My 5 Favorite Live-Action Disney Songs

Walt Disney with Richard & Robert Sherman

So much of my childhood is defined by the pop culture that surrounded me. Whenever I want to revive some memories from those carefree days, all I need to do is turn to one of those cultural landmarks that dominated those times: comic books I read, old G.I. Joe figures that are still locked away in a closet at my aunt's house, computer games I used to play, Saturday-morning-cartoon theme songs.

One cultural landmark towers above all the others, though: Walt Disney Pictures. The first movie I remember seeing was a Disney film (The Lion King), and it was a formative experience in my life. I went into that theater an average kid, and I came out a raving movie maniac. I ran the whole gamut of emotions sitting in that theater chair, from laughter to terror to suspense to tears. I was the most receptive audience member the filmmakers could have wished for! Anyway, like I said, I left that theater knowing what I wanted to do with the rest of my life: make movies. That's a passion that stays with me even today.

The term "Disney magic" gets thrown around a lot, but it never really gets defined. I can understand that. I think there's a lot of elements that combine to make a Disney film great, including nostalgia, great animation, amazing visuals, endearing characters, original ideas, and a sense of wonder. All of those elements can be hard to distill into one all-inclusive definition. It is possible, though, to isolate those separate pieces of Disney magic and see what makes them special. Disney songs are definitely one of those elements.

Of course, what makes a Disney song great differs based on who wrote the song; a Sherman brothers song is different from an Alan Menken/Howard Ashman song, and George Bruns's songs are totally different from either of those songwriting team's tunes. There are as many different Disney tunes as there are days in the year, so there's something for everyone. 

What I'm going to do now is share with you my 5 favorite Disney songsfrom live-action films. Of course, with such a wide-ranging list of Disney ditties, everyone's list is bound to be different. Therefore, here's a disclaimer: like all top-5 lists, this is entirely subjective. Your top-5 may be totally different, and that's great. In fact, I'd like to hear it (that's what the comments section is for)!

So, now that we've got all that out of the way, on to the main event!

Live-Action

5. "Ballad Of Davy Crockett" (Fess Parker) - from Davy Crockett: King Of The Wild Frontier (1955)

I love folk tales, and the story of Davy Crockett encapsulates what I love most about such stories: larger-than-life characters doing larger-than-life things in a world that seems almost like the world around us, but just with an extra touch of magic. Of course, Davy Crockett was a real person, but, over time, old men around campfires and fishermen at the general store embellished his life story until he became a superman. That's the image of Crockett I like most; it may not be the most historically accurate, but it is the most inspiring!

Every folk hero needs a folk song, and that's just what George Bruns & Thomas W. Blackburn gave him. The instrumentation has a nice, folksy feel to it; it makes me picture a burly man sitting on the porch of his cabin in the mountains, strumming his guitar (or sawing on his fiddle) and singing to his grandkids. The lyrics give us the basics of Crockett's exploits in a concise manner, rolling along to a lively rhythm. The words tumble off of Fess Parker's tongue smoothly and richly, sounding resonant in Parker's deep voice. All the while, it keeps the feeling of a classic folk song, gussied up a little with a little cologne and shined shoes.

4. "Let's Get Together" (Hayley Mills) - from The Parent Trap (1961)

"Honey, you're gonna put the paying customers to sleep with all this jazz. You've gotta get the new sound."

That's one of my favorite lines from any Disney movie, because I agree with it completely. I like classical music (I'll sing the praises of Aaron Copland and "Rhapsody In Blue" 'til the cows come home), but I've got a rock-and-roll soul!

"Let's Get Together" isn't exactly rock n' roll (1960s Disney movies seem sort of skittish about rock), but is a great pop tune. I'd say that's because Richard & Robert Sherman's optimistic style lends itself to pop music really well (after all, the brothers got their start writing singles for Annette Funicello and Johnny Burdette). The Shermans didn't really dip into their pop background that often during their tenure as Disney staff songwriters, but when they did, as with "Let's Get Together," the results were great! The brothers do a great job with the lyrics, taking care to differentiate between the sisters with slang and the lack thereof. The instrumentation is also wonderful; it has just the perfect touch of early-Beach Boys surf music!

3. "Whale Of A Tale" (Kirk Douglas) from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)

This is actually the song that made me want to write this article! While I was researching the 1955 film Bad Day At Black Rock for my other blog, The Revival House (review coming soon!), I came across the historical tidbit that the director of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Richard Fleischer, wanted to direct Bad Day but couldn't, due to post-production on 20,000 Leagues. That little fact led me to thinking about this little ditty, so I looked it up. I found it better than I remembered. My joy over my re-discovery led me to this article!

Anyway, I love this tune for the same reasons I love "Ballad Of Davy Crockett;" just like the Ballad, it's basically a collection of tall tales, only with a nautical flavor instead of a Wild West one. I like these tales a little more, though, since they have to do with women. They feel very authentic; it sounds exactly like what I'd imagine a sailor's story would sound like!

I also love how Kirk Douglas gets more and more involved in his performance as the song progresses; he goes from just singing to moving his hips a little to swinging his guitar to doing a little jig at the end of the song.  Just watching Douglas work makes me happy!

2. "Chim-Chim-Cheree" (Dick Van Dyke) - from Mary Poppins (1964)

I can't speak for most of Disney fandom, but when I chat with fellow Disney fans about Mary Poppins, the consensus seems to go with the penguins: "Mary Poppins... you're our favorite person." I do love Mary - after all, she's practically perfect in every way - but, if I were to pick my favorite character from the film, it'd have to be Bert. He reminds me of myself in many ways: a little flirtatious ("Blow me a kiss, and that's lucky too!"), working a blue-collar job but having aspirations toward art, and even the same ideas of romance; looking at the lights of London from rooftop sounds AMAZING to me! Our fake accents (or attempts at such) even sound similar!

I think "Chim-Chim-Cheree" is a perfect distillation of all that I like about Bert's personality, but that's only part of the reason that I love this song. The other, more important part has to do with the Sherman brothers' writing skill. I think that lyrics have always been the Shermans' special strength, and I think the lyrics to "Chim-Chim-Cheree" are the best they ever wrote. They flow together nicely, have a great rhythm, and are full of great imagery!

On top of that, that string flourish at the beginning of the song always gives me chills (in a good way)!

1. "That's How You Know" (Amy Adams) from Enchanted (2007)

Out of all the live-action movies that Disney has released over the past decade, Enchanted is my favorite. I love how it pokes fun at the princess-movie conventions that Disney has become known for, while showing respect for them at the same time. I also love the juxtaposition of an optimistic Disney princess against the tough, cynical world of New York City. (Okay, so it's a romanticized version of New York, but I'm willing to cut Enchanted some slack. After all, you don't go to a Disney princess film expecting The French Connection.) 

I think that juxtaposition shines through especially well in the music. I love how Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz took modern song styles and combined them with classic Disney song elements. "So Close" is a really good example of this, and I toyed with putting that song on the top of this list. Ultimately, though, I had to go with my heart - as Disney has told us to do so often - and give the honored #1 spot to "That's How You Know!"

I think a huge reason why I love this song is because of the calypso flavor. I love calypso music of any sort (even the faux-calypso sung by Robert Mitchum in the 1950s... guilty!), so this song had my heart from the moment I heard those steel drums! I love the message behind the song even more, though. If there's anything I've learned about romance since high school, it's that being nervous and skittish around the opposite sex gets you nowhere. I've found that, more often than you might think, the best course of action is the direct one. Of course, you shouldn't get creepy about it, but, sometimes, you've got to bite the bullet and talk to that person you like. I love that that's the message that this song teaches. (By the way, I'm not married, so my advice on romance might be way off the mark. If you decide to take it, don't say I didn't warn you!)

So, there you have it: my top five favorite live-action Disney tunes.  What are your favorites? Let me know, and stay tuned for part two of the series, where I tackle Disney's animated songbook!