Musical Theatre “I Want” Songs – By Vocal Type
Last Updated: November 13, 2025
An “I Want” song typically appears early in a musical and helps establish a character’s goals, desires, or motivations, often hinting at the story to come. These songs are most often sung by the protagonist, but may also be performed by supporting characters or antagonists.
This page features a curated selection of musical theatre “I Want” songs. Additional song lists are available in the musical theatre song library.
Altos
“Disneyland” – Smile
“Funny” – My Favorite Year
“Live Out Loud” – A Little Princess
“One Perfect Moment” – Bring It On
“Right Hand Man” – Something Rotten!
“Superhero Girl” – Starmites
“Waiting for Life” – Once on This Island
Baritones
“Dust and Ashes” – The Great Comet
“Grow for Me” – Little Shop of Horrors
“If I Only Had a Heart” – The Wizard of Oz
“If I Were a Rich Man” – Fiddler on the Roof
“Purpose” – Avenue Q
“Santa Fe” – Newsies
“Who I’d Be” – Shrek
Basses
“Be Prepared” – The Lion King
“Half As Big As Life” – Promises, Promises
“I Wanna Make the World Laugh” – Mack & Mabel
“I Want to Go Home” – Big
“In My Own Lifetime” – The Rothschilds
“Waitin’ For The Light to Shine” – Big River
“When the Children Are Asleep” – Carousel
Contras
“Before I Kiss the World Goodbye” – Jennie
“Buenos Aires” – Evita
“I Want the Good Times Back” – The Little Mermaid
“I Want to Go to Hollywood” – Grand Hotel
“It’s Not About Me” – The Prom
“King of the World” – Songs for a New World
“Woman” – The Pirate Queen
Mezzo-Sopranos
“Lady’s Maid” – Titanic
“My Grand Plan” – The Lightning Thief
“No One Else” – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
“On My Way” – Violet
“Out Tonight” – Rent
“Part of Your World” – The Little Mermaid
“The Movie in My Mind” – Miss Saigon
Sopranos
“Colored Woman” – Memphis
“Doll on a Music Box” – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
“Green Finch and Linnet Bird” – Sweeney Todd
“In My Own Little Corner” – Cinderella
“Love, Don’t Turn Away” – 110 in the Shade
“Waitin’ for My Dearie” – Brigadoon
“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” – My Fair Lady
Tenors
“Corner of the Sky” – Pippin
“I Want to Make Magic” – Fame
“One Song Glory” – Rent
“Someone Is Waiting” – Company
“The Wall in My Head” – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
“Where I Want to Be” – Chess
“Why God Why?” – Miss Saigon
Trebles/Kids
“Castle on a Cloud” – Les Misérables
“I Want to Know” – Big
“Maybe” – Annie
“One Pal” – Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical
“Up on the Fridge” – Dear Edwina
“When I Get My Name in Lights” – The Boy From Oz
“Where Is Love?” – Oliver!
Related: How to find out your vocal type
From Our Shop: Don’t forget to keep your rep book updated! To build a personalized audition binder for your specific vocal type, check out our collection of DIY Rep Books.
Related Pages
• Musical Theatre “I Am” Songs
• Musical Theatre Songs for Belters
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip and the author of The Thespian’s Bucket List. She is also the creator of The Cast Album List. Her background includes a BA in Theatre, a TESOL Drama certificate, and professional experience in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.
