Friend Like Me is indeed not as strong vocally as it is visually. That's a good placement for it. Also if you like Say the Word, check out Call Me, Beep Me- the theme song. It's so good.
Ye Gods this is an amazing Disney song here. I would go as far as saying this is a Top 2 Disney opening number- objectively, it is one of the best two numbers both visually and vocally- the other being Bells of Notre Dame. It's so stunning I would be surprised if it didn't finish in the top ten.
After having just re-watched Tarzan I bumped Two Worlds into my own top 10. I don't have a solid list, but it would probably rank somewhere around the #6, #5, #4 range. It's perfect for the intro, and Phil Collins is amazing.
I mean, I only averaged like 5 a day or so, but whatevs. You do your thing! It's not like it only takes 15 minutes to listen to four or five ~3 minute Disney songs and 5-10 minutes to write up a paragraph about them or something. It's not like that at all! Far be it from me to question someone who doesn't have the means to devote one out of twenty four total hours to a bunch of update-hungry fans or anything, you know. Not like I've been in that position before. Totally.
(In case you haven't realized by now, I am having a good "dig" at you.)
50. I Want the Good Times Back (The Little Mermaid Broadway) Nominated by CrimsonOcean
I like how Crimson really wanted this in the top fifty and it just so happened to fall on exactly 50th, go figure. Anyway this does everything right for Ursula while Poor Unfortunate Souls does everything wrong. She is on point, delightfully funny, and she doesnt try to cover up her motives in a horrible and unconvincing fashion. Importantly she is a very good singer who talks very well. The song has a lot of wit inside of it and the instrumental sounds are just very awesome in general. Like any good villain song it ends with a great outro and leaves me wanting more. This does the character justice and is much more pleasurable to listen to than PUS could ever hope to be. Good nomination, Crim.
49. The circle of Life (The Lion King) Nominated by greengravy.
I want to say this is probably the most popular Disney opener, although obviously not my favorite. This is such a beautiful song that I think I may have listened to a little too much, because I am sort of feeling burned out on it lately. However the message of the song is amazingly touching and very true. There really is more to do and to see than you can ever really do, and the song is beautifully sung. There is just no two ways about it, the song and the scene to go with it set the tone for one of Disneys best movies, it just doesnt have that extra oomph I am looking for these days. I love all of the songs in the top fifty though, and I think as recently as a year ago this could have placed in my top thirty which shows just how close these songs are for me and how much of a nitpicker I am forced to be at times. Love the Lion King as well, but Ill have plenty of time to get into that later.
48. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (Lilo and Stitch)
This song is amazingly fun and care free, I think it is basically the opposite of the Circle of Life for a direct comparison. This song doesnt have a profound meaning or anything and it doesnt have to, it is just a very fun song. I could listen to this on repeat for a long time and never get bored of it, and I did do that when I was ranking songs. Stitch in this scene is very awesome as well, from mimicking stuff to wanting to go surf himself despite the fact that he and water dont exactly mix. I love this song and the feeling behind it, but you are going to see me saying that quite a bit with the songs to come.
47. Worthless (The Brave Little Toaster)
What a great song. Seriously. Such an awesome song to listen to casually that it took me by surprise how much I listened to it the first time. The rhythm of this song is just all around pleasing as hell and the song itself is so exciting and upbeat and then I realize that the singers of this song are all being mercilessly killed to form small blocks and I realize something: the song is even better because of it! I love how they blend such a fun tune with a hilariously depressing song and scene if you actually pay attention to it. I like the feel of it a whole lot and the different singers throughout the song work well with one another. Such a great 80s vibe to it as well, you can really tell the era had an impact on this song.
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Gah! 50? Lol. <3 Sherie Rene Scott. Great Ursula. I Want the Good Times Back is actually even better with the Reprise included, because it kind of wraps up the end of the song a little better.
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46. Pirates of the Caribbean - He's a Pirate- Nominated by Justin Crossing
Few songs can tell a story with no lyrics and do so on a very high level, but this song captures the feeling perfectly. Every time this song has ever played in one of the movies something exciting always took place and it let me know that business was about to pick up if it hadnt already. There is a very clear air of excitement that this song brings and Jack Sparrows alternate theme suits him very well. (Note: I dont think they had a Jack song on the first soundtrack, so I am guessing this was his first movie theme as I am not very familiar with the soundtracks of the movies) I am unsure if it is technically a theme of his, but it is close enough that I dont really care either way. I have often said that certain songs are not able to be listened to over and over; this is an example of a song that I could listen to all day. The song is a bit too compact for my tastes though, which is just my way of saying I wish it was a little longer because it is so awesome.
45. This is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas) Nominated by DoctorBIind
I am not a big fan of this movies soundtrack for the most part, but several songs snuck into my top fifty by being amazingly charming and well fitted to their theme. That is something that I have to give to the soundtrack: It knows its theme very well. This is not a song I like to listen to a lot outside of watching the movie but it is absolutely amazing during the movie and establishes the movie. Listening to all of the different mismatches of voices singing about their town is probably the most neat part of the song for me, and it isnt something that Id appreciate from most songs I think.
44. Oogie Boogie's Song (Nightmare Before Christmas)
Oogie Boogie is completely awesome in both this scene as well the song itself. I love villain songs that establish both their threat and their personality. Villains that do not do that are pretty trash as far as I am concerned, and those songs are lower on this list than this song. This song is very fun to listen to just about any time really, much better during the movie though, and Oogie Boogies maniacal laughing both at the end and his chuckling during the song itself give this number a vibrant personality all on its own. This is, I believe, the fourth highest villain song on this list as well so not too shabby for the Oogie Boogie man.
43. Almost There (The Princess and the Frog) Nominated by SuorGenoveffa
I love the singing, and I am not so hot on the song. This song is probably the highest mixed feeling song on the list just because of how stunningly beautiful Tianas voice it. It is just absolutely amazing, and I love it to death. But I dont like the movie all that much and I think part of the reason is because Tianas songs dont seem to take full advantage of her voice until the very end where she just belts out an amazing note. It isnt really about the subject of the song either as that is alright as well, having big dreams and watching as you reach them is pretty awesome. I guess it just left me feeling underwhelmed because of how amazing I know her voice can be, but that shouldnt be a negative given the song is this high for a reason: I really enjoyed it, I just think a rearrangement could be even better.
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Stick to the Status Quo - from what I remember (and it's admittedly been a while since I've desired to see HSM again, great choreography, so-so song)
I See the Light - Now that's probably bias on my part for this song being a blatant A Whole New World ripoff
Court of Miracles - Sounds great, Clopin rules, but this song is like a minute long
A couple of Hercules tracks - the ones not named Zero to Hero, Go the Distance, or Won't Say I'm in Love specifically
And of course Gaston goes without saying.
Uh.... can we get a recap up to this point? It's entirely possible some of those have actually popped up without me even noticing.
103. Pink Elephants on Parade (Dumbo) 102. The Siamese Cat Song (Lady and the Tramp) 101. I won't Grow Up (Peter Pan) --100. Following the Leader (Peter Pan) 99. Theme Song (Tailspin) 98. The Ballad of Davy Crockett (Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier) 97. Hi Diddle Dee Dee (Pinocchio) 96. When I See an Elephant Fly (Dumbo) 95. I wanna be like you (The Jungle Book) 94. Arabian Nights (Aladdin) 93. I-2-I (A Goofy Movie) 92. Give me a Grade (Phineas and Ferb) 91. The World's Greatest Criminal Mind (The Great Mouse Detective) --90. The Incredits (The Incredibles) 89. Love (Robin Hood) 88. Dig a Tunnel (The Lion King 1 1/2) 87. One Last Hope (Hercules) 86. One Jump Ahead (Aladdin) 85. Theme Song (The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) 84. After Today (A Goofy Movie) 83. Theme Song (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers) 82. The Morning Report (The Lion King) 81. Heigh-Ho (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) --80. Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid) 79. Sally's Song (The Nightmare Before Christmas) 78. Mother Knows Best (Tangled) 77. Night To Remember (High School Musical 3) 76. Going Deep Into Your Mind (Phineas and Ferb) 75. Mysterious Force (Phineas and Ferb) 74. Mother Knows Reprise (Tangled) 73. Stand Out (A Goofy Movie) 72. Derezzed (Tron: Legacy) 71. What's This (The Nightmare Before Christmas) --70. Robot Riot (Phineas and Ferb) 69. Only Second Rate (Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar) 68. Le Festin (Ratatouille) 67. When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2) 66. Savages (Pocahontas) 65. Everybody Wants To Be a Cat (Aristocats) 64. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Song of the South) 63. Higitus Figitus (The Sword in the Stone) 62. On My Way (Brother Bear) 61. So Close (Enchanted) --60. You've Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story) 59. Bare Necessities (Jungle Book) 58. Candle on the Water (Pete's Dragon) 57. Who Better Than Me (Tarzan: The Broadway Musical) 56. Honor To Us All (Mulan) 55. Tomorrow is Another Day (The Rescuers) 54. Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians) 53. Say the Word (Kim Possible) 52. Stranger Like Me (Tarzan) 51. Friend Like Me (Aladdin) --50. I Want the Good Times Back (The Little Mermaid Broadway) 49. The circle of Life (The Lion King) 48. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (Lilo and Stitch) 47. Worthless (The Brave Little Toaster) 46. He's a Pirate (Pirates of the Caribbean) 45. This is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas) 44. Oogie Boogie's Song (Nightmare Before Christmas) 43. Almost There (The Princess and the Frog)
If you guys want a list of what is remaining I can give you that one too, not sure why you wouldn't want it but just in case...!
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Be Our Guest (Beauty and The Beast) Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) Belle (Beauty and The Beast) Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) If I can't Love Her (Beauty and the Beast: Broadway Musical)
Theme Song (Darkwing Duck)
Theme Song (Duck Tales)
A Star Is Born (Hercules) Go the Distance (Hercules) I Won't Say I'm In Love (Hercules) Zero to Hero (Hercules)
Stick To The Status Quo (High School Musical)
He Mele No Lilo (Lilo and Stitch)
I'll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan) Reflection (Mulan)
Why Should I Worry (Oliver & Company)
When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio)
Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas) Just Around the Riverbend (Pocahontas)
Phony King of England (Robin Hood)
See the Light (Tangled)
Son of Man (Tarzan) Two Worlds (Tarzan) You'll Be In My Heart (Tarzan)
Bells of Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Court of Miracles (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) God Help the Outcasts (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Hellfire (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Be Prepared (The Lion King) Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King) Warthog Rhapsody (The Lion King) We Are One (The Lion King 2)
Kiss the Girl (The Little Mermaid) Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid) Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid)
Kidnap the Sandy Claws (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
Dig a Little Deeper (Princess and the Frog) Friends on the Other Side (The Princess and the Frog)
I'm Still Here (Treasure Planet)
Down To Earth (Wall-E)
And as always, any updated Top Ten predictions (or songs you are nervous about if they haven't been eliminated yet) are amusing for me to read.
Also to make sure I update faster (note: anything is faster than this pace!) I will do the final two songs outside the top 40 shortly and then the entire top forty will be one song listings which should go a lot faster.
This list will be done before my brother's birthday (June 6th). Book it!
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Diablo III is down, let's see how many updates I can get until my soul is reclaimed.
Hint: Replies keep me motivated.
42. Dig a Little Deeper (Princess and the Frog)
This song is awesome as hell. I think I can say without a doubt this is my favorite old woman jam song in all of Disney history. Whats that you say, there really arent many of those? A minor detail, I assure you. This is probably one of my favorite scenes in an otherwise boring movie. Frogs dancing looks very silly as well despite her voice being stellar in this as well. The part where she is describing Tianas father is sweet even if it was brief. This song is very catchy and the reason why the song under it disappoints me is because the first time I heard Tianas voice was during her one note at the end of this song and I was like holy hell she can sing and then yeah. But at any rate I would say this is my favorite song of the soundtrack, but that cant possibly be true! I will say though that it is a very fun song to listen to and it makes an otherwise boring stretch of the movie much more tolerable to me, which makes the song all the more valuable.
41. He Mele No Lilo (Lilo and Stitch) Nominated by Raka
I confess I did not look up what the lyrics of this meant because I like to judge songs based on what a movie gave me. Also mild laziness. I dont need to know because I think the sound speaks for itself. I said earlier about songs that can tell you about a character or a theme without needing to use words to do it, this is much the same except that I just dont understand the words is all. Listening to this again gives me chills. It is just a special song that captures a feeling inside of me that I cant quite describe. There is a soothing joy about the song that is hard for me to quantify. It is a great start to the movie and the scene that accompanies it is very sweet. This is another song I could listen to all day. It is also a song I want to place ten places higher until I look at the following ten songs and cringe a little. 41 through 30 was some brutal decision making, and after 30 it only got harder. But to wrap it up I love this song so much and it makes me happy inside.
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40. If I can't Love Her (Beauty and the Beast: Broadway Musical)
There are few songs higher on this list sung better than this song. This song strikes right at the heart of the Beast and it is absolutely beautiful. I dont like some of the middle parts of the song though, I guess. Okay so it was actually two verses and some of the instrumentals which werent quite up to par with the rest of the song, especially the last minute or so. The last minute of this song is spine tingling in its emotion and the quality of the voice. That is the quality of the ages right there. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of nitpicking that I had to do to place this song this low just so I could do a ranking topic at all. I cant access my history to see who originally nominated this, but it was an absolutely amazing nomination. The Beast is a character I have always adored for his faults and all and I like to think this song does an absolutely beautiful job of showcasing everything the Beast is about when it comes to his love of Belle.
I am going to have to get into Broadway sometime in my life if this is what IU am going to be treated to on a regular basis. I think Cats scared me off when I was younger, despite my general appreciation for both acting and for singing. So uh, this song was so good it convinced me to give Broadway a second look. I think that says all that needs to be said about the song quality if I am going to be honest about it.
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39. Warthog Rhapsody (The Lion King) Nominated by Pram
I find it amusing that this was nominated but not Hakuna Matata, because it got replaced by Hakuna Matata in the original movie. Well, that and something else pretty funny. At any rate this is an awesome song that makes me smile every time I listen to it. The Lion King has always done very well at having a certain feel to songs that fits the song amazingly. The Lion King may have one of the great soundtracks up and down of any Disney movie ever made because of this. This song is no different. The sound just screams carefree and fun, and yet it has something more than adds to it. It is a pure and unmitigated fun. I think the best aspects of great songs are oft times hard to describe, and this is just one of them. This song has an energy to it that is almost overwhelming. The clash of sound and singing is just so brilliant. I absolutely love the song. The only small knock against the song is I dont like the message as much as some of the songs ahead of it and I certainly understand why Hakuna Matata replaced it. The song is a very fun listen though.
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Aw DalD too low... Best PatF song right there. Close call between that and FotoS for me.
Me too!
38. Friends on the Other Side (The Princess and the Frog) Nominated by Anagram
I think one of the big problems I had with Poor Unfortunate Souls is that after listening to this song with the same exact premise there is no comparison. You see before he did the deal he was being fairly charming and was not overtly evil at all. Then as soon as the contract was sealed with their blood he busted out the evil laughter and the song hit a fevered pitch as the prince realized he was completely screwed but it was too late to back out. This was an amazing villain song because it featured great temptation, clever word play, and then the villain went all evil and sizzle on the lead males punk ass the very second he had him in his grasp. Perfect timing, not a moment wasted or laying it on thick. The song itself is haunting when it needs to be and the mood shifts a few times throughout the song at just the right time. The song tells me that hes got friends on the other side and what this means is explained and made clear by the end of the song. Now mind you it turns out that the friends he has dont like him very much and he gets eaten or something like that but I guess that isnt much of the point. Best part: Its the green you need. See Ursula, thats called clever wordplay. Try it sometime.
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Well they did reasonably well. And Facilier is indeed a lot more subtle than Ursula before the deal was sealed in his situation. You really think Ariel would've heard "Flotsam, Jetsam now I've got her boys. The boss is on a roll," since she essentially yells that last part... but then again, Ariel is kind of a dumbass.
Add Phony King of England to my "little too high" list btw.
There is only so much a song can do in one minute to win me over. This song does almost as much can be done to do so in that time span. I love the cartoon, I love Scrooge, and this is one of the most iconic Disney songs of my childhood. I would park my ass in front of the TV and watch this show any time it came on. I absolutely love this show with all of my bleeding nostalgia filled heart. The theme is catchy, it hits on what makes the show great, and it can be listened to a lot with almost no wear from my brain. I love this theme so much. But, at the end of the day, themes just dont hold much sway over my heart. They just cant, based on how I judge songs and what they mean to me. It says a tremendous amount about the esteem I would hold any theme to beat the last few songs on this list, not to mention the theme still to come. I love Duck Tales.
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36. Just Around the River Bend (Pocahontas) Nominated by BrettEagles
As I was writing for this my computer froze up while listening to the song. That wasnt fun. Anyway Pocahontas is not one of my favorite movies out there but one thing holds true: Pocahontas can sure sing. She has a beautiful voice and the song itself speaks to something that I think we all feel in our lives at times. We may not think of the big choices in our life or the opportunities as river bends, but it is an apt way to describe them. The nitpick I had for this song is that there is another song in the movie that is both sung better and has a better message, and I just like it better than this song plain and simple, so it is hard for me to rank a song too high when those circumstances are met. Still, this is a lovely song that I enjoy a lot.
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35. Phony King of England (Robin Hood) Nominated by StifledSilence
Too high, huh Gen? I suppose it might be, but I have a great fondness for songs which make fun of bad monarchs I guess. I dont think I had the song very high at the start of the rankings but I kept relistening to it and I liked it more. I think the carefree and unique nature of the song really just kept driving it up the rankings. There wasnt another song in the ranking that had quite the same spirit and good nature about mocking someone that this song did and it really ended up speaking to me. That being said it doesnt really have a whole lot of substance behind it beyond the fact that it is a good toe tapping song as well as an amazing scene in the movie. I just like hearing about that no good phony king of England.
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