Hello and welcome back to Music Fridays. Today, there's been a slight change in plans. Instead of giving you Tower of Terror music. I'm going to give you my 13 favorite Disney Villains songs. Why 13 6, it's Halloween. Let's begin. Oh, and by the way, Grim Grinning Ghost does not count as a villain song in my eyes.
13. It's Our House Now - Mickey's House of Villains
Admittedly, this special isn't very good but damn, if this song isn't just so much fun. I mean c'mon all of the Disney villains coming together in one big rousing number to take over the House of Mouse. That is beyond awesome.
One area, where the stage production of Mary Poppins differs is that a villain is brought during the second act, Miss Andrews. Miss Andrews is a nanny, that almost everyone, she raised Mr. Banks (honestly, that explains so much) and her view of the way to treat children is the complete opposite of Mary Poppins. She believes children have no value and is not interested in having fun but rather establishing order. It's best seen, wit the medicine, she gives to Jane and Micheal. Whereas Mary Poppins gives them sugar to help the medicine go down, something sweet. Miss Andrew's medicine includes such things as cod liver oil. Ewe, ewe, ewe!!!! A disgusting ingredient to fit an evil woman. Now, this song is actually into two part, I don't a reprise but it is AWESOME, it's a battle of the nannies as we see Mary Poppins and Miss Andrews go at it while Mary Poppins sings A Spoonful of Sugar. Easily, one of the coolest things ever.
11. Trust In Me - The Jungle Book
A few things to know about me, Sterling Holloway is my favorite Voice Actor, I think that Kaa is seriously underrated as a villain and I intend to do a countdown of underrated villains next year and this song perfectly captures the threat that Kaa is, which people tend to forget that Kaa is a legit threat.
10. Me - Beauty and The Beast (Play)
Our first appearance of Gaston on this list and our first of quite a few stage songs on this list. I think the reason, I like this song so much is quite simply put, it turns the notch of Gaston's arrogance up from 10 to 20. It shows how much of a pig, he truly is.
9. Hellfire - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I know a few people may be disappointed that this song is higher on this list but there are other villain songs I like better then this one but this one works because of the internal conflict that Frollo is going through in regards to Esmeralda and he even though, he knows he loves her and it is a sin, he wants to pin the blame on her. And just the imagery alone here such as the fire and whatever cloaked figures were. My best guess is they are Frollo judging himself and looking down upon himself with shame.
8. The Bottom Line/The Bottom Line (Reprise) - Newsies
Coming in at # 9 from the stage production is Pulitzer's two big songs, The Bottom Line and it's reprise. What's so great about these two. Well, it takes Pulitzer who in the movie was an okay character and actually makes him much more interesting as we get into his motive of why he's doing it and having be delivered in song. Yeah, that's a lot of fun. And while I do like the first number, I think it's the reprise, where he becomes a big threat. Just listen to the way, he talks to Jack Kelly, one of my heroes and belittles him. And Jack at this point in the show had all but given up and is just standing there and taking it because he knows, there is nothing he can do.
7 . Gaston - Beauty and The Beast
This song is pretty much the reason, I love Gaston, just like Me, it wonderfully shows how full of himself, he is but I think the thing I really love about this number is how he has people there to fuel his ego and they just love him and follow his every whim and order. As seen in # 6...
6. The Mob Song - Beauty and The Beast
In this number, Gaston has become the monster full on and this actually shows him as an intimidating force and that by using fear, he is able to convince the entire village to follow him on an attack against Beast. It just goes to show how much power one person can have and how that can be extremely dangerous.
5. The Madness of King Scar - The Lion King (Play)
I've said it before and I'll always say it, I find this song to be the superior Scar song as we get into his psyche after becoming king and he has realized that it is not how he thought it'd be and it picks apart and analyzes Scar's self-destruction and you notice that he is still living in the shadow of Mufasa and this number perfectly captures how he is not capable of ruling the Pridelands.
4. Poor Unfortunate Souls - The Little Mermaid
What sells this song is the way, Ursula is so easily able to trick Ariel and not to mention Pat Caroll's singing that just makes the song creepy and fun at the same time. Plus, you gotta love that laugh. Fun fact, it was a recording of this song by Howard Ashman sent to Pat Caroll that convinced to take the role and she actually based some of her performance, mainly her inflections on how Alan Menken sang it.
3. Friends On The Other Side - The Princess and The Frog
Two words, Keith David. Oh my gosh, this man has a voice that can rival James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman in terms of awesomeness. And as for this number, I love the voodoo imagery in the background and also the foreshadowing to what happens to Naveen with the line about needing green. I just love picking up on stuff like that.
2. Prince Ali (Reprise) - Aladdin
I love the cleverness of this one of taking a song that was celebrating Al's false identity and having Jafar basically rip away the lie and reveal the truth to Jasmine. That is just cruel and twisted. Gotta love how Jafar is so wicked throughout this and this shows that even though I like Naveen Andrews as Jafar on Wonderland, Jonathan Freeman is the best. Apparently, he's so good that he'll be playing Jafar on Broadway, when the stage production opens. Sweet.
1. Mother Knows Best (Reprise) - Tangled
And my favorite villain song is Mother Knows Best (Reprise) Ironically, I can't stand Mother Knows Best as I find the first number to be too over the top and silly for me to take seriously but then when we get to Gothel's reprise, this is I want. While yes, Gothel was putting down her "daughter" in the first one, this song is more personal as she is playing on Rapunzel's love for Flynn and you can practically hear the knife being stabbed in Rapunzel's heart as she tried to stand up for herself and tell her "mother" that she might be wrong but Gothel just used that to bring my favorite princess down even more by telling her that she is just a child and not an adult. This song just goes to show how cruel and cold-hearted Gothel truly is. And perhaps, the biggest reason, this is my favorite villain song, is perhaps because it's the most personal and it hurts to see someone be taken down that was supposedly caring for them.
There you have it, a countdown of my 12 favorite villain songs. I hope that you enjoyed this and thus ends A Look at Disney Halloween as all next week will be dedicated to Monstrous Musicals.
Rapunzel knows best
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