You Were Meant For Me - Music and the Fictive Dream

Introduction

One of my favorite childhood movies is called Singin' In the Rain, a brilliant Hollywood musical that was released in 1952 and directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. It tells the story of how the introduction of sound changed the film industry, which "made plenty of new stars while destroying many established ones" (Pfeiffer 1). Actor Don Lockwood, played by Gene Kelly, falls in love with a woman named Kathy (Debbie Reynolds), hurting the feelings and pride of his co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). Lina has an infamously pitchy voice, which is not good for the changing times. As Don deals with the love triangle he has created, he must also find a way for his first audible movie to be a great success. 

Partway through the movie, Don promises to say what is on his heart to Kathy. He demands that they need the proper setting, so he takes Kathy to an empty stage and creates the moment of a glowing sunset. Don pours his heart out into a song called "You Were Meant For Me," originally written by Nacio Herb Brown and and Arthur Freed in 1929. "Nature patterned you, and when she was done, you were all the sweet things rolled up in one," he sings. This song represents a turning point in the story, as Don and Kathy had started off with a rocky relationship just days before. However, they quickly realize how sweet their chemistry is and decide to forget about their first impressions of one another. 

"You Were Meant For Me" is a soft, romantic song that conveys a feeling of new love. It is almost cautious in such a way that the singer does not want to scare his lover away. Gene Kelly does a splendid job in singing the song gently, with a sweet, colorful timbre in his voice. Perhaps, if a sunset could become a song, it would become this song. The melody is simple but meaningful, and seems to tiptoe across itself with the accompanying instruments. And, though there are not very many words sang in this song, they are all quite impactful and applicable to the story itself. 

I'm not sure that this song is meant to convey a larger message to the rest of the world. It is a simple song that proclaims Don's love to Kathy in this particular story. However, the setting of this song in the movie is intended to entertain the audience by showing how the producers of a movie go about creating scenes. The sunset is, of course, not real, rather it is a painted backdrop. The moonlight that Don points toward Kathy is just a large, glowing stage light. He turns on a fan to create an evening breeze--the list goes on. While the audience can see that they are on a stage, there are a few intentional moments in this scene that look as though Don and Kathy are truly standing together outside as the sun goes down. 

It is movies like these that make me think I was born in the wrong era, but I am truly thankful for an opportunity to experience a part of those years again through Singin' In the Rain.

Sources

Pfeiffer, Lee. “Singin’ in the Rain | Plot, Cast, Crew, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Jan. 2010, www.britannica.com/topic/Singin-in-the-Rain-film-1952.

“‘You Were Meant for Me’ (Song) and the Myth of Entertainment in Singin’ in the Rain.” Gene Kelly Fans, www.genekellyfans.com/articles/you-were-meant-for-me-and-the-myth-of-entertainment-in-singin-in-the-rain.

Wikipedia. “You Were Meant for Me (Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown Song).” Wikipedia, 4 Oct. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Were_Meant_for_Me_(Arthur_Freed_and_Nacio_Herb_Brown_song).