Every Song In West Side Story (2021), Ranked

It’s no secret that the success of any musical, whether it’s on the stage or on the screen, is in the power of its musical numbers. The newest version of West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, includes the numbers that are the most famous and that have come to be most firmly associated with the movie in the popular imagination.

However, there are also a number of other, less widely-known musical numbers, and so it is worth laying out in clear terms which are meant to be where in terms of ranking.

14 “La Borinqueña”

Though it is only a brief song, this one is still important, as it is a means by which Bernardo and the other Sharks are able to assert their own identity and agency against both the Jets and the police who not only support them.

It also shows that they retain a pride in their Puerto Rican heritage that they won’t give up, no matter how much violence they face.

13 “Jet Song”

In a similar way, “Jet Song” shows both the members of the Jets and the audience just what kind of young men they are. As the song reveals, there is a bond that exists between these young men that is in excess of anything that they might share with their biological families.

Though it’s a brief song, it still has the same sort of kinetic energy that is such a hallmark of this musical.

12 “The Dance At The Gym”

There are several iterations of “The Dance at the Gym,” each of which captures a particular dancing style. Each, however, is full of kinetic energy, demonstrating the extent to which the Jets and the Sharks are willing to articulate their enmity, even if that is simply through the medium of dance.

What’s more, both the music and the dance allow them to rebel against the order that the school authorities attempt to impose.

11 “Gee, Officer Krupke”

Though many of the musical numbers in this movie are full of barely-contained violence, “Gee, Officer Krupke” is more light-hearted and features several members of the Jets as they attempt to explain, essentially to themselves, how it is that they have become the sort of delinquents that they are.

Beneath its light-hearted approach, however, the song also reveals just how cognizant they are of how their social surroundings have distorted their fundamental mental health.

10 “Something’s Coming”

Tony is one of the best heroes in a musical, and he clearly wants to attain something beyond just the life of the delinquent. Thus, this song plays a key part in his development as a character, and it allows him to express, in the form of a song, his longing for a life.

It’s an optimistic moment, and Ansel Elgort’s pure vocals help the viewer to appreciate just how much Tony has changed since he was younger.

9 “Cool”

The dynamic between Riff and Tony is one of the most important ones in the movie, especially once Tony falls in love with Maria and wants to stop the rumble. This song is his means of trying to convince Riff to give up the gun that he’s bought and abandon his violent ways.

It has a powerful, dynamic rhythm and, combined with the dancing that accompanies it, it reveals a great deal about Tony, Riff, and their fraught relationship.

8 “I Feel Pretty”

Maria, played by Rachel Zegler, is one of the most likable characters in West Side Story, and this song shows why. As with Tony’s number early in the movie, it’s an expression of longing and desire, as Maria comes to find her entire way of looking at herself and the world around her, transformed by her love for Tony.

The song, with its upbeat nature and charm, captures her newfound self-confidence.

7 “Tonight (Quintet)”

The duet “Tonight (Quintet)” is one of the most beautiful love songs in a musical, but that’s precisely what makes its reprise later in the movie all the more jarring.

Now, the song that was meant to convey the powerful love between Tony and Maria has instead become an expression of the dark and sinister violence that is soon to erupt between the Jets and the Sharks, a confrontation that will leave several lives ruined. It is, then, a powerful musical song about a profound culture clash.

6 “Maria”

Maria is, of course, one of the most iconic and recognized songs in a musical, and Ansel Elgort brings a powerful charm to his delivery. It perfectly captures this young man’s burgeoning desire for Maria, whom he has just met.

It’s a song that demonstrates, both to the character and to the audience, the sweeping power and devastating impact of first love on the heart of a lovesick teenager.

5 “Tonight”

As moving as “Maria” is, however, it cannot really compare to “Tonight,” which features Tony and Maria singing to one another.

It is, of course, a reinterpretation of the balcony scene between Romeo and Juliet, and there’s no question that Ansel Elgort’s and Rachel Zegler’s voices blend perfectly, showing just how perfectly these two characters fit together and understand one another, even as their worlds pull them apart.

4 “Somewhere”

Rita Moreno is one of the most respected and accomplished actors working in Hollywood, and she has shown time and again that she knows how to make the most out of even fairly small roles. In this song, she shows that she also has the ability to perform a heartfelt, rather elegiac song.

In essence, “Somewhere” captures the poignancy of love and the wrenching realization that there may be no place for it in the real world, earning it a place among some of the saddest songs in a popular musical.

3 “America”

There are few songs as intimately associated with West Side Story like “America,” which Anita sings as she tries to convince Bernardo that the mainland has more to offer than their island home on Puerto Rico.

It is a riot of song and dance and color, and everything that one would associate with a musical like this one. In one of the best musicals about the immigrant experience, noted for its moments of heartbreak and pathos, it’s a reminder that there is also joy to be found in the world.

2 “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love”

Given that the movie is, like its earlier iterations, based on Romeo and Juliet, it is very much preoccupied with tragedy, and even the most dynamic musical numbers are often tinged with sadness.

This includes the duet “A Boy Like that/I Have a Love” between Anita and Maria, which brilliantly captures not only their sisterly dynamic but also the brutal reality of their own lives. While Anita’s part is filled with bitterness, anger, and hurt, Maria’s is full of a poignant yet tragic joy at the fact that, through it all, her love for Tony endures.

1 “One Hand, One Heart”

The power of musicals like West Side Story lies in their ability to capture and convey the sweeping intensity of human emotion, and duets like “One Hand, One Heart” show why this movie continues to cast a spell.

This is one of those songs that perfectly captures the powerful feelings between Tony and Maria, as they begin to not only fall in love but also to imagine what their future might look like together. The fact that their romance is doomed to end in tragedy grants it an extra layer of pathos and poignancy.

About The Author