56 Musical Theatre “I Want” Songs – By Vocal Type
These musical theatre “I Want” songs reveal a character’s goals, desires, or motivations, often early in the show. The list is sorted by vocal type, making it easier to find songs that hint at the story to come while giving you a clear character objective to perform.
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, the author of The Thespian’s Bucket List➝, and 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.
