Welcoming Song

"My God, this house is freakin' sweet!"

"Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome
Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!"

— "Wilkommen", Cabaret

A character in a musical enters a new place and is welcomed in song by the residents.

May also serve as a Setting Introduction Song.

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Examples:

Films — Animated

• The Pebble and the Penguin has an unhappy example in "Welcome to the Good Ship Misery".
• Aladdin and the King of Thieves:
  • In "There's A Party Here In Agrabah", the Genie welcomes people to the palace to witness the marriage ceremony of Aladdin and Jasmine.
  • In "Welcome to the Forty Thieves", the forty thieves congratulate Aladdin on becoming their newest member after his father takes him to their hide-out.
• "Welcome" from Brother Bear is sung by the protagonist's new bear "family" when he makes it to their fishing spot.
• In "Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)" from the animated film Anastasia, Vlad's Love Interest Sophie and other Parisian icons welcome Vlad, Anya, and Dmitri to the city.
• Shrek: When Shrek and Donkey first arrive in Lord Farquaad's city, they are greeted by an automated puppet machine that plays "Welcome to Duloc", which describes the city as "a perfect place." The song becomes an Ear Worm for Donkey, and his humming it annoys Shrek.

Films — Live Action

• In The Wizard of Oz, after the Munchkins have finished singing about how happy they are that Dorothy has killed the Witch, they sing "We Welcome You to Munchkin Land".
• In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The singing dolls sings a welcome song in the entrance of the Wonka factory.
  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: "Pure Imagination" has elements of this when Wonka leads his guests into the Chocolate Room.
    "Come with me and you'll be in a world of Pure Imagination,
    Take a look and you'll see Into your imagination.
    We'll begin with a spin, traveling in a world of my creation,
    What we'll see will defy explanation."
• "Happiness Hotel" in The Great Muppet Caper has the hotel's staff and guests welcoming Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo.
• "Hooray For Captain Spaulding" in Animal Crackers.

Literature

• One of the songs in the Redwall novel Taggerung is a song about welcoming a son home. Here it is sung in the audiobook.
• In How Much for Just the Planet?, The Direidians sing a Crowd Song to welcome the Federation and Klingon delegations, with lyrics that betray a certain ambivalence.
  We've been on pins and needles
  Since you first appeared
  We hope you don't have plans to
  Do anything weird

Live-Action TV

• Schmigadoon!: The eponymous song, "Schmigadoon!", where the townspeople welcome Josh and Melissa to Schmigadoon and introduce some of the noteworthy folks.
• The Musical Episode of Scrubs has such a song, called "Welcome to Sacred Heart" (or, at least, that is the line that is repeated the most). Since this is a Season 6 episode, it's not directed at the viewer, but rather at the patient who hallucinates life as a musical.

Music

• "Welcome Home" by King Diamond is a song welcoming home the narrator's grandmother after a stay in Bedlam House.
• "Karn Evil 9" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer is a "Welcome to the show" variation.
  ''"Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends,
  We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside!"
• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles, another "Welcome to the show" version.

Puppet Shows

• The theme song to The Noddy Shop is sung by the puppets, who welcome the viewer to the titular store.

Theatre

• In Annie, Mr. Warbucks' servants welcome Annie to her new home with song and dance, and she sings her reaction: "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here."
• "Welcome to the Theatre" from Applause, The Musical of All About Eve.
• "Wilkommen" is the opening song of Cabaret.
• In Oliver!, the boys sing "Consider Yourself" to welcome Oliver into their gang. It's peppy enough to make you forget it's about living on the street through petty theft.
• "Iowa Stubborn" from The Music Man, in which the inhabitants of River City sing about how they're all Jerkasses,
  "But what the heck, you're welcome,
  Join us at the picnic.
  You can eat your fill
  Of all the food you bring yourself."
• Tommy has both "Tommy's Holiday Camp" and "Welcome". The film includes "Bernie's Holiday Camp" sung by Uncle Frank (Oliver Reed).
• Cesare - Il Creatore che ha distrutto has "Gakuseidan", where Roberto introduces the school to Angelo. He tells him how the students are divided into groups based on their countries, that the top student of their Florentine group is Giovanni de'Medici, and that Angelo must call Giovanni "Your Excellency" at school, or Florence will lose face. Roberto tells Angelo that the top student group is that of Spain, and that their top student is Cesare Borgia, who, coincidentally, just saved Angelo from a runaway horse. Then Cesare saves Angelo again, this time from the top student of the France group, who's looking for a fight.
• The Rocky Horror Show (and the film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) has Brad and Janet welcomed to the Castle with the Time Warp. That said, the song isn't about welcoming them, nor does it seem to be about anything but the dance that goes with it. It would be a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment if it weren't for the fact that it's just that kind of show.
  • Sweet Transvestite. the song played immediately after this, plays the trope more straight. Frank welcomes Brad and Janet to stay for the night.
• Les Misérables has the crooked innkeeper Thenardier singing "Master of the House" to welcome new guests to his inn...with plenty of asides about how he intends to fleece them for everything they've got.
  • "Lovely Ladies" is an even darker version, about prostitutes out on the street waiting to meet sailors coming in to the harbor and a little later welcoming Fantine to join their ranks.
• Lestat has two: "In Paris" in act one, and "Welcome To the New World" in act two.
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory crosses this with an "I Am Great!" Song — and, suspicously, the glamorous style of a Villain Song — at the end of Act One as Willy Wonka greets the Golden Ticket winners at the door to his factory with "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen".
• The Musical of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has "Here I Am," Christine's introduction to the Riviera.
• Shrek: The Musical has "Welcome to Duloc/What's Up, Duloc?" when Shrek and Donkey first arrive in Duloc.
• Fun Home "Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue" as they clean and tidy the house for a visitor.
• Tanz Der Vampire has three. When Alfred and the Professor end up in the village, they are greeted by Chagal during the song "Knoblauch" once they're unfrozen (while the village population sings about garlic and denies the existence of vampires). When Alfred and the Professor end up in the castle, they are greeted by Krolock and his son in "Vor dem Schloss". Sarah is later greeted by Krolock in "Totale Finsternis", despite having arrived a day earlier.
• In The Book of Mormon the protagonists are welcomed to Uganda with "Hasa Diga Eebowai". Despite its cheery tune it's not exactly a warm welcome.
• More a period of time than a place, but Something Rotten! opens with "Welcome to the Renaissance".
• Similarly, in Hairspray, Tracy Turnblad encourages her mother to lose her fear get outside of the house with the song "Welcome to the 60s".
• In Jasper in Deadland, "Deadland Welcome" and "Tour Song" play as soon as Jasper enters the City Circle.
• "Moscow" from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 is Marya D. introducing Natasha and Sonya to Moscow society.
• "Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)" from the stage musical Anastasia, in a small update of the original has Vlad introducing the city of Paris to Anya and Dmitri.

Theme Parks

• Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
  Welcome to our tropical hideaway, you lucky people you
  If we weren't in the show, starting right away, we'd be in the audience too

Webcomics

• Unsounded: Staff at the Deadly Nevergreen brothel greet Duane and Sette with a choreographed song-and-dance number that includes magical special effects, a selection of the local services, and a few words about their payment options.
  "Our soup du jour's your fetish, sir, no matter how lewd or scary
  We got whips and gags, twinks and hags, in Vanilla! Chocolate! Or Strawberry!"

Western Animation

• In the episode "King Nogburt's Castle" of The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, the entire castle staff sings a song about how "the kingdom of King Nogburt officially welcomes you!"
• In the Blaze and the Monster Machines episode "Animal Island", the animals of the titular location welcome Blaze, Stripes and AJ to their home with the song "Welcome to Animal Island".
• "This House Is Freakin' Sweet" from an episode of Family Guy: the Griffins inherit a mansion, all the mansion's staff sings a song welcoming to their new lifestyle. The song's a parody/Suspiciously Similar Song to the welcoming song "I Think I'm Going to Like it Here" from Annie.
• Lilo & Stitch: The Series's theme song, "Aloha, E Komo Mai", is this to the viewers, especially since the song's title means "Hello, welcome" in Hawaiian.
  I laila, ʻO Kauaʻi la
  No malihini ʻohana
  Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
  Aloha, e komo mai
• In the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "A Friend in Deed", Pinkie Pie welcomes Cranky Doodle Donkey with her Welcome Song.

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