Hakuna Matata - Bunny Wailer

Rasta Records has a whole line of reggae cds aimed at getting kids enthusiastic about the reggae genre. The albums are all well thought out and well produced with top reggae talent performing childrens music. In 2001 they released REGGAE FOR KIDS: MOVIE CLASSICS, a whole album of Disney covers done reggae!

The first track on the album is the Lion King's Hakuna Matata. What an appropriate song for this album. Timon and Pumbaa's motto of "no worries" reflects the reggae lifestyle and is perfect in a laid back reggae beat.

This song is sung by BUNNY WAILER one of the two surviving members of the Wailers. Bunny, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh banded together in 1963 and went through a few name changes before settling on the Wailers in 1966.

The Wailers broke up in 1976 and the three founding members went on to pursue solo careers. Peter Tosh used his music as a vehicle for his campaign to legalize marijuana and Bob Marley found international fame as Bob Marley and the Wailers. But Bunny Wailer, always the most laid back of the trio, decided to stay true to his Rastafari roots and stay in Jamaica recording album after album of reggae hits. He won three Grammy Awards in the 90s for Best Reggae Album.

Hakuna Matata Bunny Wailer 2001

The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room - Hilary Duff

I know this is the moment most of you have been waiting for! A Hilary Duff cover song! Wait...you weren't waiting for this? Oh well, you get it anyway. I chose this cover of Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room from DISNEYMANIA for linklewtt who requested a cover of a Disneyland attraction (I don't know if he's a Duff fan).

But rather than talk about HILARY DUFF, I'd rather talk about the Enchanted Tiki Room and its theme song.

Living on the west coast I don't get out to Florida much. But last year I got the privilege of spending a week at Walt Disney World. I have seen the Enchanted Tiki Room show at Disneyland a few times but never have I seen the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)! I was ready to be treated to something new and something that brings together two cool Disney characters, Iago and Zazu!

I thought the show was very well done, keeping in the character of the original show but adding funny commentary from the two birds who are now the owners of the show. I know many people think of this show as an abomination and that nothing should have been changed, but please remember that Walt Disney always wanted the Disney theme parks to be constantly changing, for new ideas to be brought to life and for people to have a different experience every time they entered the gates. Plus, the attraction is still the same at Disneyland.

The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room, which was written by the Sherman Brothers in 1963 was the first song ever written for an Audio-Animatronic attraction. Which makes sense since Audio-Anamatronics was invented and patented by Walt Disney Imagineering and the Enchanted Tiki Room was the first attraction to feature the new technology.

Chim Chim Cher-ee - Disney Singers

Here is a fun track to make your Monday morning a happy one! Chim Chim Cher-ee DISCO STYLE! This one is for you, Janet!

I'm sure that many of you remember the 1979 record MICKEY MOUSE DISCO. The album had a few new songs but also a bunch of disco covers of Disney classics. The album sort of missed the disco bandwagon but it still managed to peak at #35 on the Billboard Pop Album Charts!

The album has been released on vinyl, cassette and CD but have long since gone out of print. I was fortunate to find a copy of it on vinyl for 75 cents at a thrift store. Disney has, however, released the album as digital downloads on iTunes!

Chim Chim Cher-ee Disney Singers 1979

Some Day My Prince Will Come - Anastacia

The final entry for Snow White Week is the lead track off the first volume of DISNEYMANIA. This was back when Disney worked on getting bigger names in the pop music business to contribute to the album rather than culling their own field of Disney Channel stars.

One of the most famous of all Disney songs, Some Day My Prince Will Come has been given a nice R&B treatment by pop singer ANASTACIA. The song was voted #19 by the American Film Institute on their 100 Greatest Songs in Movie History list. The only other Disney song to rank higher on the list was When You Wish Upon a Star which was #7. (Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was #36, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah was #47, Beauty and the Beast was #62 and Hakuna Matata was #99)

Anastacia Newkirk, as much as she has tried, has not had the popularity she wanted in North America. When her first album was released in 2000 it quickly rose to the top of the charts in several European and Asian countries and reached #2 in Australia! She can sell out stadiums in the east but is still a relatively unknown here in the west.

In 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer which affected the way she approached life and her music. She continued to tour until 2005 when she decided to focus on other interests like fashion. But rumour has it that she is working on a new album to be released later this year. Hopefully this one with be more popular in the States.

I'm Wishing/One Song - On the Record Cast

Our first introduction to Snow White is as she sings I'm Wishing at the beginning of the film. We quickly get a sense of her character: She is a happy girl, living in poverty but with a natural cheery outlook, but she, like so many Disney heroines, looks for so much more. Suddenly we are met with a new character, a Prince, who shares a sweet song with an embarrassed Snow White.

I'm Wishing and One Song are commonly paired together. They are together on the official soundtrack and many covers take advantage of this coupling. The version that I am posting today for Snow White Week is from the On the Record Broadway Musical and features Kaitlyn Hopkins with Ashley Brown as the echoing well.

The original voice of Snow White was Adriana Caselotti whose father, Guido Caselotti, was a music teacher and vocal coach. One day, while the casting director for Snow White was on the phone with Guido about casting the voice for the lead role, Adriana, who was listening in on another line, began to speak and sing in a child-like voice. Once Disney heard this, he knew that he had found the voice! She was paid 970 for her work.

Adriana never appeared in another movie, aside from a bit part in Wizard of Oz because she didn't want to ruin the magic of Snow White by having her voice heard in other places.

I'm Wishing On the Record Cast 2004

With a Smile and a Song - Carol Rosenberger

Carrying on with Snow White Week, I give to you a version or With a Smile and a Song reworked to be in the style of the famous Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin.

CHOPIN had a great sense of rhythmic style and tempo. He favoured rubato, slight slowing down and speeding up of tempo, in his music instead of exaggerated ritardandos. He wanted to keep his music flowing and made great use of the legato style, which means playing all the notes smoothly together, almost slurring the notes together.

CAROL ROSENBERGER is the pianist on this track and you can really hear Chopin's style come out in her playing.

Whistle While You Work - Polly James and the Mike Sammes Singers

Happy Earth Day everyone! April 22 marks the date that 20 million Americans took to the streets in 1970 protesting the harmful effect of mankind on the environment. Earth Day has now become an annual event, especially in schools, around the world, reminding people to be aware of their actions and the effects they have on the environment.

To tie in to this holiday, I have chosen the happy cleaning song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is also the theme of the week. I hope that this song with remind you to tune up and start to whistle while you work on cleaning up this planet!

This version of Whistle While You Work was recorded in 1966 by UK actor/singer POLLY JAMES who released a whole album of Snow White tunes with TONY PETERS and THE MIKE SAMMES SINGERS. Peters is not on this track but you can hear the Mike Sammes Singers as the Seven Dwarfs. The vocalists are backed by Brian Fahey and His Orchestra.

If anyone has any info on this album, link for purchase or cover art, please let me know!

Whistle While You Work Polly James with the Mike Sammes Singers 1996

Heigh-Ho (The Dwarfs Marching Song) - Louis Armstrong

haven't done many weekly themes that focus on a movie. Usually I focus on a musical style, but this time I want to feature the music of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with a different musical style everyday.

A movie soundtrack automatically comes packaged with the release of a movie these days. Fans wonder and even get upset if a companion soundtrack is not released. But back in 1937, when Snow White was released, this was not the case.

Disney had the brilliant idea to release a set of three 78 RPM records that contained one song from the film on each side. He thought that people would be interested in listening to songs after hearing them in the movie.

He was right! Victor released Songs from Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (with the Same Characters and Sound Effects as in the Film of That Title) in January 1937 and every songs featured on the records became top 10 hits a month later!

Here is LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S take on Heigh-Ho from his album DISNEY SONGS THE SATCHMO WAY.

A Whole New World - Grace Knight & Jackie

Welcome to everyone who is visiting Covering the Mouse for the first time today as a result of hearing my involvement of the most recent Coverville Podcast! I was very happy that Brian invited me to take part in this roundtable discussion.

Every Friday is a special day over here with weekly features. On the third Friday of each month I post a Terrible Track. This month's Terrible Track is A Whole New World by GRACE KNIGHT and her son Jackie.

Grace Knight was a founding member of the popular Australian pop group EUROGLIDERS which was a powerful force on the Australian charts in the 80s. The group disbanded in 1989 after releasing their fourth album.

But Grace wasn't through with music yet. She went on to become one of the best selling jazz singers throughout the 90s in Australia! Most recently, Grace and Bernie Lynch reformed Eurogliders and recorded a new album in 2005, started touring in 2006 and released another album in 2007!

In 1999 she and her son Jackie recorded a cover of the Aladdin ballad, A Whole New World for the album DUETS: A FAMILY CELEBRATION, a collection of famous Australian artists singing with their children. This track is terrible due to Jackie's awful singing. Some of the tracks on this album get the cute factor but not this one. It's almost too painful to listen to. And Grace's vocal work isn't stellar here either.

Just Around the Riverbend - Michelle Nicastro

Here is another track off of MICHELLE NICASTRO'S TOONFUL TOO, an album of Nicastro singing cheesy showtune versions of mostly Disney songs.

The track I have chosen is from the Academy Award winning soundtrack from Pocahontas. Just like Ariel's Part of Your World, Just Around the Riverbend is Pocahontas' expression of the need to break out and forge her own life. She feels restrained by family commitments and, like Ariel, ends up disobeying orders to pursue the love interests.

But unlike Ariel, she remains with her family at the end of the film as Captain John Smith sails away. To have the love interests not get together in the end was a bold move for Disney that ended up being a sour note as most fans were expecting the traditional Disney fairy tale ending.

Just Around the Riverbend Michelle Nicastro 1995

You'll Be in My Heart - Steve Tyrell feat. Dave Koz

I don't have very many covers of Phil Collins' You'll Be in My Heart. In fact I don't have very many covers of any modern Disney songs due to them being new. I know that seems to make sense, but it seems hard to believe that a song that hits #21 on the American Top 40 charts and can still be heard on Adult Contemporary radio all over the world isn't given more attention in the cover world. I mean, if Winnie the Pooh can get dozens of covers why can't You'll Be in My Heart?

For whatever reason, jazz musician STEVE TYRELL decided to include the Tarzan ballad on his 2006 album DISNEY STANDARDS. This song and When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 are the two newest tracks on the album, both having been featured in movies that came out in 1999. I can accept You'll Be in My Heart being called standard (although if it were a standard wouldn't it be covered more?) but would you really call When She Loved Me a standard? I don't know about that.

As it stands right now, it seems like the only covers of this song are off albums released by Disney Records, the newest one being a cover by Drew Seeley on next month's DISNEYMANIA 6. If any of you know a cover of this song that is not Disney produced, please let me know!

By the way, DAVID KOZ, a well known jazz saxophonist, plays the sax solo and I think he is singing back up vocals as well.

You'll Be in My Heart Steve Tyrell 2006

He's a Tramp - Bette Midler

Here's a charming cover of Peggy Lee's He's a Tramp from Lady and the Tramp by well-known singer and actor BETTE MIDLER from her 2005 album BETTE MIDLER SINGS THE PEGGY LEE SONGBOOK.

If you've been alive in the later half of the 20th century then you should know who Bette Midler is. She has more albums than you can shake a stick at and a healthy list of movie credits including The Rose and For the Boys which got her two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.

Midler's style on this track both vocally and musically is so similar to the Peggy Lee original that it almost sounds the same. A great tribute to Peggy but not that great of a cover. However, I do like having the Siamese Cat Song at the beginning.

He's a Tramp Bette Midler 2005

Winnie the Pooh - Shanghai Quartet

Way back on April 14 in 1969, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day was awarded an Oscar for Best Short Subject. The short, which originally aired in 1968 before The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit, is an important one in history because it is the first appearance of Tigger in a Disney production. The story of the storm that floods the 100 Acre Wood and destroys Owl's house was later compiled with the other Pooh shorts to create the feature film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

I have chosen to post this classical version of the Winnie the Pooh theme by SHANGHAI QUARTET. The track comes off HEIGH-HO MOZART, an album in which Disney songs are interpreted in the styles of famous classical composers. Winnie the Pooh is arranged in the style of the famous Russian composer, SERGEI PROKOFIEV.

Sergei Prokofiev was a child prodigy. In 1896, he composed his first piece when he was five and he asked his mother to write it down because he couldn't do it himself. He continued to pursue his music and composed many symphonies, operas and even a film score for the 1938 film Alexander Nevsky.

Prokofiev's life got harder after WWII when the Soviet government decided that his music was a form of Russian Formalism and needed to be censored. This caused Prokofiev to withdraw from society in order to work on his music. It soon became common for theatres to refuse to play his compositions causing Prokofiev to withdraw even further. His health suffered and soon he was only working on his music for about an hour a day.

His last public presentation of his work was his Seventh Symphony in 1952 which he was asked to rewrite the ending to make it more cheery. He died a year later of a cerebral hemorrhage. Prokofiev's life and his work have become important in Russian history as he is considered to be one of the greatest composers in the 20th century.

When You Wish Upon a Star - The Manhattan Transfer

THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER has been one of the more influential groups in modern jazz. Their vocal arrangements are world renowned and highly regarded. Since forming in 1969, the group has gone through many transformations, both in roster and in style but always delivered highly innovative jazz records.

In 2000, when the group was planning to record their final album on the Atlanic record label, they decided to record a tribute album to Louis Armstrong. They carefully selected ten songs from Armstrong's incredibly huge catalog and for some reason they selected When You Wish Upon a Star as the closing number for the disc. THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS was released and fans either hailed it as a genius reinvigoration of jazz or a sloppy, under-produced piece of garbage.

While Louis did record the song for DISNEY SONG THE SATCHMO WAY in 1968, I don't think I'd think of When You Wish Upon a Star as one Armstrong's greatest hits as MT member Janis Siegel seems to think in this article taken from The Manhattan Transfer Fan Club Webpage:

The first task was digging into Armstrong's extensive catalog as a spotlight artist, spanning from his mid-1920's recordings with the small Hot Fives and Hot Sevens ensembles, up to his death in 1971. "We wanted to include a couple songs that are really associated with Armstrong," says Siegel, "ones someone on the street would name if you went up to them and said, 'Name two Louie Armstrong tunes!'" From that column, the quartet chose "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" and "When You Wish Upon A Star."

But finding new ways to approach those best-loved selections wasn't simple. "It's almost easier doing songs that are more obscure," admits Paul. "Steering away from the saccharine side of songs like 'When You Wish Upon A Star,' which is so well know, was really challenging. Because the tendency is to go melodically and arrangement-wise, where you think it should go, where people are used to hearing the song go. And we didn't want to do that."

"Steering away" is right! This version of the Pinocchio classic is quite different than what you normally hear when this song is covered. The sparse use of instrumentation mixed with odd harmonies and departure from the timing of the melody makes this arrangement quite unique. Is it good? Is it bad? You decide.

When You Wish Upon a Star The Manhattan Transfer 2000

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat - Brian Setzer

The famous Rockabilly singer and guitarist BRIAN SETZER turns 49 today and I have chosen his cover of Ev'rybody Wants to be a Cat from the Aristocats for today's post.

Setzer has been in the music scene since the early 80s when he fronted the rockabilly act known as the Stray Cats. After the group broke up in 1984 and Setzer released a solo album, Setzer decided to take a more swing approach to his next project. He formed the 17 piece BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA which still performs across the country to this date. Setzer also wrote and recorded the theme song for Disney's House of Mouse

If you are a fan of cover songs like I am, then you should check out the Brian Setzer Orchestra if you haven't already. Since the band's style is taken from the Big Band era you will hear a lot of jazz standards on their albums (Jump, Jive and Wail, Mac the Knife, Pensylvania 6-5000). They also have two albums of Christmas music for all you Christmas cover lovers (You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch and Nutcracker Suite are two good ones)!

And to top it all off, last year the Orchestra released Wolfgang's Night Out, an album of classical music turned Rockabilly which won them a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album!

This version of Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat fits Brian's style perfectly, however, I would have like to hear him include the second half of the song and have the rest of the Orchestra kick in.

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat Brian Setzer 2004

I'll Try - Jesse McCartney

Amazon finally has a listing for the sixth installment of the popular (or not so popular depending on your taste) DISNEYMANIA albums. There was a rumoured track list that included famous artists like Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani and Hillary Duff. It now looks like that list is totally bogus. Here is what's listed on Amazon

1. If I Didn't Have You - Mitchell Musso and Emily Osment
2. That's How You Know - Demi Lovato
3. Some Day My Prince Will Come - The Cheetah Girls
4. Kiss the Girl - Colbie Caillat
5. Cruella De Vil - Selena Gomez
6. Real Gone - Billy Ray Cyrus
7. Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elliott Yamin
8. He Lives in You - Elijah Kelley
9. You'll Be in My Heart - Drew Seeley
10. When You Wish Upon a Star - Kate Voegele
11. Reflection - Keke Palmer
12. When I See an Elephant Fly - Plain White T's
13. Ever Ever After - Jordan Pruitt
14. My Strongest Suit - KayCee Stroh
15. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Nikki Blonsky

Although most of these artists are Disney Channel stars, most of them haven't been on a DISNEYMANIA CD yet. There are a few bigger names like Billy Ray Cyrus, Plain White Ts and Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray).

I think the most exciting part about this album are the first-time covers! Real Gone from Cars, That's How You Know and Ever, Ever After from Enchanted and My Strongest Suit from Aida all get covered for the first time (that I'm aware)! A few other songs that don't get covered often are also included on this list: If I Didn't Have You from Monsters Inc., He Lives In You from Lion King 2 and When I see an Elephant Fly from Dumbo.

Today I'm posting a track from JESSE MCCARTNEY who has appeared on three of the DISNEYMANIA albums but is not on this upcoming one and who is celebrating his 21st birthday today. This is his version of I'll Try from Peter Pan: Return to Neverland.

DISNEYMANIA 6 will be released on May 20 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. If you would like to talk more about this upcoming release or just voice your opinion, you can take part in the discussion in the Covering the Mouse Facebook Forum!

Mickey Mouse Club March - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five

Happy birthday to Mouseketeer DARLENE GILLESPIE who is 67 today! Darlene was an original and faithful member of the Mickey Mouse Club during its original run from 1955-1959. We are celebrating her birthday today with a Japanese cover of the Mickey Mouse March from the album READYMADE DIGS DISNEY.

Readymade Digs Disney was produced by YASUHARU KONISHI, founder of Readymade Entertainment. This album features the music of PIZZACATO FIVE, a band that Konishi founded in 1985. However, since this album was released in 2003 and Pizzacato Five broke up in 2002, I'm assuming that Konishi, who is a well known arranger and remixer, took the recorded tracks and turned it into this album.

READYMADE DIGS DISNEY is one of the best Disney cover albums I have heard. It is unique and interesting to listen to, it has a great variety of songs and styles and is just really well produced. I will be planning a Readymade Digs Disney week in May so be prepared to hear some more from this album!

Mickey Mouse Club March Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003