Toon Talk Special: The 101 Greatest Disney Songs - Part 1 of 2 - Aug 17, 2001

Toon Talk Special: The 101 Greatest Disney Songs - Part 1 of 2
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#36 - "Ten Feet Off The Ground"
The One & Only, Genuine Original Family Band - 1968
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

"When everybody puts his heart into it
Everybody plays a part in it
That's how music magic is made"

Vocals: Buddy Ebsen, Janet Blair, Lesley Ann Warren, Kurt Russell, Bobby Riha, Jon Walmsley, Smitty Wordes, Heidi Rook, Debbie Smith and Pamelyn Ferdin as the Bower Family Band
Source Album: Classic Disney, Volume IV

Behind the Music:

  • Ebsen can be heard doing his own soft shoe during this song.

  • Jazz legend Louis Armstrong sings a version on his Disney Songs the Satchmo Way album.

#37 - "West Of The Wide Missouri"
The One & Only, Genuine Original Family Band - 1968
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

"Even in a gingham gown
A gal's a queen without a crown
The day she settles diddle-eye down
West of the wide Missouri"

Lead Vocals: Buddy Ebsen as Calvin Bower, Janet Blair as Katie Bower, Lesley Ann Warren as Alice Bower and John Davidson as Joe Carder
Source Album: Disney's 75 Years of Music & Memories

Behind the Music:

  • The best production number in a Disney musical.

  • A stanza of "Ten Feet Off the Ground" can be heard in the dance portion of this song.

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(c) Disney

#38 - "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers"
Winnie the Pooh & the Blustery Day - 1968
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

"Their tops are made out of rubber,
Their bottoms are made out of springs"

Vocals: Paul Winchell as Tigger
Source Album: The Best of Pooh & Tigger, too

Behind the Music:

  • At 32 seconds, this is the shortest song on the list.
  • The song is available on several Pooh sing-along albums, as well as a rather hyperactive version, sung by Jim Cummings, on The Tigger Movie soundtrack.

#39 - "Grim Grinning Ghosts"
The Haunted Mansion - 1969
Music by George Bruns, Lyrics by Xavier Atencio

"When you hear the knell of the requiem bell
Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell
Restless bones etherealize
Rise as spooks of ev'ry size
grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize"

Vocals: The Mellomen as the 999 Happy Haunts, with Paul Frees as the Ghost Host
Source Album: The 2001 Official Albums for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Track Note: There is a much shorter version of the song that appeared on earlier park albums; this version is the longer, remastered track that currently appears on the Official Albums.
Alternate Track: Barenaked Ladies offer their spooky-cool take on Music From the Parks

Behind the Music:

  • To achieve the eerie musical feel for this attraction, Baker wrote sections of the music backwards for the orchestra to play. The tapes were then reversed for playback.

#40 - "Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat"
The Aristocats - 1970
Music and Lyrics by Floyd Huddleston and Al Rinker

"I've heard some corny birds who tried to sing
Still a cat's the only cat who knows how to swing"

Vocals: Phil Harris
Source Album: The Aristocats & Other Cat Songs (Not available on CD)
Track Note: This album was released by Disneyland Records. This version has Harris singing solo, with groovy ad-libs.
Alternate Track: Brian Setzer's stray cut strut on Songs from the Aristocats
Original Vocals/Source Album: Harris as O'Malley, Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat, Thurl Ravenscroft as the Russian Cat and Liz English as Marie, also on Songs from the Aristocats

Behind the Music:

  • This film was the last one the Sherman brothers worked on as Disney staff writers. They penned "Le Jazz Hot", the original number for the alley cats.