Favourite Classic Disney Tunes

[Psychometrika]

Desiring something nice to talk about on here that DOESN'T involve gay days, commitment ceremonies, etc....

Thought I'd ask folks about some of their favourite Disney tunes. Like probably everyone else, I've got many. Here are three of mine, from the classics period (that I am roughly describing the period before Disney's death).

"Mind Over Matter" from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

"My Favorite Dream" from Mickey and the Beanstalk

"The Cannibal Song" on Disneyland Records 1969 release of Jiminy Cricket's Addition and Subtraction

Personally, I rather divide up the musical periods as before Disney's death, Mid-70's to Late-80's (a rather odd period), and 90 through the Pixar revolution.

My last thought - is there now a "Disney sound"?? Perhaps it's me, but just as pretty much everything A.L.Webber writes sounds about the same, so there seems to be a style to the ballad and up-tempo songs that is overly cookie-cutter these days. On the contrary, Sondheim's works each have exquisite uniqueness, though still in his style, much like earlier Disney music. Thoughts?

 

[PghLybrt]

favorite classic huh? I will have to think about that one!

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Stravinski's "Le Sacre de Printemps" in Fantasia (part with the dancing dinosaurs)

 

[exDS vet]

Well, I'm going to try to name just three favorites, and I'm also going to try keeping them obscure, or not mainstream. Here we go.

"A Cowboy Needs a Horse" from the original Mickey Mouse Club.

"It's Showtime With The Mouskateers" from the 70's MMC. Yes, I have the vinyl LP from that show.

"Is There A Band Big Enough?" The finale song/performance from the Disneyland 30th anniversary television special. Performed by Peter Allen and featuring the USC Trojan marching band.

I still have the VHS recording from that 1985 telecast. I usually watch it at least once a year.

I think there was a "Disney Sound" during different eras, but I don't believe any such sound exists today. I think it ended during the late '90's. IMO, the last true Disney sound was during the Ashman/Menkin, Menkin/Schwartz and John/Rice days. Or during the period from Little Mermaid through The Lion King. I'll even give credit to Pocohontas, Hunchback (Out There is another one of my all-time favorites), Hercules, Mulan and even Tarzan, but I think it ended there.

 

[Psychometrika]

Wow. Obscure indeed. There's probably a record club out there just for obscure recordings from Disney. Speaking of which, those tinned DVD collections that have been put out over the last four years or so are tres cool.

When I was a kid, the only records I had were the Disneyland collection. I totally loved them. They're vinyl and sound great. I'm slowly converting them to iTunes... or at least I will when I figure out how to work the iMic correctly!

Another of my favourite group of tunes comes from "The Happiest Millionaire". Has that ever been out on video? Don't think so.

Keep em coming....

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Gosh. I can't choose. I'm terrible with choosing "bests" or "favorites."

I have the five CD collection of 60 years of Disney music. I really enjoy listening to that. When I play it in my office at work, without fail someone comes in to listen to just a bit of this or that.

Choose? Nope. Can't do it.

 

[dwherewecome]

Gee, it's tough to pick from so many really great songs! But off the top of my head, I'll go with these.
"Stay Awake" from Mary Poppins
"I Want to be Like You" and "Colonel Hathi's March" from Jungle Book
"Baby Mine" from Dumbo
"He's a Tramp" from Lady and the Tramp

Lovely songs, all of them!

 

[Fafolguy]

Some of my favorites include:
Main Street Electrical Parade - my husband finds it hilarious that it's on full rotation on the iPod.

Baby Mine - Saddest Disney moment for me EVER!

Candle on the Water - LOVE LOVE this song and movie...

 

[Psychometrika]

Baby Mine - Saddest Disney moment for me EVER!

I've a bad memory. Is this the song sung whilst Dumbo is nestled into his mother's trunk during her incarceration? If so... O! M! G! YES. That is about the saddest thing in ANY movie I have ever seen, and I cry at everything. I can barely even watch that scene anymore without at least a full box of Kleenex and chocolate.

 

[MrVisible]

I don't know if this quite qualifies, but here goes.

Back in the 80s, there was a Disney covers compilation called Stay Awake that included Buster Poindexter doing Castle in Spain, Sinead O'Connor doing Someday My Prince Will Come, Bonnie Raitt doing Baby Mine, and Tom Waits doing Heigh Ho.

My favorite piece, though, was Syd Straw's version of Blue Shadows on the Trail, a beautiful little country ballad. Turns out it was actually an old Roy Rogers and Sons of the Pioneers song, used in Melody Time. Which I just added to my Netflix list.

 

[dkostel]

Hmm, Top 3:
A Dream is a wish - Cinderella
When you wish upon a star - Pinocchio
Color of the wind - Pocahontas

Any of those will make me tear up.

 

[daannzzz]

"Feed the Birds"

"You can Fly"

"Belle"

"Topsy Turvy Day"

 

[Viki]

"When you Wish Upon a A Star ... makes no difference who you are!!!"

 

[wallyb]

Cinderella, Cinderella

Cinderelly, Cinderelly
Night and day it's Cinderelly
Make the fire, fix the breakfast
Wash the dishes, do the mopping
And the sweeping and the dusting
They always keep her hopping
She goes around in circles
Till she's very, very dizzy
Still they holler
Keep a-busy Cinderelly!

 

[Camp Rd. Lady]

HI, HO, HI, HO, It's off to work we GO! WHOOO- WHOOO- WHO-WHO etc. etc... love that song! Now try to get it out of your mind!

 

[iankh]

When I was a child, one of my favorite records (one of those small yellow ones for those of you who remember those things) had Cinderella Cinderella on one side and Bibbity Bobbity Boo on the other. I played it until the grooves wore out.

Now, well let's see, Baby Mine is among my favorites, especially the rendition on the Stay Awake album.

 

[exDS vet]

Now, well let's see, Baby Mine is among my favorites, especially the rendition on the Stay Awake album.

I love the version of Baby Mine from the CD "The best of Country does the best of Disney". It is sung by Alison Krauss,and is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard.

How about other covers of Disney songs. I'm sure we can take this one pretty far. Here are three of my other favorites:

"It's A Small World/When You Wish Upon A Star" by Etta James. From "Music from the Park"

"Part of Their World" by Faith Hill. Also from the country CD that I mentioned above.

"Someday" by Donna Summer. From the Mouse House CD. This is the remake of the song from "Hunchback of Notre Dame."

 

[Fafolguy]

Back in the 80s, there was a Disney covers compilation called Stay Awake that included Buster Poindexter doing Castle in Spain, Sinead O'Connor doing Someday My Prince Will Come, Bonnie Raitt doing Baby Mine, and Tom Waits doing Heigh Ho.

MrVisible, I LOVE that album. All that you mentioned are amazing, but my favorite on that album is Suzanne Vega's a capella version of "Stay Awake."

The only song I'm not thrilled by there is the version of "Feed The Birds." It feels like there were too many liberties taken with the actual song to keep it recognizable...

How about other covers of Disney songs. I'm sure we can take this one pretty far.

Bette Midler's version of "Baby Mine" from the Beaches soundtrack is also wonderful. I think there are some great possible covers out there. Maybe "Let's Get Together" by the White Stripes? Or "Feed The Birds" by Girlyman... Ahh the ideas I come up with...

So now that I've established myself as a music nerd...