His/Hers Disney Playlists

Husband and wife team Caitie and Jason Flum take a look at how different their his/hers Disney music playlists would look!

JASON SAYS
We are both huge music fans. Our musical collections are massive " it would take me nearly a month and a half straight through to listen to my entire ipod, let alone all the discs I have collecting dust in our basement that haven't made the transfer yet.

Caitie's tastes are probably more eclectic than mine, but I'll let her talk about that in her piece. A large portion of my ipod is dedicated to cast albums from musicals, though I have a good mix of classic rock, classical, jazz, and some modern pop and rock. Of course, a huge chunk of both of our collections is Disney-related.

Given our musical obsessions, we knew from the start that we wanted to do some columns about Disney music. I suggested doing our "Ultimate Disney Playlists," and Caitie agreed. That's where the agreement ended. I wanted to include any music from any Disney-related venture. Caitie wanted to do just the music from the movies for this post.

I relented.

I wanted to do the length of a full CD. Caitie argued that we don't use CDs any more (thus the mention of the dusty discs in the basement), so wanted to stick to the length of a regular album, or ten songs.

I reluctantly relented again.

I did a score a point in that we agreed we could list alternate versions of songs in our lists if we chose. Perhaps one day we'll make a list of park music, or all alternate versions of songs (if the response is favorable enough); but for now we are sticking just with songs featured in Disney movies.

This wasn't easy " I really wish I could include thirty songs. Oh well. Hakuna Matata (no, it didn't make the list).

Jason's List
1) "Feed the Birds" (Mary Poppins)
From Wikipedia " "On Fridays, after work, [Walt Disney would] often invite us into his office and we'd talk about things that were going on at the Studio. After a while, he'd wander to the north window, look out into the distance and just say, 'Play it.' And Dick would wander over to the piano and play 'Feed the Birds' for him. One time just as Dick was almost finished, under his breath, I heard Walt say, 'Yep. That's what it's all about.'"

The song is one of the prettiest melodies I've ever heard. The lyrics actually are meaningful (about charity), and it just makes me smile every time I hear it. There's no question the version is Julie Andrews'.

2) "I Wanna Be Like You" (Jungle Book).
Caitie laughs at me every time this song comes on because I love it so much. I honestly have no idea why; it's ridiculous out of context, but the melody is upbeat and catchy. As great as Louis Prima's version in the movie is, I would probably choose Smash Mouth's version from the Disney Mania collection.

3) "Candle on the Water" (Pete's Dragon)
I don't really remember the movie well, but I love the song. Helen Reddy's version is as perfect as a recording gets.

4) "Proud of Your Boy" (cut from Aladdin)
Yeah, "A Whole New World" is one of my favorite songs ever, and if the list went to eleven I'd probably pick it. I decided I was just going to do one song per movie though, and this is a little known gem. My personal favorite version is John Barrowman's because the man has an incredible voice (though Clay Aiken does a solid version on Disney Mania also). If you don't know this song, check it out " it's a shame it was cut!

5) "If I Can't Love Her" (Beauty and the Beast, The Musical)
All right, so this is sort of a cheat. I feel justified in picking it, however, because the melody is derived directly from the introduction music in the film, so it counts. Terrence Mann's delivery of this song on the cast album sends chills down my spine every time I hear it.

6) "Kiss the Girl" (The Little Mermaid)
"Part of Your World" is one of my all time favorite songs, but I was getting a little ballad heavy, so went with my second favorite song from "The Little Mermaid." How can the song not bring a smile to your face? Movie version all the way.

7) "Out There" (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
As I said, I'm a huge musical theater fan. Hunchback is perhaps the most inherently theatrical of all the Disney scores, and this song epitomizes that sensibility. "Hellfire" was a close second; I still can't believe that song was put into a Disney movie! I would probably give a slight edge to the On the Record recording over the movie version.

8) "Baby Mine" (Dumbo)
One of the saddest, most beautiful songs in the whole Disney canon. The music is so simple and so sweet. I would probably go with Kerry Butler's version from Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.

9) "Sorcerer's Apprentice" (Fantasia)
It just IS Disney music to me. It evokes imagery and feelings of Disney excitement almost as much as the last song on this list....

10) "When You Wish Upon a Star" (Pinocchio)
There's no more quintessential Disney song than this. Had I been allowed to include park music, something from Wishes would have been on there, incorporating this song. Since I can't, I'll go with the movie version. Jiminy Cricket!

CAITIE SAYS
My tastes are more eclectic, but more standard also. I listen to everything: pop, country, rock, classical, musicals, and everything else that isn't rap. But my Disney favorites are pretty classic with very few surprises. To be clear, our lists were made independently of each other, without knowing what the other would write.

Here are my top 10, in no particular order.

Caitie's List
1. Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
I think this is an extraordinary opening for a movie. It shows two of the main characters and a main issue of the story. And it shows how awesome, but different Belle is from everyone there.

2. Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid)
Seriously, who saw this song as a little girl and didn't want to be Ariel? Again, it does a great job of showing her motivations, and it's just a lot of fun to listen to and sing along with!

3. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah (Song of the South)
This song is just so Disney. I hear it and I have to start smiling right away.

4. Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid)
I know Jason disagrees with me, but I think this is the best villain song from Disney. Ursula the Sea Witch scared me when I was younger, and now I really appreciate how strong and complete of a villain she is. This song really helps that.

5. When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio)
I hope Jason has this on his list. It is the essential Disney song.

6. Out There (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Another great song that shows what a character really wants. It makes me feel a lot of sympathy for Quasimodo.

7. Reflection (Mulan)
I think this is one of the prettiest Disney songs. I forget how much I love Mulan until I hear this song. Also, at some point in everyone's life, they understand it.

8. Chim-Chim-Cher-Ee (Mary Poppins)
A great song. Period.

9. Circle of Life (The Lion King)
Right at "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba" I knew there was something special about this film. It was a brilliant opening and set the tone of the movie.

10. I'll Try (Peter Pan 2)
This is one of those lesser known Disney songs. It is from Peter Pan 2, which I never saw, but is just a beautiful song. Go find it if you can.

You can find Caitie and Jason -- and lots of other great Disney fans -- on our forums! Come chat!