La Vie Boheme (French: the Bohemian life) is a song in the musical RENT. The second part of this song (La Vie Boheme B) ends the first act of the show. In between the two halves of the song is an interlude (I Should Tell You) with Roger and Mimi. The song is a celebration of bohemianism, especially that found in 80's Alphabet City, mocking Benny's statement that "Bohemia is dead."

In celebrating Bohemia, the song recites the names of artists who served as inspiration and as a symbol of Bohemia themselves, as well as places and things integral to the lives of these artists. Some of the references are obscure, while others are self-explanatory. The following is a list of many of the references made in the song.

• Akita
• Yuppies
• Calcutta (the reference to Calcutta is referring to the extreme poverty and general bad conditions there)
• Dies Irae (sung by Collins and Roger in the background)
• Kyrie eleison (sung by Collins and Roger in the background)
• Yitgadal v'yitkadash (sung by Collins and Roger in the background)
• Mother Earth
• Nativity
• Hooky
• Parallel dimensions
• Fruits could refer literally to fruit or it is also used as term refering to homosexuals
• Absolut Vodka
• The Village Voice
• Individuality
• Miso soup
• Soy burgers
• Meatless meatballs
• Wine
• Beer
• Yoga
• Yogurt
• Leather
• Dildos
• Curry vindaloo (a Portuguese/Goan pork dish cooked with plenty of wine vinegar and garlic, with plentiful amounts of spice and chili. Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lamb sometimes mixed with potatoes. See the articles on curry and vindaloo.)
• Huevos rancheros
• Maya Angelou
• Vacations
• Masturbation
• Susan Sontag
• Stephen Sondheim
• Taboo
• Allen Ginsberg
• Dylan- could be Bob Dylan or Dylan Thomas
• Merce Cunningham
• John Cage
• Lenny Bruce
• Langston Hughes
• Stage
• Uta Hagen
• Buddha
• Pablo Neruda
• Dorothy, Toto, and Auntie Em (from The Wizard of Oz)
• Bisexuality
• Trisexuality
• Homo sapiens
• Carcinogens
• Hallucinogens
• Men
• Pee Wee Herman
• German wine
• Turpentine
• Gertrude Stein
• Michelangelo Antonioni
• Bernardo Bertolucci
• Akira Kurosawa
• Carmina Burana
• Apathy
• Entropy
• Empathy
• Ecstasy
• Václav Havel
• The Sex Pistols
• 8BC
• Marijuana
• Sodomy
• Sadism and masochism
• Salons
• Bubble wrap
• High Holy Days
• Native Americans Tribal Chants
• Vocoders
• Electric cellos
• Musetta's Waltz (a piece of music featured in Act II of Puccini's La boheme in which Musetta tries to attract her former lover Marcello's attention)
• Anarchy
• Virtual reality
• MIT
• AIDS
• ACT UP
• AZT

External links

• Lyrics for La Vie Boheme

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