Top 5 Disney Songs of 2023

This year in Disney, music didn’t necessarily come to the forefront. With The Little Mermaid and Wish not attaching to the culture in the way the company hoped (even though they are both on repeat in my home) and the rest of their musical catalog has yet to be released on streaming. (Luminous is not a good show, but that finale number really hits. Probably ‘cause it doesn’t include a baby crying.) Regardless, there were still some standouts from the wide world of Disney this year that deserve recognition.

“Steal the Show” by Lauv – from Elemental – The film was a slow burn in theaters, starting off with a disappointing opening weekend and ending as a successful theatrical release. With its Disney+ release, the film has become a barn burner, breaking multiple viewership records on the streaming service. Now with its success, I’m gonna need “Steal the Show” to be the new Disney song that is everywhere and in everything. We’re going on eight years of “Try Everything” from Zootopia, can we do Lauv’s song now, pretty please? There’s something hauntingly melancholic about this love song that has had me replaying this song for months. Will I request it played as my coffin is lowered into the ground? Maybe. What about it?

“Shimmering Seas” by Michelle Zarlenga – from Disney Cruise Line’s 25th Anniversary – Celebration songs for Disney Parks and Resorts range from great to…questionable. C’est la vie. Disney Cruise Line has their own selection of original tunes with their deck shows and Walt Disney Theatre productions. What I did not expect was their 25th anniversary song to be such an unequivocal bop? This joyous and infectious pop song celebrates sailing on the “shimmering seas” and goes far harder than it has any right to. I love any chorus where every other word is emphasized. “Let’s GO, let’s travel to the STARS, there’s wonder in our HEARTS.” It’s so ridiculous. I’m obsessed.

“For the First Time” by Halle Bailey – from The Little Mermaid – Halle Bailey’s voice is so pure that she single handedly filters all water for Dasani. (Don’t fact check that.) Of course, her version of “Part of Your World” is ethereal and stunning, but when I heard “For the First Time” sitting in the theater, I melted into my chair. (A custodial nightmare, frankly.) Her joy, her trepidations, her excitement, her wonder. All were heard through her silky smooth vocals in the new song for the live-action remake. You better believe I was moving my hips like this for the entire 4 minutes. I demand it be added to a theme park nighttime show within the year. Good day, sir. I said good day!

“Camp Isn’t Home” – from Theater Camp – This Searchlight original is a hilarious send-up of theater camp, being a theater kid, and all things ridiculous about the world of live theater. A movie made of niche jokes made specifically for my type of people? Gonna have to stan on that one! The final song of their original musical “Joan Still” in the film is this number which is simultaneously a meaningful ode to theater camp and the bond created, while also being a word salad that is reminiscent of “Rural Juror“. With lyrics like “Camp isn’t home/Or is it kind of/Kind of it is/I think it kind of is,” how can you oppose pumping this into your veins?

“I’m A Star” – from Wish – There’s not much I can say other than since the song’s release this November, it has become my number one most played song of the year. In a single month! I am a confirmed monster! The entire forest of Rosas singing about everyone being a star? In this climate? Folks, I’m crying. I’m looking up at the stars, trying to perfect the intonation of the chill turtle. I’m shouting “Watch out world here I are!’ in public areas like the slightly stoned (?) deer. I’m shaking my finger like the bunny who explains that we are all shareholders. I suspect it will be the last thing I hear before I die, and honestly, I’m at peace with that.

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