Analysis: All You Wanna Do (SIX)

Dream roles, eh? We all have them, and we all have our reasons for them, even if our singing is worse than the luck of Henry VIII's unfortunate yet wonderful wives. Now, one of mine has to be Katherine Howard in the hit musical 'SIX', which has quickly taken over the theatre world in a beautiful blizzard of awe. Why? Well, aside from the fact I love the show, and it'd be such fun to act in, the real fact is that I am a great admirer of how Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow created the portrayal of the ill-fated fifth wife of King Henry VIII. Merely a teenager when she married him, merely a child when she was hurt and abused at the hands of men, merely a teenage girl still when she was executed under claims of treason, the creators of SIX have for once created a sympathetic yet dazzling Katherine, in comparison to the, quite frankly offensive view often given to her. In truth a girl who could have been Queen as well as any other provided she was given the chance, a generous and spirited girl she was, who, rather than being a slut, was abused and manipulated. This is shown masterfully in the song sung by Katherine in the show, 'All You Wanna Do', which goes rather deep, and which I was fortunate enough to catch sung heartbreakingly twice by Aimie Atkinson, who gave a magnificent performance overall in the role. So, here's my analysis of the song I and many consider to be the best song in the show.

Oh, and a quick note to start with: I shall mainly be analysing the lyrics, rather than the show in a whole, though one day I hope to focus on her in the show as a whole.

A warning in advance for triggers: sex, abuse, rape, swearing, manipulation, mental/physical/emotional trauma.

The first lines sung are 'All you wanna do', this refrain repeated throughout the song, whilst also being the title. 'You' is stated evidently here, displaying that the actions committed are towards Katherine, rather than the actions being performed by Katherine under her own lust. It is what others wish to do to her, rather than her own will and want, and this line being repeated throughout hammers in the concept of others, removing her as the main guilty party in all that occurred. They chased her, rather than the want being mutual. The next line states 'I think we can all agree I'm a ten amongst these threes', and in this, Katherine tries to present herself as she always has been told she is. Men always want Katherine for one thing, which is her youth and her looks, so naturally she sees and values herself on that, seeing it as her bright spot, the one thing she has worth in, according to others. However, it also links into her self-esteem being damaged in the lead-up to her song, such as being named the least relevant Katherine. She tries to throw back at the other Queens that she's at least good at something, that her looks are better. In the face of the other Queens, who have guts fighting with determination, she instead tries initially to use her looks, rather than the inner gifts she does possess. Following on from this, we have Katherine claim 'And ever since I was a child I'd make the boys go wild'. which explicitly states that she was a child during this time, but even so, people were wild over her. The concept of teenagers was not entirely around during the time in which she lived, so by stating her as a child still rather than an adult, teenager, or woman, is significant in highlighting her age as young, even in these times. From here, we are entering into the start of the abuse endured by Katherine, the age brought in once more with 'I was young, it's true, but even then I knew'. She speaks that even though she was of a young age, the extremity of her youth as part of her tragedy once more pinned into mind, she knew there was only one thing men wished to do to her. Though in a sense this contrasts with the later hope and naivety presented in the chorus, it perhaps adds to the sadness of her story, for she knows men only want one thing from her, but she tries to believe otherwise, trying to see the world and men as better.

Now we meet the first of Katherine's abusers, Henry Mannox. 'Taught me all dynamics' is sang, which starts to show a power play, dynamics being a clever play on words that means both dynamics in a musical sense, expected to be taught as he is her music teacher, but also as in the dynamic between the two of them. Katherine was brought up in neglected household, the girls not supervised well, the concern of her being molested by Mannox treated more as an issue with her virtue being risked, or her looks blemished, rather than her own well-being. A definition of dynamics is listed as 'the forces of properties which stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or a process'. Mannox is who started to teach Katherine relationships in a sense, taught her dynamics, but wrongly, in his own manipulative gain that eventually had her 'suffer him at sundry times to handle and touch the secret parts of my body'. He stimulated a change in her life, bringing in abuse and hurt, heralding the start of a lifetime of it. Now, I do hold a qualm with the line present in this section, 'he was thirty' that I am pointing out, for it is reported that, in all likelihood, he may have been so old as thirty. The next line though, is fairly correct, 'And I was thirteen going on thirty'. In this, we are introduced to a specific age for Katherine, and though she sees herself in a heightened state of maturity, we as the audience are typically disgusted and shocked, as we see this age as an extremely young one. She tries to present a more upbeat front, telling herself that she is older on the inside, and given 'flattering and fair persuasions' for an older man, but we see it as otherwise. At the start, this song very much depends on our own perception, as though Katherine may not overtly seem to realise the awfulness, we are very much sympathetic and stunned as we do realise. Following this, we have 'We'd spend hours strumming the lute/Striking the chords and blowing the flute/He plucked my strings all the way to G'. A pattern in this is 'the, the, the, my'. There is a gradual build-up that utilises the musical objects played within, as they played the instruments, but then it switches to 'my' rather than 'the', as Katherine becomes the object instead, played with and then abused by Mannox as a sexual object. 'He plucked my strings all the way to G' is also important for further reasons, as it holds sexual connotations within of how Mannox touched her, this an uncomfortable presentation of his behaviour within. 'All the way to G' brings to mind the thought of something known as the G-spot within a woman, something that is believed to be what brings a woman to orgasm. A horrific argument used within modern day talk is 'if a woman hit the G-spot, she enjoyed it, and therefore it was not rape', and many a view nowadays is pushing a narrative that Katherine was enjoying what happened, that she led the men on, though in reality, she was a child at this point, hurt and scared. Sensitive as a topic this may be to write on, the sad fact is that the story of Katherine is a painful mirror to stories existing today still. In this section, we then have 'Went from major to minor, C to D', with major and minor symbolic of the ages of Mannox and Katherine, whilst also fitting into the lexical set of music related terminology. SIX uses this hidden meaning that also seems obvious, in a way to continue with the initially not overtly present horror and loss of innocence, this in stylisation of the of the pop song genre, presenting the badness under a pop beat. A power dynamic of a major to a minor is presented her, pressure and manipulation to a younger girl.

We arrive now at the chorus brought in throughout the song, shifting and changing subtly throughout. With 'Tell me what you need/What you want, you don't need to plead', we hear the parts often misconstrued by those who view SIX as bad writing, believing Katherine is here encouraging and showing want. However, this is far from it, as this is instead Katherine, deep down knowing something is wrong, trying to make the pieces fit. She's treated in a terrible manner, but she tries to make everything work, she's honestly trying to believe that they actually care, and due to the power and age dynamic between them, she feels she needs to try and 'please' them, naive in this manner. Next we have 'Cause I feel the chemistry/Like I get you, and you get me', and as part of the chorus, this is a focal and repeated part of her song. The notion of chemistry is something commonly acknowledged with love, and suggests a connection deeper than sexual, on an emotional level also. Chemistry is special, and she thinks she is experiencing that, but alas, though she thinks that, it is not to be. She claims that they get one another, but part of her does not understand their true intents. They if anything, might be the ones who understand her, but not in a good way- as they see a naive and pretty girl who they can take advantage of, and abuse. Katherine then sings 'he just cares so much, it feels legit', here viewing things through rose-tinted gasses, telling herself to believe that he cares, and that is all, that he just cares. She believes he cares deeply for her, though we as the audience, having heard her previous statements, know that it is far from this, her words an uncomfortable sensation for us who see her falling for his lies. She sees it as legit, listening to the feeling of hope she puts on herself. Following this is 'we have a connection/I think this guy is different'. No matter what, she thinks this one is different. Katherine was always thought of as a vivacious girl in life, who did have a kind heart, charitable and caring, never able to hold trouble at someone for long. So she is portrayed as remaining as optimistic, really trying to see the best in everyone. She isn't dumb, nor stupid, but hopeful and genuine, wishing to see the best in everyone, rather than judging straight on. Especially as she meets with those later in her life, it is no wonder she thinks they are different, for they have better breeding, such as Thomas, who as a noble and charming courtier, taught from a young age to walk around with a mask on.

The proper intro into the considered chorus is 'touch me, love me, can't get enough, see'. Touch, that is true enough, that is all they want to do, as explicitly stated. Touch is something that can be soft and beautiful, but in this case, we see it as dirty almost. Love is something that can be beautiful, but in this case, no matter what she tries to think, it is making love, rather than real love. Words that can be taken either way are flipped on their head to mean the physical acts, and no matter how much Katherine believes in a connection, and care, it is not that. 'Is please me, squeeze me, birds and the bees me' is next shown, these words full of a tragic irony, sorrowful towards the truth. No, they don't want to please Katherine, that is never their intent, their intent instead their own self-satisfaction. Meanwhile, squeeze seems rough, wrong to hear, showing all they want is her for them, rough and self-serving, rather than caring for her. Birds and the bees are words used to talk about sex and the like, often cover up words used around children. She still uses this language, she is still a child, despite what is done to her, and she never explicitly states what she is made to do. The rule of three is used her, as with the above trio of statements, this making the lines more memorable, sticking out in our minds. Following this is 'Run your fingers through my hair', an act that seems and sounds youthful, caressing the locks of one you love, but in this context it instead feels intrusive, forceful, rough. It's supposed to be a tender touch from mother to daughter, but her mother is gone, it is supposed to be a touch from a love to a love, but no matter what she believes. she does not have that. Up next is 'Tell me I'm the fairest of the fair', which always has me thinking of Snow White...mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? We find ourselves juxtaposed between a fairytale and the life of Katherine Howard, which had elements of a fairytale, but then turned out to be a nightmare- in fact, the usage of fairytale is common amongst writers speaking on her. This line also shows another layer of Katherine valuing herself on her looks, as this is all people tell her, in a way of flattering her in a manoeuvre of manipulation. After this is 'Playtime's over', which is a clear reference and throwback to the notions of childhood, providing perhaps the most haunted line in the song. Everything snaps and crumbles apart as her playtime is over, her childhood forced to be over, as the men start in her direction. Even when she goes to court, which some treat as a glorious playground, playtime is no longer happening. It isn't fun and games, but abuse and hurt. She has jewels, dogs, pretty gowns, but she is in a nest of snakes, and married to a grotesque older man. It is no playtime for her, though she is a child still.

We're now onto Francis Dereham, who is depicted as forceful in 'Get's what he wants and he won't take no'. It comes across extremely clearly that she was not willing in the matter, and that he forced himself on her and manipulated her. He gets what he wants, and in this case, he wants Katherine. In our modern day and age, the talk of consent and meaning of no is an incredibly prominent topic of conversation, and it feels no coincidence that this line is present then. He will not take no for an answer, no matter what Katherine wants, an uneasy dynamic once more fixed into place. A line following this brings up the idea of passion once more in 'Passion in all that he touches', passion used rather than genuine love or affection. Like Mannox, he is a man of lower breeding, and therefore more direct, his approach to Katherine directly stated as being forceful and related to sex. Next, she introduces him as 'The sexy secretary to the Dowager Duchess', the use of sexy here irking me, like with Mannox, though I always try to read it in the light of viewing it that it is how Mannox and Francis try to make her believe they are, whilst depicting their initial focus being sex-orientated. In a way, it's also mocking and teasing of Francis, fitting towards how Katherine sometimes speaks of people throughout the musical. In this line, we are also introduced to someone known as the Dowager Duchess, who was an important figure in the years of Katherine prior to court. She ran the household Katherine lived in at Lambeth, where Francis worked, and the lax running of her household made it easier for Francis to get to Katherine. In the end, she was more concerned for the beauty and virtue of Katherine, rather than Katherine herself. 'Helped him in his office, had a duty to fulfil' is a line that works on two levels. One, Katherine is truly helping out, but in addition to this, she is his piece of 'ass-sistant' as a line spoken in the show goes. 'He even let me use his favourite quill' denotes a tone of surprise within, like he is generous, that she should be grateful, special to be chosen. There is some belief that Katherine was not the first in the household bedded by Francis, and that he had relations with one named Joan Bulmer who later aided in the case against Katherine. This potential prior relationship could suggest Katherine felt special to be the one 'loved' at times. Another line within is 'Spilled ink all over the parchment/My wrist was so tired/Still I came back the next day as he required', and it's saddening how this is sang by original cast recording Katherine Howard, Aimie Atkinson, who sounds so quick to assert that Katherine came back, that she did do her duty, further sorrow evoked in us for Katherine due to the great delivery choice. Katherine, in real life, requested her block to be taken to her room in the tower the night before she was executed, in order to practice, she always tried her hardest to be a good Queen. This yearning to do her duty proud and well comes across her.

At the chorus once more we have arrived, where the line 'We have a real connection' shows Katherine believing it to be genuine once more. After the falseness and sheer abuse of Mannox, she is confident that this is the real thing, she is sure 'this time is different'. 'You can't wait a second more' comes up next, the chorus growing as the number of men grows, more bits added on as she slowly gains awareness. Whereas the previous statements could be interpreted as loving by her, this shows a growing knowledge in Katherine, them seeming hasty and forceful, as there is no wait, no time for control to be put forward by her. This is followed by 'To get my corset on the floor', corsets sometimes treated as racy and sexy in period dramas. The image of her corset on the floor shows a direct switch to a sexual nature becoming knowing and evident, realising bit by bit that men want her for that. There is no time for slowness or love, it all fundamentally coming down to sex, one hasty act thrust upon her.

The section now focuses on the man all know she was involved with, Henry VIII. Whereas not many knew about the others, many know of Henry, her story sadly forged always in relation to his. She starts with 'So I decided to have a break from boys, and you'll never guess who I met!', the use of an exclamative showing what could be a youthful thrill, but also as a line that seems tired and snarky, not entirely truthful in enthusiasm. This line also shows a choice by Katherine, an intelligent decision that she honestly tries to keep to, though it was not her fault before either. This shows she blames herself in some ways. She wants to have a break, to stay away, to actually make something of herself in life, it is her choice, not others. But this all comes crumbling down also, as she meets Henry. 'Tall, large, Henry VIII'. Henry was supposed to be ugly and grotesque at the age, this shown here, depicting that Katherine is thrust into a relationship with a man opposing her ‘fairest of the fair’ nature. It seems even nastier, because of the common conception of how Henry looks, and from the portraits typically known by people. 'Supreme Head of the Church of England' is an interesting line, as the reason he became this role in a way, was to marry Anne Boleyn, cousin to Katherine Howard. You can only imagine how she must have been affected by knowing what happened to Anne, yet she is made to follow her footsteps. Those like their uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, knew how ruthless Henry could be, yet Katherine was sent in still. Next comes 'globally revered', which reminds one of the titles held by Henry, showing him as a man of immense wealth, power, and influence. Once more, a power dynamic exists, this an asymmetrical relationship. 'Although you wouldn't know him by the look of that beard' treats us to one of the 'sassier' asides given by Katherine throughout, these showing her as lively and witty, whilst reminding us of how Henry was said to fool himself into thinking he was still young. The contrast between his status but then his real outward shows that though he holds titles, his outward appearance is not depictive of that, and that he cannot truly fool him, whilst reminding us of the grotesque nature he holds. The line following this, 'Made me a lady in waiting' gives us the connection between Katherine and Anna of Cleves, Katherine her lady-in-waiting, and later her friend. Ladies-in-waiting were typically slept with by the King on occasion, a good thing as it improved the status and wealth of the family involved, examples of these ladies in the past being Bessie Blount, (yes, like on the bass!), Mary Boleyn, and potentially Margaret Shelton. However of course, Henry did not go this route with Katherine, though there were other reasons aside from her as to why he sought to divorce Anna. After this comes 'Hurled me and my family up in the world', showing how her family benefits from her. She is left owing to Henry whilst her family uses her to their advantage. In a sense, Katherine is left in debt to Henry, who 'gives her duties in court and he swears it's true', this line showing that, perhaps, Henry did believe Katherine was his rose without a thorn, undoubtedly and truly. We are very much against Henry here, but it has to be said that he did actually think it was true...feeling so betrayed by the idea of her sleeping with another that he created a new law to kill her. Even so however, these words ring true of former promises spoken, sweet and untrue nothings. She believes it, though, saying 'This is the place for me/I'm finally where I'm meant to be'. To be at court was an extremely prestigious position for many a noble, especially for those like Katherine, who had many siblings, and came from a poorer branch of the family. Once destined to serve at the court of Anne Boleyn, even gaining music lessons for this reason- a fact that always hurts-, it is like court has always been in the cards for her. Finally, she has a chance, in her eyes, to make something of herself, naturally believing she was supposed to be there. Gifted things without having to give herself, in a place of splendour, feeling grown-up amongst courtiers. Katherine had the same education nearabouts as Jane Seymour, but she was never said to enjoy it entirely, though she loved dancing and the like, something she could therefore thrive at now at court, a charming dash of youth.

Sadly, things never are how are planned. 'He cares so much, he calls me love/He says e have this connection/I guess it's not so different'. Well, this is a word that she has heard before, and she has always tried to believe but now she realises. She still thinks he cares, and that he might love her, but as we see below...Yeah, it isn’t different anymore. She’s starting a path to realisation about how things truly are, and things are fracturing. Henry gave her gifts, she might’ve saw him as some fatherly figure mayhaps. But no. He says that they have a connection, but she knows those words mean nothing. She realises it isn’t different to any of the other times, but...she has to go on with him. It’s the dynamic, he has the power, and he is the King, and there is surely some family influence present. 'There's no time for when or how/'Cause you just got to have me now' reminds us once more of the hastiness and sexual nature of all this. This verse has shown less direct imagery of sex, but it becomes blatant now, she is once more an object of sexual desire and lust. She isn't so pleased about these as shown in 'So we got married/Wooh...', where there is no enthusiasm present. Here, and in the previous chorus, she sounds tired and weary, like it is more of a process she is forced to endure now, something she does not enjoy. Childlike hope and joy is something slowly lost, for she wanted it to stop, but it never will.

The relationship with Henry is present still, for we also meet Thomas Culpepper in this verse, the relationship claimed that she had with him overlapping with the marriage, considered by all too many to have been an extra-martial affair. 'His temper's short and his mates are sleazy' shows a worse side to Henry. Though it is said Henry was kind to Katherine, as he viewed her as his rose without a thorn, and gifted her greatly, there was many a time where his temper was short towards her, locked away from her for many periods of time without communication. Katherine was therefore left alone and in the dark, quite possibly concerned and worried to be on the receiving end, knowing what happened to her cousin and those others who met the short end of his temper. And as for his mates, his court is still with his older friends, men also growing in age, but still liking young ‘meat and flesh’, so there is no wonder that she feels uncomfortable around them. She is no longer a lady-in-waiting, but the Queen, she has lost many aspects of enjoyment, and is not allowed to be with the nicer company, but a sleazier lot. Things seem to look up for her though, as there's 'a really nice guy, just so sincere'. There’s this one man still, and Katherine allows hope to blossom up once more, to see through rose-tinted glasses once more. A theme throughout has been the truth and sincerity she tries to see and believe, though it has never been really true or good for her, and she allows herself to believe once more, Thomas reported as being a handsome and charming courtier, one of the favourites of Henry. So she’s charmed, she believes him as better. 'Thomas is there to lend a helping hand', he's there for her, surely? To guide her, to be sweet, but no...It’s dawning in our minds that this is the same as before, and that this is not the experience of a kind friend she believes that it will be. All the previous times, the helping hand has been a hand that wants her, that the ulterior motive. He is said to be 'So sweet, makes sure that I'm okay/And we hang out loads when the king's away'. King, rather than Henry, is used, it is duty, not personal affection or love. Meanwhile, whilst Henry/The King is away, she is left alone. He is often locked away from Katherine when ill or angered, or when his wound played up, perhaps not wanting her to see him in that light. She is left anxious and alone, but she has a friend and a comfort in Thomas. A friend, she believes, that is all, not realising how dangerous these times together could later seem. No hard evidence was ever presented towards their relationship, though Thomas stated to have intentions of sleeping with Katherine, but these meetings were damning. Katherine claims 'This guy finally', showing how long she has been waited to just have a friend to talk to, to be viewed as more than just an object. She's exuberant and thrilled, but once more, this is not to be. She sees him as 'the friend I need/Just mates, no chemistry/I get him and he gets me'. Want/Need has been a contrast throughout the song, with Katherine told and believing that she is needed by the men, whilst it is typically lust and desire, rather than a genuine need. However, she truly does need something now, she needs company in the form of a friend, rather than someone who wants her. She believes that chemistry isn’t there, because they’re mates rather than anything else, and she’s so damn happy. Once more, it’s the line of he gets me, whilst she gets him, but that turned out terrible last time. There’s certainly something more to it in his mind. She says 'There's nothing more to it/He just cares so much, he's devoted', but then he speaks that one damned word...'He says we have a connection'. That one ugly word that signals a change to everything, as we've learned so far, and it hits her like a ton of bricks, the breakdown coming in hard and heavy around this point. Because for once she thought she had a friend, that she isn’t going to be hurt and used as she always is, but he ruins that, and he just wants her. Her hope failed her, and she was wrong, and she sees herself in a bad light, because she fell once more. She sings that 'I thought this time was different/Why did I think he'd be different/But it's never, ever different'. And we know it isn't, and we are forced to witness this devastating and painful realisation. All life is for her is this terrible cycle that she tried to beat, but never could. And she hates it, she breaks down, but she has to fall back and resign herself to the circle that eventually has her killed. She hasn’t even touched on her death yet, but her life is bad enough as it is. Because no matter how optimistic and hopeful she tried to be, no matter how hard she tried to see the best in people, she had rotten luck, and she’s frantic, and trying to figure it out, blaming herself for the fact she thought it’d be different. Because no matter what, it never is different, and it all hits her, SIX beautifully depicting a spiralling of emotions, an emotional breakdown, capturing the teenager Katherine is.

The end is nigh, and the chorus is back, Katherine asking 'when will enough be enough?'. She is aware now, aware of their bruising wants and manipulations, and she is trying to challenge the narrative of it all. She is hurt and angered, sorrowed and saddened, and she tries to claim her voice, though they keep coming at her, because they do not care. Violent imagery is thrust back into her face in 'Squeeze me, don't care if you don't please me/Bite my lip and pull my hair'. With the addition of pull and bite, there is no delusion of softness, she sees it all for how it is as her hope collapses in front of her. The language used presents it as brutal, and she realises now that though, as previously said, she tried to please them, they have no want to please her, they do not care for. Katherine always cared. Pleaded against Henry to not kill a man, send clothing to Margaret Pole whilst in the Tower, tried to see the men who hurt her in a good light to start with, but whilst she gave with all her heart, they took and took from her. 'Playtime's over' is repeated thrice over, as she realises

now that it really is over for her, and that though they see her as a sexual playtoy, she is not treated as a child anymore, and has no freedom, no playtime, That is gone from her, Playtime is suggestive of freedom, but she has never had that, especially as Queen, especially when eventually locked in the Tower, or confined to Syon Abbey. Playtime also is over when she is accused, treated with no leniency or chances. Following this, we have 'The only thing/The only thing/The only thing you wanna do is...', as she falls back and resigns herself, because there is no escape. She is pained and lost, and they have taken and took from her, and she has lost her voice, her hope, her love...her life.

And then, she was beheaded. And oh, what a piece of mastery this song is. A brilliant and tense build-up to a demolition of hearts, whilst finally telling the truth about Katherine. Lucy and Toby, I applaud you for this song. And to all the stunning Queens who play Katherine, whether former or current, whether main or alternate...thank you for telling her story. It means a lot.

If you liked this, let me know in the comments as to which other songs from musicals you would like analysed!