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Be Back Soon
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Wikipedia article
"'Be Back Soon'" is a song from the Tony Award-winning British musical 'Oliver!', and the 1968 Academy Award-winning film 'Oliver!' based on the 1838 novel 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens. The musical was penned by Lionel Bart, and was first shown in London's West End in 1960.
Background
The song is the last in Act I following on immediately after "I'd Do Anything" and is sung in Fagin's thieves' lair by Fagin, the Artful Dodger, Oliver Twist and the boys in Fagin's Gang. In the song Fagin sends the gang of young pickpockets out to 'work' - stealing wallets and pocket handkerchiefs. During the song Fagin sings that he will miss the boys but they are not to return empty-handed. Oliver joins the gang under the care of the Dodger on his first pickpocketing mission. It precedes The Robbery - the last scene in Act I.[https://www.masterworksbroadway.com/music/oliver-original-broadway-cast-recording-1963/ Synopsis: Oliver! Original Broadway Cast Recording 1963 - Masterworks Broadway website][http://www.oliver1968.co.uk/Story.html The Story in Brief ~The 'Oliver!' Online Souvenir Book]
The lyrics for this song in the stage musical differ somewhat from those in the 1968 film: in the musical Fagin tells the boys "You can go but bring back plenty of pocket handkerchiefs. And you should be clever thieves. Whip it quick and be back soon. There's a sixpence here for twenty..." while in the film Fagin sings "You can go but bring back plenty of wallets full of cash - don't want to see any trash. Whip 'em quick and be back soon - only thick ones now not empty...".[https://www.themusicallyrics.com/o/516-oliver-the-musical-lyrics/7222-be-back-soon-lyrics.html 1962 Broadway 'Oliver! the Musical' - Be Back Soon Lyrics- The Musical Lyrics database] Another lyric change in the song was "Bow Street Runners" to "nosy policemen" in case American audiences didn't understand the reference.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063385/trivia 'Oliver!' (1968 film)] - Internet Movie Database Ron Moody later discovered that the eccentric dance step he thought he had improvised for the film version of the song was actually a pas de basque.[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/dec/03/how-we-made-oliver How we made: Ron Moody and Mark Lester on 'Oliver!'] - 'The Guardian' 3 December 2012
References
Category:Songs about parting
Category:1960 songs
Category:Songs written by Lionel Bart
Category:Songs from Oliver!
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