Izulde
04-16-2011, 04:45 PM
I don't know if we've had this before or not, but I didn't see it when I searched.
So, choosing a Mount Rushmore (4 songs) for Disney is damned difficult to do, which is in the spirit of these things, in my opinion.
I think I'll use the following personal guidelines:
1) Only one song per movie. This is going to make it especially difficult for The Little Mermaid, which has three songs that are Rushmore-worthy in my opinion.
2) Try and get as broad a spectrum of subjects as possible. You could very easily make Rushmores just for Disney love songs or just for Disney ensemble songs, for example, so variety is important.
3) I have to personally enjoy the songs. That'll take out almost all of the pre-1990s songs, as I simply don't like the classic Disney songs all that much for the most part.
There's other limitations I could come up with, but that might be too restricting.
There's one song that I think certainly belongs in here.
"A Whole New World" - Aladdin
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-kl4hJ4j48s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A phenomenal love song that sings of the promise of new love and epic in its movie scope. It was also the theme for a good number of high school semi-formal and formal dances in its day. But I think what ultimately pushes it up there is how well it translates into other languages. Granted, not all translations are good, but a fair number of them are, and it's fascinating to hear it in other languages, especially with English subtitles that sometimes put slightly different spins on the song.
"Part Of Your World" - The Little Mermaid
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ex3n6nFJbSo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In my opinion, the best of what I categorize as the songs of longing. I love the singer's voice here and the lyrics, with their awareness of second-language acquisition, take it to another level, beyond the usual oh I wish I could be somewhere else or oh I wish a prince would come and rescue me setup.
Of course, in doing so, I have to shelve "Kiss The Girl", which is also a terrific love song, and "Under the Sea", which is one of the best ensemble songs. I hate doing that, but it is what it is.
Enchanted - "That's How You Know"
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xRYU4cqUAUs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Okay, so I'm cheating a bit with the ensemble song by using Disney's parody of its own convention, but it's still extremely well done. It's also one of the best songs from a Disney live-action movie in my opinion, and live-action is a significant part of the Disney film canon.
Pocahontas - "Colors of the Wind"
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TkV-of_eN2w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Disclaimer: I haven't actually seen Pocahontas yet. But this one makes the final cut because of its theme of cultural awareness and tolerance, something Disney occasionally gets criticized for lacking in. Nature also plays a key role in a lot of Disney songs, including this one.
Notable Omissions
I *almost* went with "Circle of Life" from The Lion King for the final spot. It's one of the greatest openings in movie history, but the reason I left it off is because I don't know that it stands as well on its own, divorced from the movie, as these other entries do.
I could have just as easily gone with "Under the Sea" for The Little Mermaid for the ensemble category and chosen "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon for its protective theme. Actually, "I Swear I Saw A Dragon" almost got in instead of "How Does She Know" to fill the pub song, ensemble, live, and classic movie slots, but I personally don't like how that drifts off into instrumental without ever coming back to the vocals.
And that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there's a lot more other combinations I could come up with if I thought more about it.
So I'm curious to see what you guys come up with.
So, choosing a Mount Rushmore (4 songs) for Disney is damned difficult to do, which is in the spirit of these things, in my opinion.
I think I'll use the following personal guidelines:
1) Only one song per movie. This is going to make it especially difficult for The Little Mermaid, which has three songs that are Rushmore-worthy in my opinion.
2) Try and get as broad a spectrum of subjects as possible. You could very easily make Rushmores just for Disney love songs or just for Disney ensemble songs, for example, so variety is important.
3) I have to personally enjoy the songs. That'll take out almost all of the pre-1990s songs, as I simply don't like the classic Disney songs all that much for the most part.
There's other limitations I could come up with, but that might be too restricting.
There's one song that I think certainly belongs in here.
"A Whole New World" - Aladdin
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-kl4hJ4j48s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A phenomenal love song that sings of the promise of new love and epic in its movie scope. It was also the theme for a good number of high school semi-formal and formal dances in its day. But I think what ultimately pushes it up there is how well it translates into other languages. Granted, not all translations are good, but a fair number of them are, and it's fascinating to hear it in other languages, especially with English subtitles that sometimes put slightly different spins on the song.
"Part Of Your World" - The Little Mermaid
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ex3n6nFJbSo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In my opinion, the best of what I categorize as the songs of longing. I love the singer's voice here and the lyrics, with their awareness of second-language acquisition, take it to another level, beyond the usual oh I wish I could be somewhere else or oh I wish a prince would come and rescue me setup.
Of course, in doing so, I have to shelve "Kiss The Girl", which is also a terrific love song, and "Under the Sea", which is one of the best ensemble songs. I hate doing that, but it is what it is.
Enchanted - "That's How You Know"
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xRYU4cqUAUs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Okay, so I'm cheating a bit with the ensemble song by using Disney's parody of its own convention, but it's still extremely well done. It's also one of the best songs from a Disney live-action movie in my opinion, and live-action is a significant part of the Disney film canon.
Pocahontas - "Colors of the Wind"
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TkV-of_eN2w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Disclaimer: I haven't actually seen Pocahontas yet. But this one makes the final cut because of its theme of cultural awareness and tolerance, something Disney occasionally gets criticized for lacking in. Nature also plays a key role in a lot of Disney songs, including this one.
Notable Omissions
I *almost* went with "Circle of Life" from The Lion King for the final spot. It's one of the greatest openings in movie history, but the reason I left it off is because I don't know that it stands as well on its own, divorced from the movie, as these other entries do.
I could have just as easily gone with "Under the Sea" for The Little Mermaid for the ensemble category and chosen "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon for its protective theme. Actually, "I Swear I Saw A Dragon" almost got in instead of "How Does She Know" to fill the pub song, ensemble, live, and classic movie slots, but I personally don't like how that drifts off into instrumental without ever coming back to the vocals.
And that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there's a lot more other combinations I could come up with if I thought more about it.
So I'm curious to see what you guys come up with.