Showtunes (Stephin Merritt and Chen Shi-zheng album) explained

Showtunes
Type:	soundtrack
Artist:	Stephin Merritt
Cover:	stephinmerritt_showtunes.jpg
Released:	March 16, 2006
Genre:	Indie pop
Length:	48:33
Label:	Nonesuch
Prev Title:	Pieces of April
Prev Year:	2003
Next Title:	Obscurities
Next Year:	2011

Showtunes is the result of collaboration between Stephin Merritt with Chen Shi-zheng on three pieces of musical theatre; Orphan of Zhao (2003), Peach Blossom Fan (2004), and My Life as a Fairy Tale (2005). Select tracks from these are featured on this album. It was released on Nonesuch Records on March 16, 2006 but was available from peer-to-peer networks from February 20, 2006. The remainder of songs from the shows were released exclusively through online music stores.

Reception

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics; on Metacritic, it has a score of 69 out of 100.

Track listing

1. "Theme from The Orphan of Zhao" – 00:59
2. "At Madam Plum's" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 02:35
3. "The Top and the Ball" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 01:49
4. "What a Fucking Lovely Day!" [From ''Orphan of Zhao''] – 01:22
5. "Auntie Toothache" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 02:48
6. "It's Hard to Be the Emperor" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:08
7. "Sounds Expensive" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:36
8. "The Red Shoes" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 01:43
9. "Fan Dance Cha-Cha" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:17
10. "The Little Maiden of the Sea" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 03:53
11. "Ukulele Me!" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:08
12. "Train Song" [From ''Orphan of Zhao''] – 01:17
13. "The Little Hebrew Girl" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 02:10
14. "Shall We Sing a Duet?" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 00:55
15. "The Song of the Humble Serf" [From ''Orphan of Zhao''] – 00:56
16. "The Collar and the Garter" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 01:40
17. "Shall We Sing a Duet?" (Reprise) [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:38
18. "Sorry, Wrong Show" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:41
19. "The Storks" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 01:24
20. "In the Spring, When I Was Young" [From ''Orphan of Zhao''] – 02:02
21. "The Ugly Little Duck" [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 03:41
22. "And He Would Say..." [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 03:02
23. "The World is Not Made of Flowers" [From ''Orphan of Zhao''] – 01:14
24. "Behold the Lowly Centipede" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:41
25. "In China, Said the Moon..." [From ''My Life as a Fairy Tale''] – 03:37
26. "Hail! Son of Heaven" [From ''Peach Blossom Fan''] – 01:06