Lena Hall Obsessed: Hedwig - 'The Origin of Love'

Lena Hall, a singular artist who authentically and explosively brings the worlds of Rock and Broadway together, is releasing a series of EPs every month in 2018. The OBSESSED series features stripped-down vocal-intensive covers of one artist/band with whom Lena is "obsessed." Subscribe on YouTube for new videos weekly.

Lena Hall is a Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee, recently portraying the dual starring roles of Hedwig and Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Following her Tony-winning Broadway run, she toured North America with Josh Groban on his Stages tour. She originated the role of Nicola in the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots, and can be seen on HBO’s Girls, Amazon Prime’s Good Girls Revolt, and heard voicing the fan-favorite role of “Countess Coloratura” on My Little Pony. In 2018, Lena will be appearing opposite Jennifer Connelly in TNT’s science fiction epic Snowpiercer.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a rock musical written by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by a genderqueer East German singer, Hedwig Robinson.

OBSESSED: Hedwig Track List

1. Tear Me Down
2. The Origin of Love
3. Sugar Daddy
4. Wicked Little Town
5. The Long Grift
6. Midnight Radio

Musicians:
Justin Craig (guitar / keys)
Matt Duncan (bass / keys / sax)
Brian Fishler (drums)

Director of Photography: James Eades
Camera Operators: E. Matthew Cady, Nathan R. Lynch.
Gaffer: Michael Reynolds
Editing: James Eades

Album Cover Image: Melisa Hall
Wardrobe: Malan Breton

[TJH]

My wife and I saw Hedwig...twice.  I'm a pretty reserved guy, but I reached my hand out as Lena strode up the aisle at the end of the show and she touched my hand.  I'll never forget any of it.

[javiervasconez]

I saw her as Yithzak, she's incredible!

[threesugarssevensugars]

I genuinely want this song played at my wedding. I think it’s so beautiful and I have such a connection to it, no matter who’s singing it.

[captainzeppos]

How on Earth and in the name of the good Lord this has only 133k views? This should be in the hundreds of millions. By far the best cover of this amazing song.

[rooish]

None of us deserve a rendition of the song this good

[ixone_]

Very generous from you to share the songs in YouTube and make them available for all users around the world. Thank you! Love to hear your personal version after having listened to your Yithzak and your Hedwig many many times (maybe too many lol). Good luck in this project!

[ItsMarilho]

i come back to this video once every few months and i always tear up. hedwig is a masterpiece, but this song is also its own thing. what an incredible fucking story is being told here. goddamn. lena's voice just makes it 100x better.

[racat]

When the earth was still flat and the clouds made of fire
and the mountains stretched up to the sky, sometimes higher
folks roamed the earth like big rolling kegs
they had two sets of arms
they had two sets of legs
they had two faces peering out of one giant head
so they could watch all around them as they talked while they read
and they never knew nothing of love
it was before the origin of love
origin of love
the origin of love
origin of love

Well there were three sexes then
one that looked like two men glued on back to back
they were the children of the sun
and similar in shape girth were the children of the earth
they looked like two girls rolled up in one
and the children of the moon was like a fork shoved on a spoon
they were part sun part earth part daughter part son
oh the origin of love

Well the gods grew quite scared of our strength and defiance
and thor said i'm gonna kill them all with my hammer
like i killed the giants
but zeus said no
you'd better let me use my lightning like scissors
like i cut the legs off the whales
dinosaurs into lizards
then he grabbed up some bolts, he let out a laugh
said i'll split them right down the middle
gonna cut them right up in half
and then storm clouds gathered above into great balls of fire

And then fire shot down from the sky in bolts
like shining blades of a knife
and it ripped right through the flesh
of the children of the sun and the moon and the earth
and some indian god sewed the wound up to a hole
turned it 'round to our bellies to remind us the price we payed
and osiris, and the gods of the nile gathered up a big storm
to blow a hurricane
to scatter us away
a flood of wind and rain, a sea of tidal waves
to wash us all away
and if we don't behave they'll cut us down again
and we'll be hopping 'round on one foot
looking through one eye

The last time i saw you we had just split in two
he was looking at me, i was looking at you
you had a way so familiar i could not recognize
cause you had blood on your face
and i had blood in my eyes
but i swear by your expression
that the pain down in your soul was the same
as the one down in mine
that's the pain
that cuts a straight line down through the heart
we call it love
we wrapped our arms around each other
tried to shove ourselves back together
we were making love, making love
it was a cold dark evening such a long time ago
when by the mighty hand of jove
it was a sad story how we became lonely two-legged creatures
the story, the origin of love
that's the origin of love
oh yeah, the origin of love
the origin of love
the origin of love

[thornlings]

I love this version. But I gotta say that I apparently have an entirely different understanding of the lyrics than everyone else here. I saw someone even say they wanted this at their wedding.

This is not that kind of song, from my understanding. It's so... lonely. It paints love as a feeling of loneliness and desperation. As a punishment inflicted on humanity by the gods. That they cursed us to be split from half of ourselves, forever trying to find the rest of what was once whole, shoving ourselves so crudely together in the act of sex to try to regain what was lost and can never truly, lastingly, be regained.

This song is heartbreaking to me. I would never in a million years want it played at my wedding. It's an absolute vibe killer at an event like that.

But having said all that, it's one of my favorite songs and this rendition is my favorite. Her voice is so good and she acts the hell out of it here. I just would never pay it at a wedding! Way too sad for that!

[joeyterrezza]

one of my favorite songs! and sung by my favorite actress.... when i saw this show i saw it with jcm as hedwig and lena as yitzak... that is an experience that changed my life forever! thank you lena for being a life changer

[kirstygreenwood]

This is my favourite version of this song 😍❤️

[Vaerah]

Please come back and do sets like this again, they're magic.

[kirstywallace]

This is Lena is amazing at everything she touches and this is stunning

[yaninagoniyegros]

When the earth was still flat
And the clouds made of fire
And mountains stretched up to the sky
Sometimes higher
Folks roamed the earth
Like big rolling kegs
They had two sets of arms
They had two sets of legs
They had two faces peering
Out of one giant head
So they could watch all around them
As they talked while they read
And they never knew nothing of love
It was before, uhuh

The origin of love
The origin of love

Now there was three sexes then
One that looked like two men
Glued up back to back
They were called the children of the sun
And similar in shape and girth
Was the children of the earth
They looked like two girls
Rolled up in one
And the children of the moon
Was like a fork shoved on a spoon
They was part sun, part earth
Part daughter, part son

Uhhh the origin of love

Now the Gods grew quite scared
Of our strength and defiance
And Thor said:
"I'm gonna kill them all
With my hammer,
Like I killed the giants."
But Zeus said: "No,
You better let me
Use my lightning like scissors,
Like I cut the legs off whales
Dinosaurs into lizards."
And then he grabbed up some bolts
He let out a laugh,
Said: "I'll split them right down the middle.
Gonna cut them right down in half."
And then storm clouds gathered above
Into great balls of fire

And then fire shot down
From the sky in bolts
Like shining blades of a knife
And it ripped
Right through the flesh
Of the children of the sun
And the moon
And the earth
And some Indian God
Sewed the wound up into a hole
Pulled it round to our belly
To remind us of the price we pay
And Osiris and the Gods of the Nile
Gathered up a big storm
To blow a hurricane
To scatter us away
A flood of wind and rain
A sea of tidal waves
To wash us all away
And if we don't behave
They'll cut us down again
And we'll be hopping around on one foot
Looking through one eye

The last time I saw you
We had just split in two
You was looking at me
I was looking at you
You had a way so familiar
But I could not recognize
Cause you had blood on your face
I had blood in my eyes
But I could swear by your expression
That the pain down in your soul
Was the same as the one down in mine
That's the pain
That cuts a straight line down through the heart
We called it love
So we wrapped our arms around each other
Trying to shove ourselves back together
We was making love, making love
It was a cold dark evening such a long time ago
When by the mighty hand of Jove
It was the sad story
How we became lonely two-legged creatures
It's the story
of the origin of love
That's the origin of love, oh yeah

The origin of love
The origin of love, uhuh-uhh
The origin of love

[alexziggyful]

I wish the guitars weren't so loud, because you can't hear Lena in the soft parts. God, can she sing! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

[jenniferloffredo]

This song is so powerful. Beautiful voice. Anyone that sings this song just amazing. ITS ALL ABOUT LOVE. THE WORLD NEEDS THIS. LOVE

[jaellekhoo]

What. A. Queen. Lena fucking Hall indeed!

[stantheman]

2022 is the Year of Hedwig, ALL of these songs are HITTING JUST RIGHT ... And a REAL Trans-person is talented enuf to play Hedwig on stage, in a movie, even a mini-series ... Dear Lawd, please make it so!! <3

[jerryburg]

I saw Hedwig twice in one night-Andrew Ranells and Lena Hall were amazing.. but I bought the ticket to the late show to hear Lena sing again. The only time I’ve been that moved at a live performance was the first time I heard kd lang sing “Crying” live when she was on tour supporting “Ingenue” in 1992. Both women are without pers.

[rumtuckskatter]

Breathtakingly beautiful performance of the best song ever made