Bad Disney Music


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Bill

Chris' post got me to thinking....we spend alot of time talking about what Disney music we like....I'm curious what everyone hates...or LOVES to hate. Those of you without access to older Disney LPs will be at a disadvantage because there was so much awful stuff released. (read: Anita Bryant and the Orange Bird)

Most of what I hated as a kid, I've learned to like (Baby Mine, Lavender Blue, Little April Shower, etc.) 2nd runner up for me would have to be "Boo Bop Bopbop Bop." Unsingable as written. But my alltime Disney song I truly hate...and for which I find myself running to the FF button is "Magic Journeys"...tonal Prozac if you will. "Let's see....how can we make 3D boring?....hmmmm"

So...let's see those skeletons in your closets...
 
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chris

Member
Bill,

I knew I'd take some flak for my post about Mike Curb, since it can easily fall under the "easy listening" category, and I know what you mean about "bad" Disney music. I don't think the Curb album is necessarily bad though. I really should find the "Kids Of the Kingdom" LP!...and yes I own the Hayley Mills CD and I do agree that it's laughable at times, but she's such a kick. "Green and Yellow Basket" is hilarious and fun.

I'll have to agree with you about "Boo Bop Bopbop Bop". Even I find that one hard to take. Recently my niece was playing that one over and over in the car. Made me nuts. But, I am a sucker for melodic, sweet melodies, and just love "Magic Journeys". Great music.

The story and songs LP of "Sleeping Beauty" with Mary Martin singing the role of Princess Aurora, always sounded very strange. It was like hearing Princess Aurora at 50. Listening to the album when I was a kid, before I'd ever seen the film made me think, "Gee, I hope this is not the original soundtrack recordings". Thankfully, when I finally saw the film in theaters, she had a youthful voice.

Though not a "bad" song by any means, I'm going to come out of the closet and admit that I never have liked "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Please, guys, don't stone me. :)
 
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timothyhu

New Member
I've got to go with you on "Magic Journeys." First heard it on a cassette of the '90 Official Album; fortunately the cassette player in my first car had single song skip. Then I went to WDW and saw it... even a bigger snoozefest. Reminded me of a bad World's Fair movie.

The soundtrack from "En scene s'il vous plait" at DLP has some bizarre stuff going on. Not my favorite.

Also got to hate the Steps in Time finale from DCA.

Timothy
 
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David S.

Member
I don't know if I could call anything "bad" as there is of course no definitive answer and it all comes down to personal taste.

I will say that my all-time least favorite is probably "Hellfire". It's just a little too dark for my taste. It sounds to me like it would fit nicely on a Cure album, but perhaps that's a little unfair as they have recorded sunnier moments than this song!

I'm also not crazy about "Be Prepared", "The Mob Song", and "Jack's Lament".

As for "Magic Journeys", "Baby Mine", "Little April Shower", "Boo Bop Bop Bop Bop (I Love You Too)", "Flubber Song", the Hayley and Annette material, and all the other older songs that were mentioned, I've always LOVED all of them!

In fact, I was about to say I've NEVER heard a song from the "Classic Disney" era that I dislike, and musically that's probably true. But I just remembered I've always disliked the lyrics to "Femininity" from Summer Magic, especially the line "always hide the real you". I don't blame the Shermans though because they were simply writing to fit the story which was set in a time with different attitudes.

David
 
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Steve LeVine

Member
Just to show how different all of our tastes are I have to tell you that Magic Journeys is on of my personal favorites. I never saw the attraction but the music has always stuck with me. I cant explain why I like it. Its kind of psychadelic I think.
 
Gurgitoy2

Gurgitoy2

Active Member
Great topic, Bill! Yeah, everyone's taste is going to differ greatly on this topic, but it's so much fun to see what other people think of as "favorite" or "horrible".

I do agree with you, Bill, about "The Orange Bird"! Anita Bryant should have gotten another pie in the face just for this album! I'm trying to think of the one song I hate though... For some reason I do remember hearing a Disney CD and skipping over one song every time, but I can't remember what it was now. Maybe I've blocked it from memory because it was so traumatic!

There is an LP called "Let's Hear it for Robin Hood" with Louis Prima that was released for Disney's Robin Hood(the material was later released on a CD titled "I Wanna Be Like You") that was very bad. I don't think I've ever heard Louis Prima sound so awful! He just couldn't do much with the material.

I have to say that I do like "Magic Journeys" but not for what it was intended. It could really put people to sleep. It could have been great elevator musak or relaxation material, but it didn't belong in an attraction!

I'm going to have to think of some more songs I don't like...

Ben C.
 
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Jessica L

Member
Bill - it's funny, most of the songs you listed are some of my favorites! :) I love Magic Journeys, but I'm partial to any Sherman Bros. song. I love all of the older Epcot music. Course a big exception to this would be "The Computer Song." It's a Sherman and an Epcot song, but it always makes me cringe when I hear it. What were they thinking with this one?? ::)
 
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SharonKurland

Active Member
Hmmmm...VERY good topic!

I think my least favorite Disney song is just about everything from Newsies, EXCEPT "Carrying The Banner," which is one of my most favorites .

-Sharon-
 
Gurgitoy2

Gurgitoy2

Active Member
Yeah, "Diggin in Dinoland" was the one that I skip every time I hear it. I really hate it.

And, to be honest, I don't like any of the songs from the first Toy Story movie. Especially "Strange Things" and "I Will Go Sailing No More"! Definitely not some of Randy's best work!
 
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David S.

Member
>>>>I LOVE the Shermans! But everyone has a clunker once in a while. (see Bedknobs and Broomsticks "Nobody's Problems" or Mary Poppins' "Through the Eyes of Love")
They put the "ick" in ickypoo.

Bill,

I don't mean this in an argumentitive way but since it's come up I just had to voice my support for "The Eyes of Love". When I first heard the demo Randy included on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins I was initially moved to tears. A very profound beautiful lyric perhaps topped by the Shermans only in "Feed the Birds". I personally have felt from that moment that it was a huge mistake dropping such a beautiful song from the film and condemning it to obscurity (until the CD soundtrack years later). I don't mean it should have replaced "A Spoonful of Sugar" as Mary's signiture song, I just would have liked to have seen it added to all of the songs already in the film. Of course, I also think it was a mistake dropping the infinitely catchy "Music In Your Soup" from Snow White, and more recently, the film versions of "If I Never Knew You" and "Someday" from Pocahontas and Hunchback.

David

PS. I also like "Nobody's Problems" and yes, many Burt Bacharach songs as well ;) ("Magic Moments" comes to mind, which was recently covered by Erasure)
 
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SharonKurland

Active Member
See, now I really LIKE "Diggin' In Dinoland" . I think part of it is because they played it SO much during the pre-opening previews of the park that it simply became synonomous with DAK and just started to grow on me. I also like the raggae-esqueness of it. But...different strokes for different strokes.

-Sharon-
 
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David S.

Member
>>The point is....Julie had the SENSE not to sing it in the first place! LOL

You must really hate that song! For what it's worth, during the interview the Shermans say they were really proud of the song and I trust their judgement being as they are one of the greatest songwriting teams of all time!

Besides, I don't think Julie hated the song, she just didn't see it as Mary's signature song (which it was penciled in to be). She thought Poppins' theme song should be livelier, and I can see the point as "Spoonful of Sugar" is perfect! "The Eyes of Love" is still a treasure IMO and it is a pity that another place was not found for it.
 
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wondergreg

I agree that THE EYES OF LOVE is a beautiful song. It is also very dear to the Shermans, who were heartsick when it was cut. Anyone who has ever created something and become attached to it, only to have it rejected, can identify.
Like Rodgers and Hammerstein, the Sherman can create truly profound and touching songs with sheer simplicity. I'll bet THE EYES OF LOVE will get its day in the sun someday. It may not have been right for Mary Poppins' character, but it says a lot about the philosophy Walt shared with the Shermans.

The Orange Bird LP has its shortcomings (largely due to what was going on at Disney when it was produced) but I've always like "I'll Fly the Sky-Way." It reminds me of "Hey, Look Me Over."

As for a bad song, I like virtually all Disney songs except the ones that have no melody, as many recent attempts at "hipness" are. But to be fair, I have always found "The Gingerbread Man Song" annoying (it's on the Silly Symphonies LP DQ-1335, which is a weird LP altogether).

Has anyone heard the duet of Michael Feinstein and Rosemary Clooney singing TEN FEET OFF THE GROUND? It's sensational. With her sad passing, it's nice to know that we have a legacy of her singing a handful of Disney tunes.
 
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Dirk

Member
Hey there, Hi there, Ho there,

really bad Disney music ... hmmm ... as I don't have any of the old LPs I thought it would be hard to name something but then it sprang right to my mind: all the 8 tracks on the CD "Disney's Song Factory - songs inspired by Aladar's Adventure" released together with "Dinosaur". It's just terrible - I'm not skipping over any of these songs, I just don't listen to the CD at all anymore - especially as it has barely any connection to real Disney music anyway besides the fact that they marketed as a Dinosaur-related product and released it.

But then I'm not a fan of the whole score of Dinosaur in the first place anyway. To be honest I think it is a mediocre score at best so I might be willing to count this as bad Disney music too.


Yours
Dirk
 
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Jeff N Orange Coun

Member
Bad Disney Music.....
Anything they put on the Disney Channel over the last 3 years or more. Especially Live from [insert one of the parks here] it's "[some second rate teeny bopper act that could care less about the heritage behind the WDCo]". I guess it just reflects the managment.
Jeff

PS
Isn't it about time for another "Music from the park CD"? We now have a whole new galaxy of stars that could try thier darndest to screw up some classic tunes!

PSS The song "One Last Hope" by the renown vocalist Danny Devito on Hercules gets my vote as well. and they cut Mel Gibson and kept Devito???? One of the great decisions up there with the Red Sox tradeing away Babe Ruth! :'(
 
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SharonKurland

Active Member
Jeff in Orange County-

What? You don't like "One Last Hope?" Well, we can't go by your opinion anyway...you're bitter on Disney .

"So ya wanna be a hero kid. Well whoop-dee-do." Lyrics just don't GET any better than that .

I have just 2 words. Oh Gods. Oy vey!

-Sharon-
 
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Scott R

New Member
Hello - New member here...
Wondered about the song mentioned in this thread, "The Eyes of Love." It's not on my Poppins CD - can anyone direct me to the right recording? Thanks much.
 
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Jeff N Orange Coun

Member
Only bitter on current management Sharon.

heck, I just dropped 300 on our AP's. and Fantasmic is back! There is hope.

maybe Bill's Drano will work on Team Disney someday..they act a little.. ahem, clogged.
J
 
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