Dear Evan Hansen’s score, by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, runs from “Anybody Have a Map?” to the Finale, with “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” as its signature songs. Together they tell a story about loneliness, the hunger to be seen, and a well-meant lie that spirals far beyond anyone’s control.
The musical, with a book by Steven Levenson, opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on December 4, 2016, and played there until September 18, 2022 (IBDB). It won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, plus the Grammy and the Olivier Award for Best Musical after its West End run at the Noël Coward Theatre (official site). A North American tour and a Toronto production followed too.
A note on themes: Dear Evan Hansen deals with suicide, grief and mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling in the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available around the clock.
What are the songs in Dear Evan Hansen, in order?
Here is the Broadway running order of the main numbers.
| Song | Sung by | What it reveals |
|---|---|---|
| Act One | ||
| Anybody Have a Map? | Heidi, Cynthia | Two mothers who can’t reach their sons |
| Waving Through a Window | Evan, company | Evan’s feeling of being invisible |
| For Forever | Evan | An invented memory of a friendship |
| Sincerely, Me | Connor, Evan, Jared | The fake emails that build the lie |
| Requiem | Zoe, Cynthia, Larry | Three ways of grieving one person |
| If I Could Tell Her | Evan, Zoe | Evan’s own feelings, disguised as Connor’s |
| Disappear | Connor, Evan, company | The fear of being forgotten |
| You Will Be Found | Evan, Alana, Jared, Zoe, company | A speech that goes viral |
| Act Two | ||
| To Break In a Glove | Larry, Evan | A father’s grief, and a borrowed bond |
| Only Us | Zoe, Evan | A romance that tries to ignore the past |
| Good for You | Heidi, Alana, Jared, Evan | The people Evan has neglected |
| Words Fail | Evan | The confession |
| So Big/So Small | Heidi | A mother’s love, finally said aloud |
| Finale | Evan, company | A quieter, more honest ending |
The show also includes reprises of “Waving Through a Window,” “Sincerely, Me,” “For Forever” and “You Will Be Found.” These short reprises are not on the original cast album.
A quick walk through the story in song: “Anybody Have a Map?” opens the show with Evan’s mother, Heidi, and Connor’s mother, Cynthia, each failing to get through to her teenage son. After Connor Murphy dies, his family mistakes a letter Evan wrote to himself for Connor’s last words to Evan. Evan, unable to correct them, sings “For Forever,” an invented memory of an idyllic day with Connor at an orchard. In “Sincerely, Me,” he and his friend Jared fake an email history to prove the friendship. “Requiem” lets Connor’s sister Zoe and his parents grieve in conflicting ways, and Zoe refuses to mourn a brother who hurt her. “If I Could Tell Her” is Evan sharing what Connor supposedly loved about Zoe, which is really his own crush.
In Act Two, the lie gives Evan everything he wanted, a family, a girlfriend and attention, and the score tracks the cost. “Good for You” is a furious trio from the people he left behind, and “Words Fail” is his confession to the Murphys.
What is Waving Through a Window about?
“Waving Through a Window” is Evan’s “I want” song, sung near the start of the show. He describes himself as permanently on the outside, watching other people live while he stays unseen behind the glass. The window is the central image: he can see everyone, and he waves, but nobody waves back.
Musically it is a driving pop-rock number that builds as the company joins in, which tells you this is not just Evan’s problem. Pasek and Paul’s gift here is specificity: the song captures the small, sweaty dread of social anxiety rather than a generic loneliness. It is also the first sign that Evan will do almost anything to be seen, which powers everything that follows.
What does You Will Be Found mean?
“You Will Be Found” closes Act One. Evan speaks at a school assembly about Connor, then sings to everyone who has ever felt alone, promising that someone will reach out for them. His speech is shared online, and the ensemble turns into a chorus of virtual voices passing the message along.
The irony is what makes it great theater. The message is sincere and genuinely comforting, yet it rests on a lie Evan has not admitted. The song asks whether something good can grow from something false, and Act Two answers that question painfully. Its title phrase has become the show’s motto, and the song also travels well outside the theater, which explains its life on playlists and in school choirs.
Want to play these songs yourself? Pasek and Paul’s ballads are built on piano-driven pop chords, so learning chord-based piano is a great way into “For Forever” or “So Big/So Small.” Try Pianoforall.
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Which songs carry the Murphy family’s story?
Evan is the center of the show, but the Murphys give it its heart. “Requiem” is the key: Cynthia clings to hope that Connor was better than he seemed, Larry shuts down, and Zoe refuses to perform sorrow she does not feel. Three honest reactions to the same loss, sung over one another.
“To Break In a Glove” gives Larry, Connor’s father, his moment. He teaches Evan how to break in the baseball glove he once bought Connor, and the scene becomes the father-son bond both of them missed. “Only Us” is Zoe’s: she asks Evan to build something new between them that leaves the past out of it. And “Words Fail” is where Evan finally tells the Murphys the truth, a devastating song because the family he wanted is the family he hurts.
The Hansen side matters too. “So Big/So Small” is Heidi’s late-show ballad about the day Evan’s father left, and it reframes the whole story: Evan was never as alone as he believed.
How are the songs different in the 2021 movie?
The 2021 film, directed by Stephen Chbosky from Levenson’s screenplay, stars Ben Platt, who originated Evan on Broadway. Four stage songs did not make it into the film or its soundtrack (Newsweek, Wikipedia), and two new ones were added:
- Cut: “Anybody Have a Map?,” “Disappear,” “To Break In a Glove” and “Good for You.”
- Added: “The Anonymous Ones,” which Amandla Stenberg co-wrote with Pasek and Paul and sings as Alana, and “A Little Closer,” a new song sung by Colton Ryan as Connor.
Chbosky told Variety that he chose to open on Evan with “Waving Through a Window” instead of “Anybody Have a Map?” so the audience meets every other character through Evan’s eyes. Losing that opener and “Good for You” means the mothers get less to sing, while Alana gets a new song. If you love the stage score, the cast album is still the fullest version of the music. For more shows with this emotional pull, see our list of musicals like Dear Evan Hansen, and compare other scores in our Rent songs explained, Hadestown songs explained and Hamilton songs explained guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous song from Dear Evan Hansen?
“Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” are the best known. The first is Evan’s opening song about feeling invisible; the second closes Act One with a message that no one is truly alone. Both reached audiences far beyond Broadway through the cast album and the 2021 film soundtrack.
Who sings Waving Through a Window?
In the stage musical, Evan Hansen sings “Waving Through a Window,” with the company joining in as it builds. Ben Platt originated the role on Broadway and sang it on the original cast recording, and he sings it again in the 2021 film. Alana also sings a short reprise later in the show.
Who wrote the songs for Dear Evan Hansen?
The music and lyrics are by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriting team also known for La La Land and The Greatest Showman. Steven Levenson wrote the book. The score won the Tony Award for Best Original Score, and the cast album won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
Were songs cut from the Dear Evan Hansen movie?
Yes. The 2021 film dropped four stage songs: “Anybody Have a Map?,” “Disappear,” “To Break In a Glove” and “Good for You.” It added two new songs: “The Anonymous Ones” for Alana and “A Little Closer” for Connor.
Is Dear Evan Hansen still on Broadway?
No. The Broadway production at the Music Box Theatre opened on December 4, 2016, and closed on September 18, 2022. The West End production at the Noël Coward Theatre has also closed. Licensed and touring productions may appear, so check local listings for performances near you.
