The Sound of Music is one of the most important movie musicals of all time. It is based on the true story of the von Trapp family as they escaped the Nazism of Austria in 1938. The Rodgers and Hammerstein production has been revisited on stage and on screen multiple times and was first performed on Broadway in 1959, but the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews is certainly the most famous adaptation.
Obviously, a work called The Sound of Music must have a remarkable set of songs to match a perfect instrumental score. From obvious pieces like “Do Re Mi” to more obscure ones like “Something Good,” it’s safe to say that “the hills are alive with the sound of music.” Here is a ranking of the songs sung in the film.
Sixteen Going On Seventeen
![Every Song In The Sound Of Music, Ranked](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/16-Going-on-17.jpg)
While this song is touted as cute and romantic, it certainly isn’t the best one in The Sound of Music. Rolfe and Liesl are in love, but their song focuses on the idea that Liesl needs “someone older and wiser” to take care of her, and that “someone” is apparently Rolfe.
The song is also tainted by the fact that Rolfe is on the side of Nazism.
Something Good
![Sound of Music Something Good](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sound-of-Music-Something-Good.jpg)
“Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.” This song is a romantic moment between Maria (Julie Andrews) and Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer).
It’s a lovely piece in which the singers express that they must have done something good to find each other. “Something Good” isn’t the first song viewers associate with the movie, though.
The Lonely Goatherd
![Sound of Music Lonely Goatherd](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sound-of-Music-Lonely-Goatherd.jpg)
Maria and the children put together a puppet show of marionettes, and the choice theme song for the play is “The Lonely Goatherd.”
It’s quite fun watching the von Trapp kids enjoy putting on the show with Maria, who is an impressive yodeler. The song is catchy and represents a happy moment in the musical film. However, it may not be the most played song on the soundtrack.
Climb Ev’ry Mountain
![Sound of Music Climb Every Mountain](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sound-of-Music-Climb-Evry-Mountain.jpg)
This song is one of the few that Maria doesn’t sing. Although Peggy Wood played the Mother Abbess, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” is dubbed over with the vocals of Margery MacKay. It is a sending song of sorts for Maria, and plenty of listeners have taken inspiration from the lyrics and building melody.
The song’s theme of never giving up is a good one, but some people prefer the more lighthearted music of the film.
I Have Confidence
![I Have Confidence Sound of Music](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/I-Have-Confidence.jpg)
“I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain. I have confidence that spring will come again! Besides which, you see, I have confidence in me.”
This is Maria’s song of assurance as she goes to the von Trapp family for the first time. She is nervous about being a governess, so she musters up all her courage and sings about how confident she is. The full spectacle is made by the song, the outfit, and the skip in her step. Though it’s not repeated all the time, this is certainly one of the most delightful songs in the production.
Maria
![Sound of Music Maria](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Maria-e1607532376655.jpg)
Before Maria departs for her new job, she is chastised for running around the abbey so freely. The nuns lament her carefree nature by singing “Maria.”
The whimsical song is a wonderful part of the musical, but it is only the beginning of Maria’s story. She’s much more than “A flibbertigibbit! A will-‘o-the-wisp! A clown!”
So Long, Farewell
![Sound of Music So Long, Farewell](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/So-Long-Farewell.jpg)
“So Long, Farewell” is a fun musical scene for the von Trapp children. They have already taken to Maria, and she creates an adorable performance for them at their father’s party.
All lined up, the kids sing their classic goodbye song to the party-goers. Liesl’s line about wanting to taste her first sip of champagne is so clever, and her father’s humorous side comes out when Liesl asks, “Yes?” and he wittily answers, “No!” All the children shine in this number, but Gretl’s closing line, “The sun has gone to bed and so must I,” is so sweet.
Do Re Mi
![Sound of Music Do Re Mi](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-Sound-of-Music-final.jpg)
This is the song Maria uses to teach the von Trapp children how to sing. In basic music education, the solfege method is made up of “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do” as syllables to represent the musical notes of one key.
Maria has some fun with the established rudiments and creates a memorable song that the children love to sing. People like to sing this song for fun, and it’s a great way to remember scale degrees in music.
Edelweiss
![The Sound of Music Edelweiss](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/True-Story-Movie-Endings-Sound-of-Music.jpg)
“Edelweiss” is such an exquisite song. It’s so moving that it encourages Captain von Trapp to sing again. It helps that Liesl is there to sing it with him.
The melody is memorable because it rises and falls on the word “edelweiss,” which is a white flower found in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The song becomes an anthem of hope and freedom for the von Trapp family.
My Favorite Things
![Sound of Music My Favorite Things](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Sound-of-Music-My-Favorite-Things-e1607533197917.jpg)
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things!” With lyrics like those, it’s no wonder that “My Favorite Things” has given The Sound of Music its Christmas association.
The film isn’t actually a Christmas movie, but this song is perfect for the holiday season. The scene within the film is one of the most heartwarming. Maria is singing the song to remind the children how comforting it can be to think of one’s favorite things, an image that stays with the viewer for years to come.
The Sound Of Music
![The Sound of Music](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-Sound-Of-Music.png)
The titular song of the movie has to be the very best one. The imagery of the piece is both natural and transcendent. Maria’s scene dancing in the hills of Austria is iconic, and it captures who she is as a woman.
Her “heart wants to sing every song it hears,” and countless fans of the movie have felt empowered to sing their songs, too.