Nobody's Problems

"Nobody's Problems" is a song written by Robert and Richard Sherman for the 1971, Walt Disney musical film production Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Angela Lansbury sings the song; however the song was cut in the final cut of the motion picture. It was considered "lost and forgotten" until years later when the film was reconstructed and the song was resurrected for the 1990s remastered CD. On the track Lansbury sings along to music arranger, Irwin Kostal's piano accompaniment.

Character motivation

It is the one moment in the songwriters' original score where Lansbury's character "Eglantine" demonstratively sings about her lonely existence. The lyric accomplishes this by Lansbury singing the opposite sentiment. In the lyric she tries to convince herself that she's better off on her own. The melody line is far more melancholy, however, which enhances the irony of the lyric. The Sherman Brothers felt that the song's loss was a devastating blow to the storyline, as its removal undermined Lansbury's character motivation.

Other Renditions

The song was originally supposed to be a sort of reprise or continuing theme. The Sherman brothers had written lyrics for the children to sing earlier in the film along the lines of "Nobody's Problems are we".

The 1971 Oscars

Another song from the film sung by Lansbury, "The Age of Not Believing," was nominated for a Best Song Oscar. The Sherman Brothers' entire musical score was also nominated for an Oscar that year as well. These two nominations represent the songwriters' fourth and fifth Oscar bids respectively.

1996 restoration and 2001 DVD release

• The extended version of the film was released on DVD in 2001 for the 30th anniversary of the film. When the film was screened for the Academy after its restoration, the crowd gave a standing ovation after the song "Nobody's Problems" was featured.
• The reconstruction also marks the first time the film was presented in stereophonic sound. Though the musical score was recorded in stereo and the soundtrack album was presented that way, the film was released in mono sound.

Literary sources

• Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.