"Book of Mormon, The" Soundtrack Lyrics

"The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official cast album?

Yes. The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording was released by Ghostlight Records—digitally on May 17, 2011, with the physical CD following June 7, 2011.

Who wrote the music and lyrics?

Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone wrote the book, music, and lyrics.

Who’s on the album?

Leads Andrew Rannells (Elder Price) and Josh Gad (Elder Cunningham) with the original Broadway company, including Nikki M. James and Rory O’Malley.

Who produced and supervised the recording?

Producers included Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone, Anne Garefino, and Scott Rudin; Oremus also handled orchestrations/music direction (Tony-winning).

Did the album win any major awards?

Yes. It won the 2012 GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Was there a pre-release stream?

Yes—NPR’s First Listen streamed the full album on May 9, 2011 (as reported by Playbill).

How did it chart?

After the Tonys, the album surged to No. 3 on the Billboard 200—the highest charting Broadway cast album in decades (according to Billboard’s report).

Notes & Trivia

• Digital release: May 17, 2011; CD in stores June 7, 2011 (Ghostlight Records).
• NPR’s First Listen streamed the full album a week early, May 9, 2011 (as reported by Playbill).
• Producers included the show’s creators plus Stephen Oremus; Kurt Deutsch served as executive producer.
• Stephen Oremus won the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for this show (IBDB credits Oremus and his award).
• Billboard noted a post-Tonys surge that pushed the album to No. 3 on the Billboard 200—rare air for a cast recording.
• Rolling Stone praised the album’s “catchy” writing and wit, an easy on-ramp for non–theater listeners.

Overview

How does a satire about faith land as a feel-good earworm machine? The cast album’s secret is contrast: sunny harmonies and golden-age craft set against jokes that bite. Parker, Lopez, and Stone design tunes that could live on a Rodgers & Hammerstein playlist—then smuggle in chaos, doubt, and hard-won hope. The result is an album you can play straight through and still catch new punchlines on the fifth spin.

Ghostlight’s recording favors clarity and ensemble blend. Choruses hit like confetti cannons, the pit punches above its size, and solos ride crisp, clean mixes. The album maps Act I’s missionary optimism, crashes into Act II’s reality check, and lands on a finale that reconciles belief with imagination. (As Rolling Stone noted in 2011, it’s “ridiculously catchy” and sharp enough to sell the show on audio alone.)

Genres & Themes

• Golden-age Broadway pastiche → earnest, open-hearted zeal (“Two by Two,” “I Believe”).
• Gospel & choral uplift → community and collective fantasy (“Tomorrow Is a Latter Day”).
• Pop showtune sparkle → salesmanship-as-self-image (“You and Me (But Mostly Me)”).
• Satirical novelty & worldbeat color → culture clash, gallows humor (“Hasa Diga Eebowai”).
• Dream-ballet/hellscape → anxiety and temptation (“Spooky Mormon Hell Dream”).

Key Tracks & Scenes

“Hello!” — Company
Where it plays: Cold-open doorbell missionary montage; Act I, opening minutes.
Why it matters: A crisp overture-in-disguise that sets the sales-pitch rhythm and the show’s comic code.

“You and Me (But Mostly Me)” — Elder Price & Elder Cunningham
Where it plays: Early Act I, post-assignment hype.
Why it matters: Character thesis songs for both leads—ego vs. need wrapped in brassy optimism.

“Hasa Diga Eebowai” — Company
Where it plays: Act I, village welcome-turns-left.
Why it matters: The shock-joke centerpiece that reframes the mission and raises the moral stakes.

“Baptize Me” — Elder Cunningham & Nabulungi
Where it plays: Late Act I/early Act II hinge.
Why it matters: Double-entendre balladry that’s sweet, silly, and plot-critical.

“Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” — Elder Price & Company
Where it plays: Mid Act II dream ballet/fever sequence.
Why it matters: A delirious morality panic set to big-band Broadway licks.

“I Believe” — Elder Price
Where it plays: Late Act II, personal recommitment.
Why it matters: Old-school “eleven o’clock” number: belief reframed as action.

“Tomorrow Is a Latter Day” — Company
Where it plays: Finale.
Why it matters: Gospel-kissed curtain call that marries kindness, community, and running gags.

Track–Moment Index (select cues)

For release-day details and early stream notes, see Playbill’s reporting; chart feats are summarized by Billboard; critical capsules include Rolling Stone’s 2011 write-up.

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• Salesmanship → faith-in-action: “Hello!” builds a rhythm of pitches that the plot keeps interrogating.
• Ego vs. friendship: “You and Me (But Mostly Me)” makes Price’s self-myth clear; the show keeps testing it.
• Reality principle: “Hasa Diga Eebowai” overturns naive assumptions; humor becomes a coping tool.
• Kindness as doctrine: “I Believe” reframes belief as service, not score-keeping.
• Community rewrite: “Tomorrow Is a Latter Day” shows how stories evolve—together.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Recording sessions took place in March 2011 at MSR Studios (NYC). Unlike traditional one-day cast-album marathons, this album split orchestra and vocals across separate days to preserve complex choral writing—then mixed in April under a tight timeline. Producers included the authors (Parker, Lopez, Stone) alongside Stephen Oremus, Anne Garefino, and Scott Rudin; Kurt Deutsch executive-produced for Ghostlight.

Oremus’s orchestrations—bright reeds, buoyant brass, rhythm-section snap—earned him a Tony Award. The label’s rollout leaned modern: a full NPR First Listen stream before digital release, followed by deluxe CD packaging with complete lyrics and liner notes. (As Playbill reported, that early stream primed demand.)

Reception & Quotes

The album became the fastest-selling Broadway cast album in iTunes history upon release, then vaulted to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 after the Tony sweep—a historic chart run for a cast recording (according to Billboard). It went on to win the 2012 GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album.

“Listen to the hilarious and ridiculously catchy Book of Mormon.” —Rolling Stone

“A rare cast album that powers up the national charts.” —Billboard

“Winners of the GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album…” —Recording Academy

Technical Info

• Title: The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Year: 2011
• Type: Musical (cast album)
• Book, Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone
• Principal cast on album: Andrew Rannells; Josh Gad; Nikki M. James; Rory O’Malley; Original Broadway Company
• Label: Ghostlight Records (Sh-K-Boom)
• Release dates: Digital — May 17, 2011; CD — June 7, 2011
• Recording: MSR Studios, NYC — March 21, 22 & 28, 2011
• Producers: Stephen Oremus; Trey Parker; Robert Lopez; Matt Stone; Anne Garefino; Scott Rudin (Exec. Producer: Kurt Deutsch)
• Awards: GRAMMY Award, Best Musical Theater Album (2012)
• Chart note: Peaked at No. 3 on Billboard 200 post-Tonys
• Availability: Streaming/download on major platforms; CD and later vinyl edition (2017)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Ghostlight Records; Playbill; Billboard; Rolling Stone; GRAMMY.com; Wikipedia (album & musical entries); IBDB; MusicBrainz.

October, 25th 2025