Did you hear “7 Rings” or “My Favorite Things”? Ariana Grande’s Spin on a Classic Rodgers and Hammerstein Song Could Have Lasting Impact on an Iconic Brand and the Bottom Line

Fifty-four years after the release of The Sound of Music, Rodgers and Hammerstein have a number one hit. Using the melody of the classic song “My Favorite Things” and what is being termed a “reinterpretation” of the lyrics, Ariana Grande has created a new work which describes her favorite things resulting from a trip to Tiffany’s. The materialism portrayed is completely opposite to the original lyrics, which spoke of sweet, simple things that money cannot buy. This paper explores several of the issues that a musical work of this type might generate. The most obvious one is the copyright ownership and the participation of the original writers. In addition, this paper investigates the impact of the release on the wholesome brand of The Sound of Music. Clearly there is a financial benefit of owning a copyright with this level of success. But what will be the social impact? Is the immediate success of “7 Rings” indicative of the culture of this generation? This paper provides an overview of the comments in response to the release as well as explores the decision-making process by the rights-holders and the balance between the benefit of introducing The Sound of Music to a new generation of fans and the risk of altering the brand.