Gaeta's Lament(A.K.A. The Stump Serenade)

Television, Movies Games and Books BSG-2003
#1

The song that Felix was singing throughout the episode is an original composition made specifically for this episode. It was created through a close collaboration between writer Michael Angeli, director Wayne Rose, actor Alessandro Juliani, and Bear McCreary. Here is Bear McCreary discussing its connection and importance to the episode itself.

And here’s a quote from Michael Angeli concerning how the song evolved after finding out that Alessandro had studied Opera

Heres a copy of the lyrics that were written for it

* Alone she sleeps in the shirt of man
* With my three wishes clutched in her hand
* The first that she be spared the pain
* That comes from a dark and laughing rain
* When she finds love may it always stay true
* This I beg for the second wish I made too
* But wish no more
* My life you can take
* To have her please just one day wake

Tomorrow I’ll go back through the episode and make sure these are correct word for word, but for now they should be satisfactory as they’re straight from Bear McCreary’s blog

I think it’s pretty interesting to see how important the music made for this show has become to the show itself(a testament to its quality), this is the first time Bear’s music has been so directly involved, down to the script level, with an episode and he also says that it won’t be the last time.

All information in this post is prettymuch brought over directly from Bear McCreary’s blog(http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=349#more-349), I thought you guys would be interested in seeing how this unique piece came about and what it meant.

P.S. oh and also, The Stump Serenade is the name that Alessandro came up with for this piece =)

#2

thanks for sharing, it’s nice to know they put in so much thought to this. No wonder tonight’s episode feels like the best BSG I’ve ever seen.

#3

heh, and this is just a song! I can’t imagine how thorough they are with developing character and story elements.

#4

I might be one of the few here that thinks this but I was not big on Gaeta singing, laying in that bed singing loudly… didn’t work for me, it felt too forced. Perhaps if it was barely audible but I cannot see someone recovering from an amputation singing at the top of their lungs in the middle of a medical ward.

#5

he is trying to get over the pain, some people scream moan or yell, he just channels it an other way because he was told to.

#6

I thought it was haunting and gorgeous! I can still hear it it my head, making my heart ache. As with all the music for this show, it was fraught with emotion. I could close my eyes and feel his grief and pain.

I can’t wait until the Season 4 soundtrack comes out so I can hear it all in one go.

#7

Your not the only one Starbutt. I liked the melody but it really didn’t do too much for me and I kept wanting them to get back to the story when he sang. I guess Bear et al are allowed a little self-indulgence from time to time though.

#8

Somehow, when Anders said he sings I was expecting showtunes.

What? Like you weren’t.

#9

Speaking of show tunes, in a musical no one talks about their feelings, they sing about them. I loved the haunting song, especially when Kara and Laura were speaking. It reminded me of a dark musical like Sweeney Todd or even parts of Mulan Rouge. Thanks so much Locke for all the info on this. I also found seeing Gaeta raw and unglued was just so creepy it had me fidgeting in my seat. I was off-center by the end of the episode and thus unprepared for the shock ending- love it when that happens!

Question- who is the “her” of the song- Kara, Laura, the Hybrid or D’Anna?

#10

Either that or some ABBA.

#11

OMG I have this picture in my head of the four hearing Dancing Queen instead of All Along The Watchtower, with Saul whirling away.

#12

Close:

My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
oh yeah, and I have met my destiny
in quite a similar way
the history book on the shelf
is always repeating itself

Weird…

#13

Does that song remind anyone of Hara, or maybe Athina, or maybe cylons sleeping in “men’s shirts”

#14

Yeah, that’s exactly what I was expecting. The reality, however, was wonderfully executed.

That’s an interesting observation. I just really liked it, it’s so… raw and honest. This is the deepest we’ve seen into Gaeta in a while, probably for the entire series. The song itself was haunting, the little bits as they appears adding to the mood of the show.

I’m not so sure there is a “her”, it refers to something loved and cherished.

#15

Thanks for this - I really liked the singing in this episode, and it’s good to have some background.

Also have to second you on your “Baltar is my hero” tag - good to know I’m not the only one (although this might be irony)!

#16

Well I think it would have been better if they went with the song they had originally planned: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

#17

Oh, that’ve been perfect!

#18

why do i always get fooled into the Rick Roll youtube links…

#19

“The Stump Serenade”? LOL! Alessandro has a dark sense of humor. Thanks for the info.

I thought the singing was a nice touch, they didnt dwell on it, leaving it in the background. It made Anders’s admission of guilt more dramatic as well.

As far a singing in the ward to get over the pain and grief, yes it’s and unusual thing to do, and it was presented as so during the episode.

I find much more surprising that they didnt address right away what was to become of Anders. He did shoot and cripple a superior officer, yet he goes on to his duties as if nothing happened?

#20

good point… also, was that Baltar peaking to see how Gaeta was doing?