffon" (each composed and recorded for potential use during the end credits), and Levi Stubbs' rendition of "Bad" (which was replaced by "Mean Green Mother" after the film's production was well underway). Additionally, a radically different version of "Some Fun Now" was recorded by the cast as a demo, and other demos may exist for "A Salute to Vegetables" and "Thundercrash"[2] (which was ultimately replaced by "Some Fun Now").
Deviations[]
In addition to omitting Suppertime II and the (originally deleted) reprise of Somewhere That's Green, virtually every song deviates from the versions featured in the film. Here's a rundown of the notable differences:
- Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors) begins with ominous narration by Bill Mitchell, as opposed to the comical narration by Stan Jones that opens the film.
- It's Michelle Weeks (Ronette) who sings the opening solo in Skid Row (Downtown) (leading to persistent rumors that she dubbed actress Bertice Reading in the film), Donny Gerrard sings most of the male lines, and there are other vocal inconsistencies throughout the song.
- Grow For Me has a shorter intro and is missing mid-section orchestrations where Seymour realizes that Twoey wants blood.
- Somewhere That's Green is missing the instrumental bridge during Audrey's fantasy sequence ( where she waters the plants, interacts with animated birds and hosts a Tupperware party). Additionally, Ellen Greene shot the monologue which is featured in the musical, but it only exists in the workprint.
- Some Fun Now includes additional verses ("Pop Quiz!") and the interlude features a calypso version of the melody from the Ya Never Know, which this song was derived from.
- Dentist! features different voices for the patients, some alternate takes from Steve Martin, and there's a different segue to the line "Oh, mama!" Additionally the alternate single edit includes sound FX, dialogue and the line "He's strictly a medical mess!," which is absent from all other versions of the song.
- Feed Me (Git It) is missing huge chunks of dialogue, as well as Audrey II's lines when Seymour begins to sing ("Lighten up," "Tell it to the marines," etc.).
- Suddenly, Seymour is missing the minute-long orchestral outro.
- Suppertime is shorter than the version in the film, the orchestration is a little different and it's missing many of the Greek chorus's continued insistences to "Come on, come on..."
- The Meek Shall Inherit begins with a different underscore and includes a lengthy midsection in which Seymour struggles with his newfound fame and debates with himself as to whether or not to destroy Audrey II. An elaborate fantasy sequence was shot to accompany this scene, but it was cut from the film.
- Mean Green Mother From Outerspace begins differently, features some different orchestrations, includes additional/alternate verses and ends similarly to the director's cut version.
- Finale (Don't Feed The Plants) is missing Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon's opening verses, as well as the expanded instrumental sequences which are included in the director's cut. It's hacked down to a 90 second track which just features the chorus.
Bootleg[]
In 2010, a "Complete Soundtrack & Score" was compiled in mp3 format and shared by a fan on a blog. The files quickly took on a life of their own, popping up on You Tube, torrents, file-sharing forums, Russian mp3 sites, etc. Bootleggers have also sold them on eBay, iOffer and elsewhere, presenting them as rare limited editions - but don't be fooled, as there has yet to be an official CD release which includes the score.
The album was created by mixing audio from the movie itself, the original DVD's isolated music track (which omits numerous lines), and additional verses featured on the soundtrack album. Also included are the reprise of Somewhere That's Green and the full version of Don't Feed the Plants, with sound lifted from the workprint sequence on the Special Edition DVD that was swiftly recalled in 1998. The track entitled "Seymour Proposes" wasn't included in the isolated music track, so it features the film's dialogue. Many of the edits are seamlessly cut between the DVD tracks, but due to the varying source quality, "Don't Feed the Plants" has some jarring edits, and a few of the CD mixes (most notably in "Mean Green Mother") can be picked out by those with a discerning ear.
Clocking in at 71:52, the bootleg runs roughly 33 minutes longer than the official release.
Track Listing[]
These are the songs that appear on the official soundtrack release. They are arranged in the same order that they appear in the film. On record/cassette, side 1 ends with "Dentist!" and side 2 opens with "Feed Me."
- Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors) (3:27)
- Skid Row (Downtown) (4:17)
- Da-Doo (1:24)
- Grow for Me (2:24)
- Somewhere That's Green (3:50)
- Some Fun Now (2:17)
- Dentist! (2:27)
- Feed Me (Git It!) (3:25)
- Suddenly, Seymour (3:27)
- Suppertime (2:04)
- The Meek Shall Inherit (3:21)
- Mean Green Mother From Outer Space (4:48)
- Finale (Don't Feed The Plants) (1:30)
These are the songs that appear on "The Complete Soundtrack & Score" bootleg.
- Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors) (03:51)
- Audrey's Theme (00:22)
- Skid Row (Downtown) (04:17)
- No Customers (00:16)
- Da-Doo intro (00:16)
- Da-Doo (01:23)
- Little Shop of Horrors (Instrumental) (00:46)
- Grow for Me (04:14)
- WSKID: Skid Row Radio (00:20)
- Weird Wink Wilkinson's Theme (00:07)
- Da-Doo Stinger (00:08)
- Somewhere That's Green (04:27)
- Some Fun Now (02:18)
- Dentist! (02:40)
- Seymour’s Alone? (00:48)
- Feed Me (Git It!) (05:16)
- Meating Orin (03:09)
- Suddenly, Seymour (04:28)
- Suppertime (03:22)
- The Meek Shall Inherit (03:19)
- Seymour Proposes (01:28)
- Suppertime II (03:55)
- Suddenly, Seymour (Reprise) (00:41)
- Somewhere That's Green (reprise) Intro (01:28)
- Somewhere That's Green (Reprise) (03:07)
- Seymour and the Vegetable (00:24)
- Mean Green Mother from Outer Space (05:20)
- Seymour Strikes Back (00:35)
- Don't Feed the Plants (06:30)
- Happy Ending/Little Shop of Horrors (reprise) (03:05)
Singles[]
In most countries, only one two-track single was released, featuring songs identical to the album cuts. However the USA and Canada had several singles, including alternate versions of two songs.
"Dentist (Edit)" is not (as one would presume) actually edited, it's a remix. There are some slightly different orchestrations, it includes sound effects, a lot of Bill Murray's dialogue, and the Greek chorus has an additional line declaring that "He's strictly a medical mess!"[3] "Dentist (Dub)" is an insturmental version of "Dentist (Edit). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO3Ru-EkLbo)
Radio edits of "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" were issued with different running times of 4:04 and 3:57. The 12" "X-Rated" version (a.k.a. the uncensored album version) begins with the album's prologue seguing into the song.[4]
With so many slight variations, the following list may not be complete.
USA[]
- Dentist! (Edit) (3:12) / Dentist! (Edit) (3:12)
- Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (Not Edited For Radio) (4:04) / Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (Edited For Radio) (4:04)
- Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (Radio Edit) (3:57) / Da-Doo (1:24)
- Suddenly, Seymour (3:27) / Finale (Don't Feed The Plants) (1:30)
- Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (with Prologue: X-Rated Version) (5:37) / Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (Edited for Radio)
Canada[]
- Dentist (3:12) / Dentist (Dub) (3:20)
- Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (4:04) / Da-Doo (1:24)
- Suddenly, Seymour (3:27) / Finale (Don't Feed The Plants) (1:30)
Europe / UK / Australia[]
- Dentist! (2:27) / Some Fun Now (2:17)
Credits[]
Main singers.
- Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors): Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Skid Row (Downtown): Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, Ellen Greene, Rick Moranis
- Da-Doo: Rick Moranis, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, The Do Wops
- Grow for Me: Rick Moranis, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Somewhere That's Green: Ellen Greene
- Some Fun Now: Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Dentist!: Steve Martin, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Feed Me (Git It): Levi Stubbs, Rick Moranis, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Suddenly Seymour: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Suppertime: Levi Stubbs, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Rick Moranis, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell
- Mean Green Mother From Outer Space: Levi Stubbs and Chorus
- Finale (Don't Feed the Plants): Chorus
Vocal Chorus.
- Lynn Davis
- Debra Dobkin
- Tommy Funderburk
- Siedah Garrett
- Donny Gerrard
- Jay Gruska
- Gene Morford
- Joe Pizzulo
- Julia Waters
- Luther Waters
- Maxine Waters
- Oren Waters
- Monalisa Young
Do-Wop singers.
- Nick Curtis
- Peter Beckett
- Alan Carvel
- Phil Nicholl
- Lindsay Benson
- Donny Gerrard
Character voices
- Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors): Bill Mitchell (Narration)
- Skid Row (Downtown): Donny Gerrard (All Bums and Italian Man)
- Skid Row (Downtown): Michelle Weeks (opening solo voice)
- Dentist!: Robby Merkin (Patient)
- Dentist!: Robert Billig (Patient)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Robby Merkin (Agent)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Frank Oz (Henchman #1 & #2)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Doreen Hermitage (Blonde Lady)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Robby Merkin (Creepy Assistant)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Bob Sessions (Ad Executive #1)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Stephen Hoye (Ad Executives #2 & #3)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Gary Martin (Chauffer)
- The Meek Shall Inherit: Bob Sherman (Agent)
The London Rythm Section crew.
- Robby Merkin: Piano
- Derek Austin: Synthesizers and keyboards
- Andy Pask: Bass
- Martin Kershaw: Guitar
- Barry Morgan: Drums and Percussion (Da-Doo, Grow for Me, Some Fun Now, and Suddenly Seymour)
- Tom Nichol: Drums
Additional musicians.
- Phil Shenale: Synthesizers on all songs
- Neil Stubenhaus: Bass (Somewhere That's Green)
- Dan Huff: Bottleneck Guitar and electric guitar on all songs
- Bobbye Hall Porter: Tambourine and conga
- Bob Gaudio: Synthesizers
- Robby Merkin: Synthesizers
Synclavier Programmers
- Phil Shenale
- Jonathan Sorrell
- Morgan Winters
- Greg Stuart
Thank yous.
- David Geffen
- Frank Oz
- Eric Angelson
- Tessa Billyeald
- Val Demeter
- Nancy Fogarty
- Bill Gilmore
- Jim Henrikson
- Paul Hitchcock
- Chris Kennedy
- Vicki Manning
- David Orton
- The Hollywood Sound Staff
- The Advision Limited Staff
Gallery[]
