Seasons of Love
from RENT
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
Measure a year
Last May, my sister Sheila was kind enough to take my 14-year old daughter 'A' to see the Broadway show RENT. Little did she know, she was turning my daughter into a “RENT-head.”
For some reason, RENT really speaks to adolescent girls and gay-adolescent boys. I’m not really sure why, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the show’s rebellious spirit, and the fact that the characters are trying to find themselves in a world that doesn’t seem to understand them. I do know that 'A' is obsessed with this show, and the rest of the family is paying the price.
'A' constantly wants us to watch the RENT DVD, and she seems perplexed that the rest of the family doesn’t share her enthusiasm for the show. The soundtrack regularly blares from her upstairs bedroom and she constantly plays it on her Ipod when she’s doing her homework. She even has the “Seasons of Love” song set as her ring tone on her cell phone.
Our 12-year-old daughter 'C' doesn't share her sister’s RENT passion. In fact, she calls her sister a geek for liking it. She says that she's sick of living in a house surrounded by the show’s omnipresent soundtrack and shakes her head in disgust whenever she hears its music playing.
The other morning I drove 'C' to school. When I turned the key in the ignition we heard:
"FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED MINUTES”
'C' screamed from the backseat “For the love of God, turn that stupid song off.” A few minutes later I inadvertently started humming the same tune. 'C' sighed, patted my baldhead and said, “You poor…poor man.”
I must admit, the soundtrack is now ingrained in my brain. Just yesterday, I was getting ready for work and I started singing the show’s title song:
“How we gonna pay, how we gonna pay, how we gonna pay… last years rent?”
“I know,” answered 'C', “We can sell 'A's “CDs and DVDs.”
'A' will be 15 next month. You’ll never guess where she wants to go on her birthday…
