In recent years, The Walt Disney Company has made numerous remakes and spin-offs of their original movies and shows. One of these is the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which has received its fair share of praise and criticism. Throughout, there are many covers of songs from the source material (the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical), but what really shine are the new songs written specifically for this show.
“Second Chance” is one of the few songs that stuck with me after watching the series. It’s the closing song for the second season (out of four total). A major theme of this season is making mistakes, hurting, and healing. By the last episode, the four main characters are closing their arcs and this song solidifies what they have learned. Ricky, Nini, EJ, and Gina have all lived different, but intertwined lives, which blend beautifully together in this quartet.
The song opens as a duet between Ricky and Nini, easing in with just vocals and guitar. This choice makes sense thematically because at this point in the show, the dynamic between these two characters has been the main focus, and they are about to close off their relationship. The lyrics in their verse show how they are growing apart with their changing goals in life. Even so, the soft acoustic background matches the feeling of songs these characters have sung together before. An interview with the songwriters of a duet that appears a few episodes prior explains how it came to be, and I imagine a similar process was the foundation for “Second Chance.”
After Ricky and Nini finish the first part of the chorus, the duet between EJ and Gina starts. By the end of the second season, the dynamics between these two are only just beginning, just like how the backing track ramps up, adding more percussion and instrumentation. Their lyrics function as foreshadowing for how they are going to face their fears. Once they get to the chorus, Ricky and Nini back them with a countermelody. It’s a shift of focus that reflects how the plot will change in the coming seasons, because the two who were once the main characters take a backseat. My favorite part of this section is how the backing vocals accentuate the phrase “a chance to fall” by literally contouring the melody to fall from high notes to low notes.
After all the voices join together to sing “a second chance is all,” we move into the second part of the chorus. It’s lyrically simple, with each character having one simple phrase that encompasses their core beliefs. This leaves space for the melody to get increasingly complex, where each voice has their own pitches and rhythm. It also blurs the lines between the duets, and it becomes a true quartet where they all interact. This choice points to how the characters don’t live in isolation, and their part without any others just wouldn’t make sense.
“I’m finding who I want to be.” (Nini)
“Begin again, begin again.” (Ricky)
“I thought I knew what I want.” (EJ)
“I’m safer when I’m on the run.” (Gina)
An interesting detail is that Ricky and Nini’s lines are the final line from their individual verses, Gina’s is from the beginning of hers, and EJ’s line is not in his verse at all.
The next repetition of the chorus builds on the way they blend together. So far, the lines of Ricky and Nini, and EJ and Gina, have always been paired together, one after another. But here, they’re split up: Nini, EJ, Gina, Ricky. The backing track returns to just the guitar, so it feels very raw compared to a moment ago. If you watch the video, the setting and their outfits change to how they were when we first met these characters in season one. They visually and musically return to a previous state before repeating this section all in unison. What differs this time is the embellishments from each character, again reflecting their mindset.
“I've got a second chance to fall.” / “It was just another chance to fall.” (EJ)
“What can make the tide turn?” / “I wonder what can make the tide turn?” (Gina)
“What can make the fire burn?” / “What does it take?” (Ricky)
EJ and Gina’s lines are connected to the beginning of the main phrase, Ricky’s stands alone, and Nini doesn’t have her own line. In this segment, Nini’s part is exactly what her character fears: not standing apart from the rest. She offsets this later on.
The second part of the chorus continues similarly to earlier, but before, they all came together for the line, “a second chance is all.” This is the closing line of the whole song, and yet this time Nini is still singing her individual part. Thematically it corresponds to the character being absent for the remainder of the show, off chasing her dreams. Possibly she has already found her second chance, while the other characters are still leaning on each other for support in healing.
I think the themes of this show ring true for many people, about making mistakes, losing yourself and others, and finding your way again. The creator of the series, Tim Federle, has said the show includes quite a bit of nostalgia for the original High School Musical movie, which is definitely more visible in the earlier seasons. While "Second Chance" is the characters reassuring themselves, it's also a message from the writers to the audience. Whether you're younger and going through the same thing, or are older and looking back on your adolescence, this song finds a way to relate and bring hope to the listener.
Sources
Cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. “Cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Second Chance (HSMTMTS | Disney+).” Youtube, uploaded by DisneyMusicVEVO, 30 Jul. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4-LV-DjBiA. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
Mamo, Heran. “Olivia Rodrigo & Joshua Bassett’s Two ‘High School Musical’ Songs Became One Duet.” Billboard, 29 Apr. 2021, https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/olivia-rodrigo-joshua-bassett-duet-high-school-musical-interview-9564094/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
Spencer, Ashley. “The ‘High School Musical’ Series is Over. Tim Federle Takes a Bow.” The New York Times, 9 Aug. 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/arts/television/high-school-musical-series-finale-tim-federle.html. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
Wow! Your analysis of "Second Chance" is amazing! You really dove deep into the musical and thematic elements that make the song stand out. Even though I have not watched High School Musical, I am really curious about the character dynamics and the plot of the series, especially with the way the song is structured with its beautiful duets and quartet sections. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI also agree that "Second Chance" is such a motivating song that inspires us to take on new challenges, learn from our past, and make the most of second chances. It's a great reminder that we should never be afraid to start over and embrace new opportunities.
To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of Highschool Musical, the Musical: the Series, it felt lazy, and unremarkable. The enjoyed the way you dove deep into the meaning of the song, and how unique it was. As for the song itself its good, just not really my type of music.
ReplyDeleteHi Stacey! I really liked how you filled in the story for us so we can truly see how sad it is when a show comes to an end, it is the worst thing ever! Especially with two character's that have some sort of love connection, whether that be friendship or in a romantic setting it is so hard to see our favorite character's go. I usually binge my shows and they always seem to end right when I get so attached to the character's played, you really did a great job of making me understand the music for this scene and made me feel the sad tones of this show reaching it's decline even without me watching. The tones within the music and the way they introduce each character's vocals is almost like them saying goodbye, and signaling their closing. I notice this sort of theme is so common in a show ending and usually increases their fan base quite a lot, coming from me as the audience I feel so many emotions when they kick the music on especially when they introduce the character's like this, let alone in the actual lyric's themselves. All I want to do after is research all of the actor's and see if a new season will be made and I definitely do not think this is a mistake. The composer's and writers for the songs make your emotions turn on like magic, and really make you feel like you're having to say good bye and play up the theatricals quite a bit. Which is a great tactic to really leave you involved, just like smells in a clothing store or maybe colorful items at the checkout in a grocery store, music is the secret trick to any film or series when it comes to sales. Maybe take a look at the ending to Grey's Anatomy, it shares the same theme and characteristics this amazing piece has! -Great work
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