Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we continue our Return To The Theater with a special Music Fridays as I countdown my Top 6 Broadway Disney Songs. For the most part, I tried to stick with songs that originated in the musical and weren't a part of the film that they were adapted from but I did make one exception and with that outta the way, let's begin.
6. Proud of Your Boy - Aladdin
I've talked about this song numerous times before and with good reason as it's my favorite Disney song of all time but I didn't feel right putting this at the number one spot as this was originally meant for the film and had been covered before the Broadway show ever opened but at the same time, I couldn't leave it off the list because as I've said time and again, his IS Adam Jacobs' song. He completely nails the emotions that Aladdin is going through with this number and makes you feel for him as this is I think something that every son feel at least once in their lifetime. The fear that they don't measure up to that of their parents. And they want to make them proud but they themselves feel like they can't do enough to live up to what they believe their parents want from them.
5. Watch What Happens - Newsies
Now for something a bit more motivational, we have Watch What Happens from Newsies. Sung by the wonderful character of Katherine Plummer, one of the huge improvements that the stage production of Newsies made over it's film counterpart. A more interesting female lead as they gave us a female reporter working on the protest in 1899. Which I think make her declaration of wanting to fight, so much more interesting. And you see her willing to go to bat but she knows what lies ahead.
4. If I Can't Love Her - Beauty and The Beast
This was number one on my Top 6 Beauty and The Beast songs list, back when I posted that and it remains my favorite B&B song as it gives a lot of depth and weight to Beast and makes you feel for him so much and your heart aches for him as you hear the man underneath the Beast come out as he realizes the error of his ways and that it may be too late for him to change. It's heartbreaking, really.
3. Good For Nothing/Being Mrs. Banks (Reprise) - Mary Poppins
It wasn't until I heard this song when I saw Mary Poppins at The Kennedy Center, that I finally got the weight of what was happening to Mr. Banks and that painted him in a different light. Like I said years ago, when I reviewed the movie, Mary Poppins in the second act becomes about Mr. Banks and this song exemplifies that as he feels that he has lost everything. What really works here though is the reprise of Being Mrs. Banks as Mrs. Banks sings for her love of her husband and it's clear that she will always love her husband, no matter what and that comes across as a very sweet and tender moment after you hear Mr. Banks beat himself up.
2. He Lives In You - The Lion King
My Top 2 songs both come from The Lion King and they kinda go hand in hand with one another in my opinion. He Lives In You is actually a reprise of the song, They Live In You, where Mufasa sings to a young Simba about the kings living in him. This song comes back as Rafiki sings this song to a now adult Simba about how Mufasa still lives in Simba. And I find that to be more powerful. And much like Proud of Your Boy, I am looking at this from the angle of a son and knowing that my father's name will live on with me and this song looking at it from that angle, makes me want to do everything I can do honor that name.
1. Endless Night - The Lion King
As I said, my number 1 & 2 kinda go hand in hand. This song comes before He Lives In You and you can hear how lost Simba is, without Mufasa and he doesn't know what to do. And I think any child would feel this way. It's a wonderful song of working your way out of loss and that over time, you will work past it. It won't be easy and I will say that this song left me teary eyed as I heard it for the first time, when I saw this on Broadway.
I hope that you enjoyed this list. Join me next time as our Return To The Theater continues as I examine why Newsies Works Better Onstage
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