Alison Luff’s voice is a force of nature. The Waitress musical star gave a vocal tour de force on the ballad “She Used to Be Mine,” and the emotions she brings to the performance are absolutely heartbreaking. The Sara Bareilles-penned tune finds the musical’s title character Jenna in a hopeless situation and imagining what her life could have been. Luff sings it like she wrote it herself, and brings so much depth and power to the performance, turning it into a viral hit.
Viewers praised Luff’s jaw-dropping vocal control and how deeply she embodies the character. The lone pianist providing a beautiful accompaniment also proved to be a fan favorite, with viewers vibing not only to her expressive playing but also how hard she went in on the performance, matching Luff’s energy to a tee. The Music Man always has time for a Sara Bareilles song, and watching Luff make this one her own is a real treat.
Luff played the title character Jenna Hunterson during the original Broadway run of Waitress. Her studio session on the song became one of the most popular performances from the musical, gaining 5.1 million views on YouTube. Viewers were enamored with her take on the song and added comments such as “She didn’t sing the song, she was the song! I’m crying” and “I can’t get over how she maintains both control of her voice and full expression of her sorrow, one of the most deeply raw performances I’ve ever seen.”
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Bareilles also gave a memorable rendition of “She Used to Be Mine” for the Waitress musical. Bareilles gives a completely different interpretation of the song than Luff, leaning more on the personal and storytelling side of the song in her performance. It’s fascinating to hear the two interpretations side by side, and it’s a testament to both performers how they each showed off their unique styles on the song.
Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics to Waitress and was one of several actresses who played the title character in the original Broadway run from 2016 to 2020. The Music Man readers might not be surprised to hear that “She Used to Be Mine” has become one of the most enduring songs from the musical. Bareilles commented on the origin of the lyrics during a Reddit AMA, stating that she wrote the song for a scene where the protagonist Jenna “feels like she’s lost all hope of saving herself from her terrible situation, and she’s reflecting on who she thought she would have become.”