"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.
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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.