Music Fridays # 166: The Muppet Christmas Carol

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we continue our Christmas Carol celebration as I look at the music of The Muppet Christmas Carol. With that out of the way, let's begin.

Overture 

A small little piece to get you excited for the film that you about to watch as it previews the songs that are about to come up but I enjoy it for what it is.

Scrooge

This is such a great setup for who Scrooge is as it really sets him up as this monster that the town hates.  You get the idea that everyone in town despises this guy and thinks very little of him but as we see at the end, they are actually afraid of him.   And  I love how through song, the characters are able to express their disdain for Scrooge.

Room In Your Heart

This along with one other song were only included on the soundtrack and I can kinda see why it was left out of the film as Bunsen doesn't have the best singing voice.  Though, it does seem to be some kind of foreshadowing with Bunsen telling Scrooge how he can change but something about the pocketbook rubs me the wrong way. It's not bad but not a song that needed to be in the movie.

One More Sleep Til Christmas

How can you not enjoy Kermit's singing here?  It's just so infectious and just puts a smile on my face. It's really enjoyable and it always puts me in a good mood, when I listen to it.   It's easily one of my favorite Muppet songs and one of my favorite performances from Kermit.

Marley And Marley

Like I said in my review,  these two have the sarcastic wit of Statler and Waldorf but you can also sense the regret and horror that they caused in life.  

Chairman of The Board

Yeah, this is another song that was only on the soundtrack and again, I don't exactly think that Sam The Eagle is the type of character that should sing but you do hear the work method that instilled in Scrooge at such a young age and what led him to be the man that he is today.

When Love Is Gone

This is probably my favorite song from this film. And to think, when the film first came out Disney cut it out and it wasn't until the VHS release that the song was put back in and now most cuts of the film don't include this song. Which is a crying shame as without this song,  I don't think Belle's despair works as well and the scene loses the emotional punch.  You really feel the heartbreak in Belle as she realizes the choice that lays in front of her.

It Feels Like Christmas

How about something a bit more cheerful.   This song reinforces this image of Present for mend why I think of this version, whenever I think of the Ghost of Christmas Present.  It just fits with the jovial and happy nature that they want to get across with this character and man, does it work so well. You can't help but have a smile on your face, when you hear this song.

Christmas Scat

Just a short little reprise of One More Sleep Til Christmas but it's cute. And that's all it's trying to be.

Bless Us All

Yeah... I tend to forget about this song. It's not bad and it fits The Cratchits but compared to some of the other songs in this film, I just find it lacking.  It's not bad but it's not one that I return to.

Thankful Heart

Michael Caine really puts his all in this performance and you can just hear the joy in his voice as he sings and it's actually quite fun to hear. And it's rather endearing.  You really feel the joy that has come from learning his lesson and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Harvey Finevoice cover that aired at the end of the Atop The Fourth Wall episode on Batman Noel, which was the completion to Linkara's own take on A Christmas Carol.  It's a fun take but I think that I like Michael Caine's more.

When Love Is Found/It Feels Like Christmas (Finale)

A sweet little number to end on and I love how it includes all of the characters that we saw throughout the movie coming together to celebrate the holiday.

When Love Is Gone - Martina McBride

Yeah, this is the first time that I've ever heard the Martina McBride cover of this song.  I don't remember this playing over the credits.  It's not bad and certainly is a different take on this song.  I do like it but I think Meredith Braun just did it better. Again, not bad but having grown up with the film version,  I have a bias towards that one.  Again, this isn't bad but I don't see myself returning to it, when the original is on my Christmas playlist.

There you have it, my look at the music of The Muppet Christmas Carol. Join me next time as we see how well Jim Carrey is at playing Scrooge as I look at the 2009 adaption of A Christmas Carol.