Andrew Lippa’s whimsical score for Big Fish is one of my all-time favourites. I managed to catch the reworked production at The Other Palace a few years back in London. It was a stunning production that made it so easy to fall in love with the Act One finale song. It could be because I also love daffodils, but I adored this song from the moment I heard it. So here is my little breakdown of ‘Daffodils’ from Big Fish the musical.

What is the show about?

The story of Big Fish revolves around a troubled relationship between a former travelling salesman, Edward Bloom, and his adult son, Will, who is tired of his father’s outrageously unbelievable tales. He wants to be told about something real for once. The show shifts between two timelines, one in the present-day real world and the other in Edward’s ‘storybook’ past. On Will’s journey to find the reality of his father’s stories, he discovers that they were never too far from the truth after all. It’s a heartfelt tale of a healing relationship between a father and his son.

Inspiration for the song

One of the things Edward comes to learn about his future wife Sandra is that she loves daffodils. In the original movie, it’s a symbolic scene where Edward plants hundreds of daffodils in front of her dorm window for her to enjoy. It was therefore so important for this moment to have it’s own song. At the root of it, it’s just a love song. But Lippa didn’t want to write your ordinary lovey-dovey tune with simple lyrics along the lines of ‘hey, I love you as much as you love daffodils’. That would be boring!

After doing extensive research on songs and poetry about daffodils, he stumbled across a very famous poem by William Wordsworth. Lippa cleverly used this as inspiration for his song knowing that Edward isn’t the kind of person who has been formally educated, but he’s definitely the type who would do research and quote poetry to sound impressive to his crush.

Whilst Lippa doesn’t explicitly say in the song that specific lines come directly from this poem, the beauty is in its subtlety. The audience may not pick up on all the references to the poem, but Sandra will. Lines such as ‘and countless as the stars that shine, they stretched in never ending line‘ and ‘beside the lake, beneath the trees, all fluttering and dancing in the breeze‘ are inspired by Wordsworth’s poem. The way these lines are intertwined into the lyrics is stunning.

“they stretched in never ending line ’til all I saw were daffodils”

The lyrics alone would be nothing without the enchanting melody that takes us on a journey from start to finish. Daffodils represent Edward’s love for Sandra. They remind us of this throughout the show by using a motif that we also hear in the Prologue, I Don’t Need A Roof and one last time right at the very end of the show.

Lippa turned an iconic movie scene into the most magical stage moment. As one of the most captivating and charming romantic songs of modern day musical theatre, it’s about time we start appreciating this one more.

What are your thoughts on ‘Daffodils’? Which underrated songs do you love? Let me know in the comments!