Worst Disney Songs

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BelleGirl
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Post by BelleGirl »

There are few Disney songs I dislike, but I would pick

Morning Report: this is hardly a 'song'.


It's a small world Seems to be very popular in Disneyland, but how often can you listen to it without getting crazy?

Be prepared Maybe I dislike it because I don't like Jeremy Iron's singing. The animated scene is haunting though with the goosestepping hyena's.

I don't get why people dislike "Just around the riverbend", I think it's sparkling! I've worked on it during my singing lessons and my teacher liked it too.

Maybe I can come up with more later, but I think I have to rewatch a few Disney movies first.
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Post by Lazario »

BelleGirl wrote:It's a small world Seems to be very popular in Disneyland, but how often can you listen to it without getting crazy?
I hear you there, but I still like its' creepiness.
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Post by Disneyphile »

I can't believe no one's mentioned this one yet, but Trashin' The Camp is my nominee for worst Disney song. When you think of all the great scat singers, the first name that pops into your head is Rosie O'Donnell.
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Post by Wonderlicious »

I think that my feelings on worst Disney songs has changed quite a bit since I originally posted here back five years ago (a song from The Jungle Book as one of the worst songs?), so I'll write a new list. Obviously, a lot of what is worthy of this list depends on particular arrangements of the songs (a lot of Disney Channel covers of classic tunes from the DVDs deserve burning, for example), but I'll base these on how they appear in their original form

Nearly all of the songs from the DTV films and animated TV series episodes:
They're not exactly of the "When You Wish Upon A Star" or "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" prestige. The songs in both of the Cinderella sequels are particularly dismal.

"Trashin' the Camp" (Tarzan)
I somehow managed to suppress my memory of this until Disneyphile mentioned it; it's really a piece of grade-A crap. :headshake: I don't know whether to thank or condemn you, Disneyphile. :p

"Goodbye May Seem Forever" (The Fox and the Hound)
Just on the dull side of things, a bit depressing too.

"Pasamaquady" (Pete's Dragon)
The film suffers with some really long and draggy songs, as good as they may or may not be on their own merits. This one is a particularly dull song, though. The melody sounds like not much more than background music from Main Street USA.

"Morning Report" (The Lion King, or at least its 2003 redux)
Not that it's particularly bad, but it should have stayed just on the stage. Disney must have known that they'd make a ton of money with The Lion King on DVD without adding songs to it - typical of the excessiveness at the end of the Eisner era. "Human Again" in Beauty and the Beast equally wasn't all that necessary (we essentially got three big numbers in a row, and it covers a lot of the same ground as "Something There"), but it's a reasonably good tune.

"Just Like We Dreamed It" (Disneyland Paris)
For anyone who didn't know, this plays as part of the current daytime Main Street parade at Disneyland Paris. I understand that nearly all of the songs written specifically for the parades in the Disney theme parks have never been classics (unlike a lot of the songs written for the attractions). But this one really sinks to a new low; it's like a really bad, poorly produced American Idol song. It's songs like this (as well as the obsessive crowds) which just tell me to avoid Disney parades if I can, as fun as they may be. For those brave enough, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hla7-D5Mi5c

"Gonna Take You There" (The Princess and the Frog):
I like some of the songs in The Princess and the Frog a lot ("Down in New Orleans" in particular), but some of them I feel are a bit forced. This one, though, is just quite irritating and without much substance.
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Post by Goliath »

Disney-songs I dislike (but I'm not gonna bother listing songs from sequels):

- Everything from The Aristocats, except for 'Everybody wants to be a cat'. They're just too forgettable. The opening song is ridiculous. I can't believe Maurice Chevalier wanted to do that stinker.

- All songs from The Fox and the Hound. I can't even remember them, but that's probably because I have them blocked from memory. Again: nothing memorable in this film.

- 'Dig a little deeper' from The Princess and the Frog. It's preachy beyond belief. At this point in the movie, we already know what Tiana and Naveen really need (= each other), yet we still get a song that spells it out for us, word for word. Talk about beating the audience over the heads with something!

- That ridiculous yodeling song from Home on the Range. At that point, I wanted to turn off the film --and wished I had, because it all got downhill from this point (even *more* downhill)!

- From The Lion King: 'Can't you feel the love tonight?' No, I can't!

- 'I love to laugh' from Mary Poppins: slows down the whole film and it adds absolutely nothing.

- 'Femininity' from Summer Magic. I only know this song because it's on a CD with classic Disney songs I own. I hope this song was meant to be sarcastic. But I expect not, and that makes this the world's most sexist song and it shouldn't be exposed to girls anymore.
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Post by Avaitor »

Now guys, before you say bad things about "Trashin' the Camp", I implore you to watch this video.
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Worst Disney Songs

Post by Disney Duster »

Goliath wrote:- 'Femininity' from Summer Magic. I only know this song because it's on a CD with classic Disney songs I own. I hope this song was meant to be sarcastic. But I expect not, and that makes this the world's most sexist song and it shouldn't be exposed to girls anymore.
I just had to listen to it...it turns out it's sung by Hayley Mills in pants, and acting in a way kind of making fun of super feminine behavior. I mean, "Hide the real you"? In anti-feminism, wouldn't it be taught that feminity is all that a real girl has? But maybe it really is about being feminine just to attract a guy, and be the real you later when you've got him...
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Post by Goliath »

Either way, the melody is awful, the singing makes me cringe and the pace is uttelry boring. So the song 'Femininity' is epic fail on all fronts.
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Post by Sadako »

Oliver and Company?! No! OK, most of them are bad but "Why Should I Worry" was great!
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Post by sunhuntin »

Avaitor wrote:Now guys, before you say bad things about "Trashin' the Camp", I implore you to watch this video.
i love this song! actually, i love the whole tarzan soundtrack. that song is the reason terk is like #3 on my top character list [only beaten by goofy and dopey]
big kid at heart
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Post by slave2moonlight »

Offhand, I can't think of anything from any Disney theatrical releases or Walt era stuff that is I dislike or consider "bad". But I will say that a lot if not most of the direct to video songs may fall into this category. Someone mentioned Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure, and while I don't remember the songs specifically, it's been a while since I watched it, I do remember that they were one of the biggest problems that film had. I thought it was visually very impressive for direct to video, and I did feel Scamp deserved his own movie (not just a rehash of the first film though), but basically that movie is full of audio problems, because the voices weren't working for me either. Well, mainly Scamp's, not because I don't like Scott Wolf, nothing against him, just that he was too old for that role. But, that's beside the point. Bottom line, the first wasn't a Broadway style musical, and so the sequel shouldn't have been one. But I'm pretty sure the songs weren't even good.

Anyway, I don't think all the direct to video songs were bad. I actually really like Upendi, and that film had songs from the Rhythm of the Pridelands CD (1 at least) that were good. But, then their was Zira's Lullaby, which I didn't care for. They have a really hard time with villain songs on the direct to video stuff... Plus, I don't know what it is about direct to video music writers, but it often seems like they can't even come up with a consistent tune or rhyming lyrics. So annoying... I can't get more specific though, because I just can't remember most of the direct to video songs.

And, thinking on the bigscreen releases, there were probably songs in Jungle Book 2 and Peter Pan 2 that I didn't like, ha. That Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust song just didn't fit for me. And I don't know if I'd say they were bad songs, again, haven't watched it in a while, but the only thing I didn't like about Bambi 2 was that the songs were too modern for placing the film as a midquel. Otherwise, I think it's a very good film.

Anywho, I really see all this as just opinion. You're naturally going to have some folks who love every song in Pete's Dragon, and some who hate specific ones or even all of them. It'll be that way with every song and every film. And even the "offensiveness" of certain songs can be a very personal opinion issue. Yes, even "What Makes the Red Man Red". Whether or not this is offensive may seem obvious to some, require more consideration to others, and just be a moot subject to still others. myself, I am always anti-censorship, even when I find something offensive myself, because I don't want others deciding what is acceptable and unacceptable for me. We may not always agree. I also consider film an art form and that, no matter what the medium or people's conception of the "target audience", a filmmaker should be free to follow their vision and we should simply be free to decide whether or not we (as individuals) want to see it (AFTER it's complete).

Now, take something like "Femininity", or the similar song, Happiest Millionaire's "Bye-Yum Pum Pum". These are probably my least favorite songs in these movies (and Happiest Millionaire is one of my all-time favorite films), but it's not really because they're bad songs. They're just moments in these films in which they suddenly feel like a chick-flick (if you'll try not to get too offended by that term; most females seem to embrace it, but I know there are some guys in this forum who might call it sexist). Though, in truth, Summer Magic often feels like a chick flick. That doesn't mean it's bad. I love that movie. Anyway, getting to the main issue, some may see these songs as sexist, but as with other offensive things, they don't seem to put them in the proper context. These songs were meant to represent the views of the time. And I'm not talking about the time the film was made, but the time the film takes place. That was simply a common attitude of the time. It's not being sexist, it's actually being realistic about history. So, to say kids today should not be allowed to see these films or hear these songs is like saying they shouldn't be allowed to study history. At least not unless it is heavily edited. There is just no way that is good for them or for society.
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Post by Lazario »

slave2moonlight wrote:Offhand, I can't think of anything from any Disney theatrical releases or Walt era stuff that is I dislike or consider "bad".
Then, allow me to refresh this one to your memory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKPSelEFjZU&fmt=18

Special attention to 0:27-0:41 and 1:03-1:12. My ears practically shrivel up and die each time.
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Post by slave2moonlight »

Lazario wrote:
slave2moonlight wrote:Offhand, I can't think of anything from any Disney theatrical releases or Walt era stuff that is I dislike or consider "bad".
Then, allow me to refresh this one to your memory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKPSelEFjZU&fmt=18

Special attention to 0:27-0:41 and 1:03-1:12. My ears practically shrivel up and die each time.
Ha, nope, I like that one too.
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Post by Lazario »

Then that makes you UD Forum Saint #3 (Esc is clearly #1, and BC is #2 :D).
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Post by slave2moonlight »

:shock: 'Tis my honor. :D C'mon, Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a masterpiece. Nothing in there not to like. And Katrina is a goddess.
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Post by DisneyFan09 »

"The Climb" from Hannah Montana The Movie. Worst Disney song ever!
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Post by slave2moonlight »

DisneyFan09 wrote:"The Climb" from Hannah Montana The Movie. Worst Disney song ever!
Ha, actually, I didn't think of the Disney Channel or Disney TV shows in general. There surely are a lot there, and from Disney pop albums in general. Though, in truth, I like "The Climb". I was surprised, but I thought it was a really good song. Though, it irritates my sister (a singer), because she says it should have a vocal "climb" in it if it's going to be called "The Climb", ha.

Oh, and can't forget the High School Musical movies! I haven't actually watched them yet, but I remember flipping channels and passing the first one once or twice and catching some AWFUL stuff!
Last edited by slave2moonlight on Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by DisneyFan09 »

slave2moonlight wrote:
DisneyFan09 wrote:"The Climb" from Hannah Montana The Movie. Worst Disney song ever!
Ha, actually, I didn't think of the Disney Channel or Disney TV shows in general. There surely are a lot there, and from Disney pop albums in general. Though, in truth, I like "The Climb". I was surprised, but I thought it was a really good song. Though, it irritates my sister (a singer), because she says it should have a vocal "climb" in it if it's going to be called "The Climb", ha.
What is so great about that song? The dreadful, unispired melody? Miley's goat-sounding voice? Sorry, I don't wanna sound bitchy, but I don't see what's so great about the song, besides the melody.
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Post by slave2moonlight »

Well, it's like with any song here. Some people love Why Should I Worry and Once Upon a Time in New York City, like myself, while others just don't like anything about those songs.

Anyway, this is pretty interesting to read, as my sister and I were just discussing that she should do a Disney CD someday, like some artists do (incidentally, this is the website of her Austin-based Blues band: http://seventhsunmusic.net ) For fun, we even made a list of songs for it. A few of them she wanted to do were: Candle on the Water, Someone's Waiting for You, He's a Tramp, Why Don't You Do Right, Once Upon a Time in New York City, Why Should I Worry, Santa Fe, What Can You Lose, and possibly some classic EPCOT ones, including something from Captain Eo, among others. We came up with way too many for one album, but those were some of the top choices.
Last edited by slave2moonlight on Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:43 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by DisneyFan09 »

You're right. Sorry if I seemed rude, I'm just so tired of people praising that song to death. I think it's way overrated, despite it's good lyrics.
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