Meryl Streep is clearly no slouch when it comes to acting. I think she’s even earned a couple of awards (or, you know, hundreds including three Oscars but who’s counting?). To add insult to the injury of all of our talentless lives, our girl is also amazing at singing. And probably cooking, juggling, spelunking, and calculus, too. Hashtag blessed.
It seems that nobody knows just how much screentime (let alone singing time!) she’ll get in this week’s upcoming sequel to 2008’s Mamma Mia!, but in preparation I wanted to revisit Meryl Streep’s greatest vocal performances and rank them because apparently I think I can judge Queen Meryl and all her forays into the wonders of song. It’s a bold take. Let’s give it a go, shall we?
Mamma Mia!, 2008
I love a good film adaptation of a hit Broadway musical, especially when it includes Streep’s best vocal performance and some classic British Dames as her backup (shout-out to “Dancing Queen” sequence with Julie Walters and Christine Baranski). Sure, the vocals are all a bit purposefully unpolished, but they’re a happy pill panacea for all that ails ya.
Into the Woods, 2014
Another movie musical adaptation, this time from one of my favorites, Stephen Sondheim, this revival of the classic tongue-in-cheek musical stars Streep as the evil witch seeking eternal youth (perma-youth done and done in her case). She excels at both strong and lethal ladies (Miranda Priestly much?), highly theatrical intonations, and strong belt-out songs, making this her best vocal performance.
Ricki and the Flash, 2015
From screenwriter Diablo Cody, Streep plays an aging rocker trying to reconnect with the adult children she abandoned (one of whom is her real life daughter, Mamie Gummer). Not only does she sink deftly into the emotional intensity as we’ve long come to expect, sings live and without playback or dubbing, but that’s actually her playing rhythm guitar live, too. Plus, ‘80s heartthrob Rick Springfield as her lover? It’s a match in fictional rocker heaven AND her best vocal performance to date.
Death Becomes Her, 1992
This highly underrated black comedy opens with a musical number intentionally encompassing any and all everything-wrong-in-musical-theater tropes. Streep carries it away in ostentatious fashion making it so bad it’s so good, which is why it’s her best musical performance.
Postcards from the Edge, 1990
The original song “I’m Checking Out” was nominated for an Oscar and it’s easy to see why when you’re pulled into an emotional maelstrom watching Streep belt it out. You can also witness her killing it with Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me.” This semi-autobiographical film gives a dose of extra talented acting, the nuances of a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship within the chimerical world of Hollywood, Carrie Fisher’s sublime writing, and of course, Streep’s best musical performance.
Florence Foster Jenkins, 2016
Clearly I’m messing with you with my “ranking,” but in reality Florence Foster Jenkins is my actual favorite vocal performance by Meryl Streep. Who among us deigns to judge La Meryl — I can only say which I enjoyed best. Jenkins was known for her abysmal singing voice which Streep channels perfectly in another so bad it’s good performance. It’s no easy feat to sing that off-key and she apparently had to work very hard at it. Chalk another one up for blending seamlessly into a performance. So off-key and so on-point.
Are you waiting on tenterhooks for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again? Will Cher be able to fill Queen Meryl’s shoes?
Catherine Clark is a Chicago-based editor and designer who spends time reading, gaming, cooking, and of course, watching movies en masse. You can find her words and work at USA Today, Nerd Wallet, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, MSN, Offbeat Empire, and on her lifestyle blog, BijouxandBits.com.