A Disney song list to guide you on your hero’s journey this week.
Well, it’s the weekend before Martin Luther King Day and, with the inauguration fast approaching, we are likely to see a lot of darkness and light. We’ll feel the depths of fear and the heights of dreams, just like any Disney hero navigating trials on their way to a happy ending. It seemed right this week for my team to have a conversation about their favorite Disney songs and why they matter. I pitched the challenge of choosing our top four Disney songs, plus a bonus song that isn’t a Disney song, but should be. Go ahead, try it yourself.
The truth behind this is I told my team I wanted to do a post on this and in fact it was a joy exercise. I wanted them to have 45 minutes of well deserved motivation and pleasure. It was a gamble but it paid off and if you don’t believe me watch the amazing 45 minute excerpt video. It was intimate, funny, we sang and we revealed ourselves.
By the way, I made my husband listen to it with me Friday night (he was not so happy about that as he’s obsessing on Bridgerton, BUT it worked, we were both enraptured by it. Let’s be clear this is not a playlist, it’s a magic spell.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-spells-robert-macfarlane/1135527005
It’s not easy. Below, I’ll share my top five songs, as well as one from each of my colleagues. I hope that they’ll help you on your hero’s journey this week.
- “Happy Working Song,” which is sung by Amy Adams as Giselle in the delightful movie Enchanted. Okay — this is in part because of Patrick Dempsey’s announcement of the sequel yesterday. Thank you McDreamy for another thing to be excited about in 2021. More importantly, “Happy Working Song” is the quintessential no-nonsense, no “slipping in the bad with a lot of sugar” work song. Giselle is quite simply singing about being happy working, which honestly I do almost daily. Plus, if you watch the movie you’ll see that she’s working with rats, cockroaches, flies, and pigeons… and doesn’t seem at all put off by these odd new colleagues. A tough perspective for any New Yorker to take, but for Giselle I’ll try it. Will you?
2. “Stay Awake” from Mary Poppins, but go enjoy Duke Ellington’s playful remastery. “Stay Awake” is the lullaby from Mary Poppins which highlights her genius at talking to children: she’s telling them to not go to sleep, masterfully softening the contrarian defenses of young children everywhere. It’s the perfect go to sleep song. However, I challenge you to fall asleep during Duke Ellington’s version; it’s short and so jazztastic you won’t have a chance to close your eyes. As you listen, think about this: lullabies are almost always about the possibility of death and the possibility of dawn.
3. “Agony” from Into the Woods with Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen as Prince Charming and Rapunzel’s Prince respectively. Into the Woods is my favorite and it was so so so hard to pick one song, but then I just chose. I love “Agony” because it’s these two gorgeous princes having a song battle over who loves their princess more, but it’s a duet and — let’s be real — there’s bromance happening here. In the end what they’re really singing about is… self-love. And having a self-love conversation can carry you a long way. Gotta love this one.
4. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast. I like the 1991 animated version with Dame Angela Lansbury as the teapot, Mrs. Potts (and please enjoy this recently-released behind-the-scenes footage of her doing the original recording). Again, a tough decision. I wanted to take “Tale As Old As Time” but this joyful welcoming conversation song is just too good. Lumiére, the candlestick, with Mrs. Potts and other plates and dishes sing about how happy they are to make and serve a meal for Belle. And, not surprisingly, they take pride in their ability to serve a perfect meal. Hospitality is their art form, after all. How much goodness can you possibly cram into a very short song of welcome? Sing it while you make yourself a celebratory dinner at the end of this long upcoming week.
5. As my “non-Disney but should be” song, I chose “Heroes” by David Bowie — but for added fun, let’s do the version from the “Elephant Medley” song in Moulin Rouge. First, because it’s Bowie. I’ve been thinking about him a lot this week, as are many of us. But second, the message is so simple. It speaks to everyday bravery by asking to choose to be a hero, even if it’s just for a day. It reminds me of, when I was deciding whether or not to come out, I chose to “pretend” I was gay for a day and see how I felt. It ended up being the bravest most wonderful day of my life. With a lot of wreckage to follow, sadly. But this is the epitome of Disney: be a hero, even for a moment — and by the way, it’s not always happily ever after. Baz Luhrmann’s fresh take on the song in the Moulin Rouge medley is irresistible. Come on, it’s Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor in a song that’s in conversation with all songs.
6. “Sister Suffragette” from Mary Poppins sung by Glynis Johns playing Mrs. Winifred Banks. This song was chosen by my social media manager, Kate, who says it’s likely the song that that made her a feminist. I know literally every line of this song and would march around the living room to it when I was growing up. It’s likely the song that also made me a feminist, despite not knowing what a suffragette was. By the way, it’s also a song that shows you that your mother can be and is way more than your mother. Good choice, Kate.
7. A “non-Disney but should be” choice from Rob Healey: “Everything Is AWESOME!!!” by Tegan and Sara (feat. The Lonely Island) from The LEGO Movie, of course. Thanks Rob for this, it’s so awesome. BUT, maybe it’s not. This utopia actually looks pretty dystopian. How happy should you really be about paying $37 for coffee? Not only is it dark and light, but it’s also a work song and a great reminder that just because you’re teammates does not mean you’re necessarily friends or family. This might not be a very Disney message… but maybe it should be.
8. “Cruella De Vil” from 101 Dalmatians. I like the 1996 live-action version for both Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil and for the puppies. My strategist, Elena, likes dark characters and plot and she chose the villain songs. I think it’s brilliant; often Disney villains are completely understandable. They sing to the dark parts of us that we’re always in conversation with. I love Cruella because she’s in conversation with so many of the seven deadly sins: vanity, avarice, and so on… but hoarding puppies for a coat? Come on. Although I will say: one of my nicknames for my dog Suki is “rug” because, well, she would make a great rug.
9. The brilliant Lindsey Armeen recommends “The Next Right Thing” from Frozen II sung by Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna. To be honest, this is the constant advice that Lindsey gives me almost daily as I struggle with ethical leadership. “Just do the next right thing.” Enough said.
10. Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 were recommended by both Elena and by my designer, Hannah. They’re not songs, but full-length movies that allow us to reimagine and relive stunning classical music. Fantasia and Blow-Up were the first two movies I saw in the theater (don’t ask). Fantasia was Disney’s attempt to put us in conversation with classical music — and it worked. I challenge you to not remember one of these songs if you’ve seen the film. I know Hannah would have wanted me to choose a different track, but I chose Sorcerer’s Apprentice because it tells such a classic story of someone getting in over their head which we do all. the. time. And sometimes it’s only through luck that we make it to the other side. There’s only so much we get to control in life. Let this song remind you of that as you go into your next week.
11! Lastly, here’s a wild card: “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)” from Beetlejuice with Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder and others. In this song, which is so fun to watch, the characters are possessed and compelled to sing the “Banana Boat Song.” First, it’s hysterical. Second, it’s a reminder that possession is a form of conversation. Sometimes just pretending to be someone else can make you feel amazing. Yes, they look horrified but you can tell they’re having so much fun.
Listen to this set of songs (here is the Spotify playlist) and have the conversations you need to be your own Disney hero during this third week of 2021. Right now I’m headed out Into the Woods to be the best vesion of me I can be.
