"Seasons of Love" is a song from the Broadway musical Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. The song starts with an ostinato piano motif, which provides the harmonic framework for the cast to sing "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes" (the number of minutes in a common - non-leap - calendar year). The main instruments used throughout the song are piano, vocals, guitar and drums.
Both in the musical and in the 2005 film, the song is performed by the entire cast. The main question asked is, "How do you measure a year?" Various answers are suggested, from points of the day ("Daylights," "Sunsets," "Midnights,") to units of measure ("inches", "miles"), to everyday events ("cups of coffee") to more symbolic concepts ("laughter", "strife"). In the chorus, the song reaches the conclusion that love is the only proper measure of a year in a human life. In the stage production, the song is sung at the opening of the second act. The cast stands downstage in a straight line facing the audience.
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