Toon Talk Special: The 101 Greatest Disney Songs - Part 1 of 2
Page 3 of 11
(c) Disney
#6 - "Baby Mine"
Dumbo - 1941
Music by Frank Churchill, Lyrics by Ned Washington
Cute as can be
Baby of mine"
Lead Vocals: Betty Noyes
Source Album: Dumbo Original Soundtrack
Alternate Track: Bette Midler on the Beaches soundtrack
Behind the Music:
- There's not a dry eye in the house during this plaintive lullaby.
- The song was nominated for an Oscar and the film's score won for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, the only Disney film to do so without also winning Best Song.
#7 - "Little April Shower"
Music and Lyrics by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey
Little April shower
What can compare with your beautiful sound"
Vocals: The Disney Studio Chorus
Source Album: Bambi Original Soundtrack
Alternate Track: Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe, Mark Bingham
and the Roches collaborated on a folksy rendition on Stay Awake.
Behind the Music:
Bambi
was nominated for two music Oscars:Song (the all to brief "Love Is A Song") and Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.
(c) Disney
#8 - "The Three
Caballeros"
The Three Caballeros - 1945
Music and Lyrics by Gonzalez Manuel Esperon and Ray Gilbert
We're bright as a peso
Who say so?
We say so!
The three caballeros!"
Vocals: Joaquin Garay as
Panchito, Jose Oliviera as Jose Carioca and Clarence Nash as Donald Duck.
Source Album: Disney's 75 Years of Music & Memories
Alternate Track: None to my knowledge, but wouldn't you love to hear
Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony team-up for this one?
Behind the Music:
The film was Oscar nominated for Scoring of a Musical Picture.
#9 - "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"
Music and Lyrics by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel "Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual!
Everything is satisfactual!"
Lead Vocals: James Baskett as
Uncle Remus
Source Album: Classic Disney, Volume I
Alternate Track: Michelle Nicastro's white girl gospel rendition on Reel
Imagination
Behind the Music:
- Disney's second Best Song Oscar, which was oddly awarded in 1947.Also nominated for Scoring of a Musical Picture.
- A number one Hit Parade song in 1946, Phil Spector's "wall of sound" treatment was a Billboard Top 10 hit in 1962.
- It was Walt himself who coined the phrase "zip-a-dee-doo-dah".
- This song is more widely recognized today from the theme park attraction Splash Mountain.
#10 - "Lavender Blue (Dilly,
Dilly)"
Music by Elliot Daniel, Lyrics by Larry Morey "Lavenders blue, dilly, dilly
Lavenders green
If I were king dilly, dilly
I'd need a queen"
Vocals: Burl Ives as Uncle Hiram
Source Album: The Music of Disney: A Legacy of Song
Alternate Track: The boys choir Voices of Ascension, singing in the
style of composer Faure, for Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Bach.
Behind the Music:
- Nominated for the Best Song Academy Award.
- Adapted from a popular folk song, the song became Ives' signature song.