I Have Thoughts about Billboard’s List of Best Disney Songs
On May 25, 2023, Billboard.com released a list of the 100 Best Disney songs. I am not going to go over the entire list, nor am I going to make my own list since that would take forever, and I am also working on another in-depth article that I hope you all will enjoy, but you can look up the original list here:
The list also includes TV theme songs, made-for-TV movies, and theme park rides. Given my age, I am not familiar with the things Disney aired on TV before the ‘90s and after about 2004; I also realize this makes me biased towards movies from the Disney Renaissance era which comprises of the movies from 1989’s The Little Mermaid to 1999’s Tarzan. I also haven’t been on a lot of the theme park rides; I’ve been to Disney World (Epcot and Magical Kingdom) and (I think, when I was about 3) Disneyland, but I have a neck issue that precludes me from most rides. What I’m saying is it’s difficult for me to have a properly objective response to the whole list, so I’m only going to highlight the highs and lows in my opinion.
What They Got Right (or What I Expected)
"Just Around the Riverbend" from Pocahontas at 81
"Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The Aristocats at 70
I’d probably put it a bit higher because I love jazz.
"The Unbirthday Song" from Alice in Wonderland at 66
"Oo-De-Lally" from Robin Hood at 59
"I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book at 51
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from Cinderella at 39
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins at 37
"Friend Like Me" from Aladdin at 35
"You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story at 29
"Reflection" from Mulan at 23
"Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas at 17
"Remember Me" from Coco at 15
"The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book at 14
"Cruella de Vil" from 101 Dalmations at 13
This song would be in my top 10 if not top 5 because I tend to gravitate towards fun villain songs (they’re just more interesting than the hero ballads), but 13’s my favorite number, so I’m OK with this.
"We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto at 12
"Circle of Life" from The Lion King at 11
Nobody my age can resist singing the opening Swahili chant; it’s just so dramatic! And, apparently, my white-ass has been saying “nants ingonyama bagithi baba” wrong my entire life. LOL, who knew?
"A Whole New World" from Aladdin at 6
I’d probably put it a bit lower, but I’m not surprised. My favorite song from that movie, “One Jump Ahead”, is one of the most underrated Disney songs ever.
"Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast at 4
I’d lower it a bit (maybe in the teens), but it’s my favorite from that movie, so I’m not mad at it.
"Let It Go" from Frozen at 2
I think the only reason I wouldn’t put this song in my top 5 is because I didn’t grow up watching this movie. Idina Menzel is insanely talented. I tried singing this recently, and, boy, I am rusty! Guess who can’t hit the high notes with just her chest voice like Idina can? This bitch!
Pleasant Surprises
"That's How You Know" from Enchanted at 67
I like this loving parody of Disney musical numbers because it shows what it would be like for people to just start singing in the middle of everyday life in New York. Robert tries to get Princess Giselle to stop singing in Central Park and then is perplexed when the ensemble seems to know the impromptu song. Patrick Dempsey plays a great straight man here while Amy Adams is charming as the embodiment of the trope they’re gently poking fun at.
"The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" from Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day at 64
I love Tigger’s manic energy (which is ironic because I’m a lot more like Pooh Bear with my spaciness and love of honey). I think Tigger and Pluto were my favorite Disney characters as a toddler. But where is Pooh’s song “Little Black Rain Cloud”?
"Let's Get Together" from The Parent Trap (1961) at 52
My sisters and I may be the only millennials who grew up watching the original movie with Hayley Mills. This is such a sweet and simple song. The Lindsay Lohan remake is really good too; I was honestly pleasantly surprised with how much it did justice to the original.
"Why Should I Worry?" from Oliver & Company at 46
I love Billy Joel, but this is probably the best song he wrote in the ‘80s.
"I Won't Say I'm in Love" from Hercules at 45
I love this movie (Hades is my favorite villain of all time, not just Disney). Very few princess songs have a doo-wop feel, and this is a nice contrast to Snow White’s “Someday My Prince Will Come” (and truer to how I actually feel when I start crushing on somebody). I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s not the cheesy “I Will Go the Distance”. I would also put the gospel “Zero to Hero” on the list, but I will take this as a win.
"Supernova Girl" from Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century at 24
This sci-fi movie is one of only a few made-for-TV movies I grew up watching. This is a well-crafted boy band-ish pop gem; I get it stuck in my head at random times, even if I haven’t seen the movie in decades (I rewatched it recently; it’s ridiculous but entertaining). Truthfully, I would put this in the bottom half of the list, but I’m just glad this made it.
DuckTales theme song at 19
The original theme song has a classic jazzy feel while the reboot version ups the energy and updates it to more of a pop-rock song. I like both versions. I grew up watching the original series, but the recent reboot is fantastic! It’s really funny, and there are some genuinely surprising story arcs. My sister and I watch it, and we don’t even have kids. It has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Disappointments
"He's a Tramp" from Lady and the Tramp at 97
The song is just a classic jazz ballad by Peggy Lee, and I am surprised and disappointed that it is so low on this list.
"Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid at 1
The funny thing is I really like this song, and I would probably put it in the top 20 or 30, but at number 1? I love singing this song, but this isn’t even my favorite song from this movie. Speaking of which…
"Poor Unfortunate Souls" at 65
I mentioned earlier that the villain songs are generally more interesting, and this is a prime example. People tend to underestimate how difficult it is to sing fast songs and overestimate how difficult it is to belt out a ballad. I can sing “Part of Your World”; I cannot sing this song, even with the lyrics right in front of me. Part of it is that it’s at the lower end of my vocal range, but keeping up with a fast tempo while enunciating the lyrics takes a lot of breath control while most singers worth their salt (especially sopranos) can project their voice pretty well for a dramatic ballad.
"I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan at 47
“Reflection” is a good song, and Christina Aguilera does a great job of it, but this song is better and deserves to be higher.
"Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo at 41
Admittedly, this is probably just because I was traumatized by the whole animated sequence. I’m not even sure I remember how the song goes.
"You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan at 34
I really like Phil Collins, but no, this is too high. I would put this in the 80s or 90s if I include it at all.
"What Dreams Are Made Of" from The Lizzie McGuire Movie at 30
I’m probably going to get flak from other people my age for this; I loved the TV show as a teen, but the movie was terrible (and, in hindsight, the TV show probably wasn’t very good either). I don’t even remember the song, so I looked it up. During the performance, Lizzie is lip-synching but then the vocal track cuts out, and she has to sing it live (it’s more complicated than that – there is a doppelgänger involved – but I’m not going to summarize the dumb plot of this movie), and not only does she sound exactly the same, but it is also clearly autotuned like hell.
"Whistle While You Work" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at 25
This is just because I find Snow White’s voice super annoying.
"Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty at 18
This is one of my sister’s favorite Disney movies, but this song is just OK. They just added lyrics to a Tchaikovsky piece.
"A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins at 9
I’m already regretting this because how dare I suggest that Julie Andrews should not be in the top 10 when she is a goddess? I think I would just prefer “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” here instead.
"The Climb" from Hannah Montana: The Movie at 8
Gen Z will probably disagree with me. I know this is a popular song, and I’m not surprised it’s on here; I’m just surprised it’s in the top 10. I personally think Miley’s music greatly improved after Hannah Montana. I remember once seeing her perform the song on American Idol, and I genuinely thought she was a bad singer. Maybe she just had an off day, but I think Disney wrote songs for her that not only she did not seem to relate to, but they also didn’t take into account her alto vocal range. I did not realize how good of the singer Miley is until I heard her sing “Wrecking Ball” live.
"A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella at 16 and "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio at 5
They’re just cheesy ballads, and I would’ve lowered their places on the list.
Outrages
"It's a Small World" from the theme park ride at 3
No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! It’s not a small world, it is the parasitic earworm that nobody asked for.
And where the hell is “Be Prepared”?! That is one of my favorite Disney songs ever, not just in The Lion King. They have “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” on the list, but not what’s probably the most popular Disney villain song ever?
Random Thoughts
"S.I.M.P. (Squirrels in My Pants)" from Phineas and Ferb at 75
I didn’t know the song, but I liked the title, so I looked it up. And it is a rap song. It is ridiculous, and I am here for it!
"How Far I'll Go" from Moana at 44
This is placed lower than I thought it would be considering that Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the song. I also thought this was the most popular song from that movie, but “You’re Welcome” is placed higher at number 21. I’m not mad at it, just surprised.
I’m also surprised that “Beauty and the Beast” is not on here, especially so soon after Angela Lansbury’s death. “Be Our Guest” and “Belle” are on the list.
"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" from Three Little Pigs at 27
I would agree if it were LL Cool J’s version. If you are not familiar with it, play the video below. You’re welcome.