Show Synopsis:
The perpetual bachelor Bobby is turning 30, and his coupled friends are throwing him a party. Through conversations and songs, they explore the ins and outs of love, sex, and marriage and what it means to be single. Bobby attempts to figure out where things have gone wrong in his love life and what it is he wants out of being around another person. 	

Character:
Bobby, an about-to-turn-30-year-old man who is everybody's best friend but no one's one man, and he is struggling to figure out how he is supposed to be part of a couple.	

Song Context:
After listening to his friends sing about the good and bad parts of marriage, Bobby finally confronts them and asks "why?" He begins to realize that if he ever finds someone to spend his life with, it might be worth it to get married, despite his fears and doubts. He sees that he has been waiting around for something to be perfect, but his friends have shown him that marriage is anything but.	

Fun Facts:
1. There are two "original" recordings of this song. Dean Jones, who played the role out-of-town and in the Broadway previews, sings the role of Bobby on the recording, but actually left the show very soon after opening. Larry Kert, his understudy, took over the role, was allowed to record his own tracks for the recording when the show transferred to London, and was approved to be nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Today, his "Being Alive" is often released alongside Jones'. 
2. The creative team was struggling to figure out a proper ending for Company, and Hal Prince urged Sondheim to write an optimistic song. Sondheim was hesitant to write something completely happy, but aimed for something closer to what he called "a song which could progress from complaint to prayer." 
3. The ultimate goal of this song during its composition was to express that marriage is wonderful, and Bobby needed connection to the people around him.