Tim: Welcome to a special Music Fridays. Today, I'll be taking a look at 4 Disney songs from Phil Collins. Though I realized that if I were to talk about Phil Collins on Music Fridays, there is a certain blogger that I should have join me. So please help me in welcoming James Daniel Walsh back to A Look at Disney for a third time.
JDW: Yes, it is me, coming in the air tonight...wait, let me rephrase that... Thanks so much for having me back, my friend. And to talk about the Man himself! Where do we begin? I suppose with the Disney soundtracks he made so memorable.
Tim: Agreed, on this special Music Fridays I selected 4 songs sung by Phil Collins. Two from Tarzan and two from Brother Bear to look at. Now I'd like to kick things off with one of my favorites by Phil. From Brother Bear, I give you..
No Way Out
Tim: If I had to think of one word to describe this song, it would be sorrow. To me this song in terms of the movie reflects the guilt that Kenai has for not only killing Koda's mother but also letting his brother die for him. I would rank this amongst some of the saddest Disney songs that I have ever heard. It is also a good look at the inner struggle of a person try to accept what they have done and how do they overcome it. While it doesn't sound as big or lively as Phil's songs from the Tarzan soundtrack, I feel that adds to the message of this song. Because by making the song sound simple, it makes the message ans story of the song much more meaningful.
JDW: Well, if you're looking for a little bit of a pick-me-up from the movie version of No Way Out, Phil does another version on the soundtrack which concludes with a far more positive message. You really hit the nail on the head as to why Phil's work with Disney is great - there is a depth to No Way Out and many of his songs that few Disney soundtracks would dare to touch. For my money, the only Disney soundtrack to ever approach the emotional depths of Brother Bear and Tarzan is the underrated Hunchback of Notre Dame.
No way out is a song everyone can relate to. It instantly makes you think of a moment in time when you could have done the right thing and didn't. A fine choice, my friend.
Tim: I do agree that Hunchback is rather emotional and has great depth. Up next, I wish to touch upon Look Through My Eyes. Also from Brother Bear.
Look Through My Eyes
Tim: Compared to No Way Out, this is much happier song. From this song, I get a feeling of protection. In that Kenai has finally warmed up to Koda and wants to protect him from any danger. Of course, you could expand on that message and have it be anyone protecting someone they care for be it a father protecting his daughters or an uncle protecting his nephew. With the the whole message of Look Through My Eyes, I feel as though Phil is saying, "Just look into my eyes and know that you can trust me. I will never hurt you." While a good song and the background music is beautiful, I have to say that I think No Way Out is the stronger of the two Brother Bear songs featured.
JDW: Look Through My Eyes makes me think about my kids. What I always think of is "if you could just see yourself as I see you, you'd never have to question your worth." I think its a testimony to Phil's caring for his own children that the two movies he did the soundtracks for both have very strong parental themes, more so than any other song. I can't recall a song from Lion King or Little Mermaid that was a declaration of love for a child from a parent or guardian, but both Brother Bear and Tarzan have such songs
JDW: Look Through My Eyes makes me think about my kids. What I always think of is "if you could just see yourself as I see you, you'd never have to question your worth." I think its a testimony to Phil's caring for his own children that the two movies he did the soundtracks for both have very strong parental themes, more so than any other song. I can't recall a song from Lion King or Little Mermaid that was a declaration of love for a child from a parent or guardian, but both Brother Bear and Tarzan have such songs
Tim: If your looking for a song from Mermaid or Lion King about paternal love, may I suggest you check out If Only or He Lives In You from their respective Broadway counterparts. Now for our next two songs, we turn to Tarzan. First up is Strangers Like Me.
Strangers Like Me
Tim: I really enjoy this song because while in the film it applies to Tarzan wanting to learn more about Jane and the people like her. Because he has never known any other person because of how he was raised. It makes me think of someone like myself who I consider to be socially awkward and how we just want to fit in. This may sound shallow but what I'm trying to get across is that everyone has that other world that intrigues them and they want to learn more about it.
JDW: And that other world doesn't have to be all that different. Maybe its a little more money, or a little more love, whatever. In the movie I think it also illustrates the other world Jane wants to see. Its great when a song can reflect two characters emotions at once without having to drastically change tone.
I liked this song a lot when I heard it, but to be it hasn't aged as well as some of the other Tarzan songs. Its still a great song and works well in the context of the movie, but I much prefer Son of Man.
Tim: Now our final song of the day is Two Worlds, One Family.
Two Worlds, One Family
Tim: I feel that out of all the songs that have been featured here today. This has some of the strongest emotion behind it. This song to me just a has a great sound especially with the background music sounding as though there are animals running through the jungle. Whereas Strangers Like Me was a song of wanting to learn about two different worlds. I look at this song as the blending of those two worlds and how they have come together to form one family hence the title of the song.
JDW: Its the right song to open and close the movie with, but for my taste its actually the weakest of the films songs. Maybe its just that I feel a connection with You'll Be In My Heart, and I really feel Son of Man and Trashin' the Camp are fun songs (despite N*Syncs involvement in the latter song...in an age of Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber, N*Sync doesn't really bother me any more).
Maybe the other reason Two Worlds is my least favorite is that, unlike the other songs, this is totally a part of the movie. What I mean is, the other songs you could just listen to as Phil Collins songs. They work in the movie wonderfully, but they don't require the context of the movie. Two Worlds does, and in the context of the movie its perfect. However, to just listen to on its own while your rockin' out in your underwear, pretending a tennis racket is a sweet Fender (not that I've ever done that), Two Worlds doesn't rock my socks off.
However, as you mentioned the stage versions of Little Mermaid and Lion King, might I offer up one more song to be considered here today. Everything That I Am, from the Tarzan Broadway show
Tim: Certainly. Ladies and gentlemen, it looks as though we have one more song before we close this special Music Fridays.
Everything That I Am
Tim: I must admit that I had never heard this song until now. I will say one thing that I must always applaud Disney for when it comes to adapting their films to stage is that they try to get the people who worked on the songs for the film to come back and write new songs for the play. Now I do not know where in the context of the play, this song takes place. So I won't be focusing on that too much but this song to me seems like an inner struggle of the character of Tarzan trying to figure out which family he belongs with. Does he stay with the family he knows or loves or go with the ones that look like him? Taking that out of the play and character, I can see the struggle portrayed in this song being relevant to someone going through these same ordeals. Not that I have ever faced anything like this personally. I do think that it is a decent song and it does have a nice idea behind it. Though not my favorite from the Broadway adaption, no that would be I Need To Know, which is similar to this song but both are at different points in Tarzan's life.
JDW: I have never heard the Broadway version of Everything that I Am, only Phil's version, and I think its a great song for him to go out on. If his recent retirement announcement is to be believed, Everything That I Am will be the last original Phil Collins song ever recorded (though he did put out an album last year - Going Back - it was all covers). If Everything That I Am is his last song, I think its a wonderful farewell to his fans and those that love his work.
So MovieFan, I hope we got a few people to check out the underrated Mr. Collins today.
Tim: I think that we did and once again James for joining me on this adventure through the music of Phil Collins.
JDW: Always a pleasure
Tim: Join me next time whe Musif Friday gets the Halloween treatment as I take a look at 4 of my favorite songs celebrating the Villains
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