My Favorite Things

The show tune was originally composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1959 musical *The Sound of Music*. In the original Broadway production, the track is sung by the character Maria to comfort the von Trapp children during a thunderstorm.

The original composition is notable for its distinctive 3/4 waltz tempo, which gives the track a playful, skipping feel. Both the original Broadway cast recording and the 1965 film adaptation prominently feature this traditional waltz meter.

Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane famously reharmonized the track in 1961 for his landmark album of the same name. He shifted the original show tune into a jazz waltz, utilizing a soprano saxophone and using its repetitive chord progression as a vehicle for extended modal improvisation.

The lyrics serve to list items that bring joy during fearful times, specifically mentioning "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens." She continues with comforting objects like "bright copper kettles" and "warm woolen mittens" as a psychological coping mechanism.