Long before became known as Will Schuester — the lovable Spanish teacher and show choir director on TV's Glee — Matthew Morrison was dancing and singing, garnering Tony nods for his work on the Broadway stage.
Through it all, there was one song he always kept at the ready: "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady.
"It is actually the song I sang for every single audition I've ever had in my life, including Glee; that is like my go-to audition song," Morrison says. "It's got a great story — it's about a guy who is in love with a girl, but that girl doesn't know or care that he's alive. This guy is suffering, but he suffers so beautifully that you almost don't want it to end. ... It's just good storytelling. You don't find that in music so much these days. I feel like I can act these songs, and that's a great power to have on stage."
A pepped-up version of "On the Street Where You Live" appears on Where It All Began, Morrison's second solo album of show tunes and American standards. He discusses it here with NPR's Jacki Lyden.
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