Never Smile at a Crocodile - Fred Penner

One of my childhood memories of growing up in Canada and in the eighties is coming home after school to watch Fred Penner's Place on CBC. He was a very entertaining performer and he fit right in with my other tv friends, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Dress-Up.

I'll talk about FRED PENNER when I post another Disney cover song of his in the future, but right now I want to tell you about this song.

Never Smile at a Crocodile can be found on his 1993 release, POCO. The tune is heard as an instrumental piece in Peter Pan whenever the Crocodile is getting close.

The tune was written by Frank Churchill who wrote most of Disney's music in the 30s and the early 40s. Walt had planned to make Peter Pan in the early 40s and asked Frank to start writing the music for it. But when legal rights got in the way, the feature, and its music, was shelved.

Years later, Walt was finally able to make Peter Pan and asked Jack Lawrence, who was working on Sleeping Beauty at the time, to write some lyrics for the tune that Churchill wrote. Although the words were never heard in the movie, the song has gone on to be a popular children's song, especially in Australia.

Never Smile at a Crocodile Fred Penner 1993

The Perfect Nanny - Jon Langford

Hi folks, it's Steve from Cover Freak. Kurtis has once again generously invited me to guest post on his blog.

Of all the songs in Mary Poppins, The Perfect Nanny is probably the one that makes the least impression on a viewer. It's short and it isn't the sound track for some over-the-top production number. I think it's the only song in the movie that doesn't feature either Dick Van Dyke or Julie Andrews. So it was all the more impressive for me when Jon Langford got his hands on it.

JON LANGFORD is probably best known as a member of the British punk rock band the Mekons. He has worked tirelessly to end the death penalty in America, notably releasing two CDs on Bloodshot Records to benefit organizations working to stop excutions. Langford is also an internationally-renowned graphic artist. He's a very charming man and someone that I respect greatly as a person as well as an artist.

Langford had something of a Country and Western epiphany in the mid-90s, and many of his solo recordings since then have explored styles of music long ago abandoned by the moguls on Nashville's Music Row. So when the folks at This American Life asked him to record this song for one of their shows it must have seemed only natural to him to transform it into a jaunty two-step.

Thanks again to Kurtis for indulging me here. If you like this kind of stuff check out Cover Freak, where you can always find music that doesn't sound like you remember.

The Perfect Nanny Jon Langford 2006

When You Wish Upon a Star - All-4-One

Finishing up Christmas Week today falls perfectly with When You Wish Upon a Star Friday! No, this is not another "Christmas Remix" like I posted yesterday.

It seems that When You Wish Upon a Star has gone on to be a holiday favourite in Sweden, Norway and Denmark! The song, in a Christmas context, makes reference to the Star of Bethlehem that the Wise Men follow to find Jesus.

R&B group ALL-4-ONE recorded a Christmas album in 1995 and included this song. Does this validate When You Wish Upon a Star's Christmas status?

I'll be taking a trip to visit some family and you won't see any posts on Monday to Wednesday. But I'll have a guest post on Thursday and an obscure Disney song on Friday! See you then!

Merry Christmas!

When You Wish Upon a Star All-4-One 1995

Circle of Life (Christmas Version) - Disney Channel Circle of Stars

A Christmas version of Circle of Life? I'm a Disney fan and I think a lot of their ideas are great ones. This is not one of them. THE DISNEY CHANNEL CIRCLE OF STARS first recorded Circle of Life as a music video for the Platinum Edition DVD and the track appeared on the special edition soundtrack in 2003.

The following year, Disney took the same vocal track and remixed the music to sound more Christmasy. This basically meant sticking a snippet of O Come All Ye Faithful at the beginning and adding really bad electronic sounding jingle bells throughout the song. Then it was stuck on an album of other Christmas songs by Radio Disney artists, RADIO DISNEY JINGLE JAMS.

Making a song sound like Christmas doesn't make it a Christmas song! The lyrics don't make any sense! Circle of Life doesn't have anything to do with any part of Christmas! Why would Disney do this? They have lots of other songs, even Christmas songs, that they could have given a Christmas treatment.

If you haven't heard the original Circle of Stars version, don't expect much. It's your standard Disney pop remix, but this time it features eight lead singers! That's a nightmare waiting to happen! Disney decided to highlight all their Disney Channel stars at the same time so they all take turns singing a line. Some are much better singers than the others making listening to the different voices very disjointed. It's quite a sloppy thing for Disney to do, but they did it again a few years later with A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes which features TWELVE lead singers! And yes, there's a Christmas version of that one too!

Here are the singers featured in this incarnation of the Circle of Stars:

Raven-Symoné (That's So Raven)
Anneliese van der Pol (That's So Raven)
Orlando Brown (That's So Raven)
Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire)
Tahj Mowry (Kim Possible)
Kyla Pratt (Proud Family)
A.J. Trauth (Even Stevens)
Christy Carlson Romano (Even Stevens)

Circle of Life (Christmas Version) Disney Channel Circle of Stars 2004

It Won't Be Long Before Christmas - Diana Ross & the Supremes

The song that I have chosen for today's installment of Christmas Week should probably be used on one of my Obscure Disney Song Fridays because it's one you probably don't know. But I want to use it this week and it's my site so I get to do what I want!

It Won't Be Long Before Christmas is a song written by the Sherman Brothers for the 1967 film The Happiest Millionaire. The movie is based on real-life millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle and lives of his wife and kids.

At the end of the film, Mr. and Mrs. Biddle realize that their kids are growing up and soon will leave their home. The song was sung here, a very important moment in the film. However, due to the long running time of 172 minutes, the song was cut by Walt Disney and was lost in the Disney vaults for years. The lost footage was later restored in the 80s.

When DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES were recording DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES SING DISNEY CLASSICS in 1967, The Happiest Millionaire was not yet released and the song was not yet cut. My guess is that the producer of the album probably wanted to be current and stick a song on there from Disney's newest blockbuster hit and recorded this song in anticipation of that. Or maybe they wanted to record a Christmas song and this worked out perfect. It Won't Be Long Before Christmas can be found on many Motown Christmas compilations.

It Won't Be Long Before Christmas Diana Ross & the Supremes 1967

Toyland - Perry Como

Let's continue our Christmas themed week today with a tune from the 1961 film Babes in Toyland starring Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands and Ed Bolger. The film, based of the 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert. This movie has become a Christmas standard, airing at least once every holiday season (although I think the Drew Barrymore/Keanu Reeves version is seen more often these days).

The songs in the Disney version are almost all based on the original score by Herbert. Some of the tunes get new lyrics, tempos or complete overhauls and the result is a very charming feature.

The song Toyland is one that didn't change too much. It can be heard in almost all the versions of Babes in Toyland and was a popular Christmas tune in the 60s. There are many covers of this song out there including this one by Perry Como from his 1968 album THE PERRY COMO CHRISTMAS ALBUM.

Toyland is not really a Disney song but it did appear in a Disney film and Disney has used it in a lot of Christmas merchandise so I say it qualifies for this blog.

Toyland Perry Como 1968

What's This? - Fall Out Boy

Christmas is just around the corner so I have declared this Christmas Week at Covering the Mouse! Each day this week will feature a special Disney Christmas cover song for your enjoyment! We begin this week with What's This from Disney's stop-motion Halloween/Christmas movie Nightmare Before Christmas.

What's This is the song Jack Skellington sings when he discovers Christmas Town. He has the wonder and excitement of a littel child as he sees the magic of Christmas, something he's never experienced in Halloween Town. The song was originally written and performed by Danny Elfman and this cover version was rearranged by pop/punk group FALL OUT BOY.

Fall Out Boy's arrangement is great! I was so against it when I first heard that they covered this song. I know that this quartet from Chicago has had a few hit songs and a double platinum album but I'm not really a fan of the group so I was not looking forward to hearing their take on one of my favourite Disney songs. But once I heard it I quickly changed my tune! It's probably one of the best Disney covers I've heard! I especially like the character that Patrick Stump puts into his vocals. He has great range and makes the song super fun.

What's This? Fall Out Boy 2006

Hakuna Matata - The Chipmunks

It's Terrible Track Friday and today I'm posting a track that is not only terrible, but also has a movie coming out today that looks equally as bad. That's right, it's the Chipmunks.

THE CHIPMUNKS were created in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian when he wrote The Witch Doctor and sang it under the name David Seville. He used cutting edge technology to speed up the recording of the Witch Doctor's vocal track which gave it a 'chipmunk-sound'. The song was a suprising hit, peaking at #1 in the US for two weeks! It went on to win a Grammy Award for engineering!

Realizing the money making potential he had created, Bagdasarian began recording album after album, starting with the hit song The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late).

To date, the Chipmunks have released over 40 albums! Including WHEN YOU WISH UPON A CHIPMUNK in 1995 which features ten songs from Disney movies done in their trademark squeaky voices. The album has novelty value (as any cover album does), but this one gets boring after the first minute of the opening track, Hakuna Matata. And while some of the songs get new musical arrangements, this one sound exactly the same as the original except with vocals in a higher octave. Boring!

Take a listen and see for your self. It sounds just as bad as the trailer for the new movie looks.

Hakuna Matata The Chipmunks 1995

Chim Chim Cher-ee - Louis Armstrong

A very happy 82nd birthday goes out to Dick Van Dyke today! Disney fans will know Dick as Bert the Chimney Sweep in Mary Poppins!

Dick's first role in the movie biz came in 1963 when he starred in the film adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie. The film was a hit and a year later Dick found even more fame with the mega hit, Mary Poppins!

The Cockney accent that Dick uses for the character of Bert in the film is so ridiculous that many people say that it is the worst attempt at a British accent by an American actor! Well, I like it no matter how wrong it is because I didn't know what a Cockney accent was when I was little and now it just sounds like "Bert's Accent" to me. It gives him character and humour.

To celebrate his birthday, I have posted Bert's theme song from Mary Poppins, Chim Chim Cher-ee, sung by jazz legend LOUIS ARMSTRONG off of his Disney tribute album DISNEY SONGS THE SATCHMO WAY. I hope you enjoy it!

Chim Chim Cher-ee Louis Armstrong 1968

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo - Joyce

Happy Wednesday, folks! It's guestposter Boyhowdy once again, taking a few moments away from my usual folkgenre coverblog Cover Lay Down to bring you a surprisingly sweet version of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, my favorite lighthearted song from Walt Disney's Cinderella.

Single-named Brazilian artist JOYCE is a long-time mistress of bossa nova lite known for her scatjazz approach to interpretations of originals and songs from her Portuguese-speaking compatriots. Though at her worst her songs can seem a bit sappy, at her best, she comes across as a Portuguese-speaking Ella Fitzgerald, precise and playful, with a clarity of voice that can't be beat.

Happily, her version of this classic Cinderella song falls into the latter camp. After almost 40 years as a recording artist, Joyce has a confidence that only lends credence to this crisp, almost scat-song cover. The typical rhythmic style and light acoustic guitarstrum of the Bossa are a perfect compliment to this song.

Bossa nova isn't that popular outside the latin world, but those unfamiliar with the genre will find Joyce's Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo a fairly solid introduction to the jazzier end of the genre, and a strong Disney cover to boot: it's all jazzed up, it's in Portuguese, and it's as magical as the original. This shining star is available on DISNEY BOSSA NOVA, yet another in the huge series of single-genre compilations released over the last decade.

Thanks, as always, to Kurtis for having me over to guest-post! And if you're into that sort of thing, don't forget to stop by Cover Lay Down for more acoustic coversongs.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo Joyce 2001

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat - Claude Bolling Big Band

After Walt died in 1966 the Walt Disney Company realized that they still needed to carry on with his work. So they continued to work on a story about a group of wealthy cats in France who get kidnapped by a greedy butler who is jealous that his boss left her inheritance to her cats rather than him. When the film, The Aristocats was finished it was released on this day in 1970, thirty-seven years ago.

What a great tribute to Everybody Wants to Be a Cat to have CLAUDE BOLLING, the famous French composer and jazz pianist, arrange an excellent big band version of this song. Bolling, a child prodigy (he was a professional jazz pianist at 14 years old!), has been recording albums with his big band since the late fifties. He has also scored over a hundred movies and has several albums on which he plays with famous classical musicians.

In 2004, he released CINEMA HITS, a disc full of movie themes in that big band style that he is so good at. Although this is the only Disney track on the disc, there are some other classic movie themes that are worth taking a listen to.

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat Claude Bolling Big Band 2004

True to Your Heart - Raven-Symoné

Happy birthday Raven-Symoné who turns 22 today! The child star, who started her career on The Cosby Show as Olivia when she was three, went on to star in Disney most popular and longest run television show, That's So Raven. And like most Disney Channel stars, her career doesn't stop with the one TV show. She has also starred in multiple TV specials, movies and soundtrack albums.

RAVEN has also recorded a few Disney cover songs for the DISNEYMANIA series. True to Your Heart is taken from the credits of Mulan and is originally performed by Stevie Wonder and 98°. Raven's version doesn't do much to make it different, except for the fact that it is sung by female vocals.

Hear some Disney covers from Raven's co-stars Orlando Brown and Anneliese Van Der Pol.

True to Your Heart Raven-Symoné 2004

I Wan'na Be Like You - Los Lobos

I have had a few requests for this special version of I Wan'na Be Like You by Los Lobos on my request page and elsewhere so I've have decided to pull it out for this month's Request Friday. Fdtate and cindy, this one is for you!

It is a happy coinsidence that today is also Louis Prima's birthday! If he were still alive today he would be 97! Prima, as you all should know, voiced King Louie in the Jungle Book.

LOS LOBOS is a band with a huge cult following that didn't have the commercial success of a pop band in the US. They released many singles but one in particular put them on the map. It was their cover of Ritchie Valens' La Bamba in 1987. The song went straight to number one and can still be heard on many Adult Contemporary radio stations.

This made them prime candidates for the STAY AWAKE tribute album in 1988. It is one of the most popular tracks on the record.

They are still together and releasing albums to this day. Their music is consistantly better with every album and it is my hope to hear them take on another Disney song one of these days.

I Wan'na Be Like You Los Lobos 1988

Give a Little Whistle - Michelle Nicastro

Many movies are often mistaken to be Disney. Anastasia is at the top of the list with others like Madagascar and Titan A.E,. Also on the list is The Swan Princess, which tries its hardest to be a Disney movie but just doesn't make the cut. It has the right characters, music, it's even directed by ex-Disney animation director Richard Rich! And it has two direct-to-video sequels too! I can see why it is often thought to be Disney.

The movie stars MICHELLE NICASTRO as the voice of Princess Odette. While Nicastro has had a good career acting here and there in different projects and televsion shows, this is her claim to fame. Mainly, it showed off her ability to sing in a true Disney Princess fashion.

So what did Michelle do? She decided to role with her new fame and record a CD of classic movie showtunes. The album, TOONFUL, is filled with mostly Disney songs with a few from other animated films and a year later she recorded a follow up album, TOONFUL TOO!

Her version of Give a Little Whistle is off the second album and really gives a good sample of how incredibly cheesy these discs are.

Give a Little Whistle Michelle Nicastro 1995

Mickey Mouse Club March - Andrew WK

If Walt Disney was still alive today, he'd be celebrating his 106th birthday. I've chosen to celebrate his birthday by singing the theme to his famous television show, The Mickey Mouse Club!

This hard rock version of the the Mickey Mouse March is remade by rocker ANDREW WK who joins the list of 'people we never thought we'd hear a Disney cover song from'. But his version is really good! So full of energy and excitement! I'm sure that Walt would have loved this as the theme song in a more modern version of the show!

Andrew WK is a very good musician. He has been performing and writing since he was thirteen! He is best known for his two albums, I GET WET, which sports a picture of him bleeding from the nose on the cover, and THE WOLF, on which he played all the instruments. His career has taken him on tours all over the world and more recently behind the soundboard to record and mix other artists! This is a man of many talents!

Mickey Mouse Club March Andrew WK 2004

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) - Orlando Brown

Let's all say happy birthday to ORLANDO BROWN who turns twenty today! To celebrate, I have chosen a track that Brown recorded for DISNEYMANIA 4 in 2006.

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) is actually a rap song that uses samples from Mary Poppins and segments of the word supercalifragilisticexpialadocious through out the song. Brown has new lyrics that have nothing to do with the original piece and raps them throughout.

Brown's career is in acting, not singing/rapping. He started when he was seven and got cast as 3J in Family Matters. But his most famous role is as Raven's best friend, Eddie Thomas, in That's So Raven. Brown is a Disney Channel kid and now appears in various Disney tv shows, tv movies and like all Disney Channel kids, he has been pushed into the music career to milk him for all he's worth. He has sung on a bunch of compilation soundtracks like THAT'S SO RAVEN SOUNDTRACKS and the DISNEYMANIA discs.

I have to comment on the lyrical content of this song. It doens't make any sense! The original made sense in a nonsense sort of way but I can't tell at all what Brown is talking about! Here's a sample (I have no idea where the punctuation is supposed to be):

Tick tock look at the wrist watch its time to go
Like fantasia amazinly time is gold
Walt Disney gave me the okay to roll
So I'ma speak up on this word till I cant no mo'
So califragili is be T-shirt wrist be
Face be getting busy for Walt Disney
Word to Mickey ya'll must of missed me
I ain't got time to play

Tell me if you can make heads or tails out of that. The second half of the verse actually does make sense but is sounds so contrived coming from a song that was produced by Disney Records:

You can find me on the young star spaceship miles away
Negativity away from me. It sounds weird but
Dear Mr. Walt Disney this is a letter
To let you know that because of you a lot of things are better
I went to Disney World, boy some imagination
You built a whole nation
And it's all in your name, nobody can get it twisted
Disney, sweet, safe and magnificent

Disney Records has put a rap song on most of their DISNEYMANIA albums. This one is the worst of them all.

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) Orlando Brown 2006

Under the Sea - Kevin Davis and Jason Lamb

Hey, Ray here from Cover Me. Kurtis was nice enough to let me take the helm – an appropriate metaphor for today’s song – and I hope to return the gesture soon.

As a kid, The Little Mermaid was the Disney movie I hated. It had too much girl-whining and hair-combing for a seven-year old boy who is far more interested in a pirate’s sword or a dwarf’s axe than a redhead’s clam-shell bra. However, there was one song I’d rewind the tape for again and again, a song probably thrown in the movie just to give all us Y-chromosome children something to enjoy, Under the Sea. Ariel doesn’t sing a word and any ideas about boy-girl romance (ew, cooties!) are miles away. Practical issues such as breathing didn't enter my mind as, hearing how much fun the ocean's depths sounded, I planned my move there.

Turns out though the song doesn’t need Sebastian the crab’s faux-Jamaican accent or careening steel drums to be effective, as evidenced by Kevin Davis and Jason Lamb’s guitar and harmonica rendition. A songwriter from southern Illinois, Davis is a little-known, record-label-less gem of a performer, using simple instrumentation and straightforward singing to focus on the melodies. It’s a technique that lends itself to great covers like this one: just enough instrumentation to make it interesting, but not to distract from the great lyrics and vocal presentation. Add in Lamb’s harmonica wailing in the background on this one and you’ll see just why it’s hotter under the water.

Under the Sea Kevin Davis and Jason Lamb 2006