To end your week and take you into the weekend, I'm posting a beautiful cover of a beautiful song. Someone's Waiting For You was written in 1977 for The Rescuers and ended up earning an Oscar nomination for Best Song in 1978.
This instrumental version is beautifully arranged and performed by EMILE PANDOLFI on his 1993 album ONCE UPON A ROMANCE.
If you haven't heard of the JACKSON 5 then you seriously need to get out of your cave and join the rest of the world.
While you may know who the Jackson 5 are, you may not know that they covered Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah for their first album DIANA ROSS PRESENTS THE JACKSON 5. The song was the lead track on the record that was released in 1969.
Although the album and liner notes lead some to believe that Diana Ross was responsible for discovering the Jackson 5, that is simply not true. Ross was put on the album as a way to promote this unknown group, much like animated feature films use big name celebrities to voice their characters in order to sell their movies. It was really Bobby Taylor and Gladys Knight who discovered the Jackson 5.
This version of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah has a slowed down, laid back groove that fits with the Motown style. Many artists have covered this particular version of the song over the years.
Born in London, SUSHEELA RAMAN moved to Australia when she was four but her parents, who were from Tamil Nadu, wanted to keep their Tamil culture alive. They taught their daughter South Indian classical music which started Shusheela's love for music of many origins.
As a teenager she formed a rock band which later started to adopt some funk, blues and jazz. But it wasn't until she traveled to India to rediscover her roots that her music started to form what it is today.
In 1997, when she returned from India, she started working with guitarist/producer Sam Mills on music that would feature musicians from all over the world. Featured on Trust In Me off of her first album, SALT RAIN, is the Egyptian percussion virtuoso Hosam Ramzi.
Sam Mills had this to say about the making of the Jungle Book cover:
Hosam is known worldwide as the ‘King of Belly Dance’ and also played to great effect on our version of Trust in Me which is a kind of oriental cha-cha-cha. Trust in Me is of course taken from the Jungle Book. Like millions of others, we grew with these songs, but after Susheela and I met we both discovered that we had been thinking about covering this particular tune. Getting the right tone was quite tricky. The snake Kaa, who sings it in the film, is an evil seducer, so Susheela had to get into character for it. I think she’s still recovering.
All in all, this is a great cover and a real example or 'world music'.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the recording of Under the Sea by the swing band from North Carolina, SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS. Apparently, the Squirrels recorded the track for the release of The Little Mermaid on DVD in 1999. Disney was in the middle of purchasing Mammoth Records, the band's label, both all parties involved seem to have a different idea of what should happen with the song.
To make a long story short, the song got shelved and never saw the light of day until 2002 when it was released on the band's greatest hits album.
To start out the week I am posting a soothing cover of the love ballad from Beauty and the Beast by professional flautist SIR JAMES GALWAY which he recorded for his 1993 album AT THE MOVIES.
Galway has been a professional flute player since the early 50s when he played with the Philharmonic Orchestra. He quickly rose to popularity as a solo flautist and is now one of the most well known flute players in the world.
While most of his work is in the classical world, Galway does branch out to the world of pop and showtunes and has two Disney covers, this one and Can You Feel the Love Tonight.
If you think you haven't heard Sir James before, have you seen Lord of the Rings? He was a featured flautist throughout the Howard Shore score.
There are so many songs in Mary Poppins that it's easy to forget a few that are being overshadowed by Chim Chim Cher-ee, Stay Awake and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. So for Obscure Disney Song Friday I have chosen a classic Mary Poppins tune that often gets overlooked.
Sister Suffragette is about the Women's Social and Political Union that was formed in London in 1906 in order to give women the chance to be heard, particularly in the form of political votes. The group was formed to rally for suffrage, the right to vote, for women in the UK and all the members were called suffragettes.
Since Mary Poppins takes place around this time it is perfectly logical for Mrs. Banks to be active in this group and having her sing this song at the beginning of the film shows that she is more interested in being a suffragette than being a mother for her children.
This song was covered by GIA MAIONE, the fourth wife of the Jungle Book's Louis Prima. They married and, a year after the release of Mary Poppins recorded their first album together, LET'S FLY WITH MARY POPPINS, a collection of all the songs from the film in Prima's classic jazz style.
Cartoon Brew pointed out this new South African artist who took samples from Alice in Wonderland and mixed them in to a song all of their own. Although it's not really a cover, it is really cool and I knew I had to share it with you as soon as I heard it!
19-year-old Nick Bertke is the genius behind this music. He says of the four tracks he recorded “90% is composed using sounds recorded from the Disney film ‘Alice In Wonderland’.” The amount of time and editing that went into these songs must be incredible. Take a listen and you'll know what I'm talking about.
In this one track, titled Bread and Butterflies, you'll hear samples from Painting the Roses the Red, Twas Brillig and Golden Afternoon. All four of the tracks can be downloaded for free here.
Sorry to everyone who thought you were going to hear a song yesterday. I thought I hit the publish button but I must not have because I came to write today's post and found the draft sitting there waiting for me.
I have listened to DISNEYMANIA 6 and it is just what you would expect from a DISNEYMANIA album. Lots of pre-teen pop fluff. There are a few good tracks but there are more than the usual amount of bad dance tracks in this volume.
I was deciding which track to post today and when I heard this one I knew I had to share it with you. Not because it's good, mind you, but because I couldn't believe how well this song translated into a standard Disney pop/punk song. If I didn't know that it was a cover of the Academy Award winning song from Enchanted I would have thought it was originally written in this style.
That's How You Know is sung by DEMI LOVATO, a 15-year old ex-Barney cast member who has just started her career with Disney. Disney is promoting her early as her first gig with the House of Mouse, Camp Rock debuts next month and her first album from Disney Records will be out in August. I'm sure she will be a success. She certainly fits the cookie-cutter.
Colors of the Wind - Ashanti featuring Lil' Sis Shi Shi
Say happy birthday to JUDY KUHN who was born fifty years ago on this day! Judy Kuhn, as many of you know, provided the singing voice for Pocahontas in Pocahontas and its sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. To celebrate her birthday, I am posting a cover of one of Judy's songs, Colors of the Wind, this time performed by R&B/pop singer ASHANTI and her little sister Shi Shi.
Ashanti was one of those kids who was born to sing. Before she hit high school she had recorded a demo and set it to all the major record labels. But after a failed attempt to launch a career with P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records and Jive Records she decided to focus on high school. A smart move, returning to a normal life and taking some time to grow up before being thrown into the world of entertainment because very soon her whole life was going to change.
In 2001 Ashanti started singing background vocals for many big name stars. It wasn't long before her talent was noticed and she was featured on Fat Joe's What's Luv? and Ja Rule's Always on Time, two songs that hit #1 and #2 respectively in 2002, making Ashanti the first female to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart!
So naturally, this was noticed by record execs and later that year she was in the studio recording her first album. The self-titled album, Ashanti, was released in April 2002, debut at number 1 on the R&B charts where it stayed for a few weeks, and sold over 504,000 thousand in its first week, making it the most successful first week debut sales for any female R&B artist! The album went on to win a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album and has since gone triple platinum.
It comes as no surprise that everyone wanted a piece of the pie, including Disney who asked Ashanti to record Colors of the Wind for DISNEYMANIA. As far as covers go, this one is pretty dull. It doesn't at all give any clue to the amount of talent in Ashanti's voice. And her little sister Shi Shi is not that great of a singer. If you are hearing Ashanti for the first time with this song, please don't judge her. Check out some of her other work.
Ashanti's career has stayed strong since her debut and now she is getting into the acting career (one of her first roles was Dorothy Gale in Disney's The Muppets' Wizard of Oz). She has her fourth album coming out in a few weeks.
Don't forget that DISNEYMANIA 6 hits the stores today! I'll post a track from it as soon as I get a copy of my own.
Colors of the Wind Ashanti feat. Lil' Sis Shi Shi 2002
EN VOGUE was very new in the R&B world when they recorded this track for SIMPLY MAD ABOUT THE MOUSE in 1991. They found success with their debut album in 1990 and Disney got them to record Some Day My Prince Will Come and One Song knowing that their name would be a big selling point.
Unfortunately, I think this song is the worst track on the album which is why I've chosen it for Terrible Track Friday. The tempo has been slowed down so much that it becomes boring. And while the vocals get more interesting toward the end, it is not enough to make me like the song. And what's with the cheesy background vocals on One Song? En Vogue has had a lot of good songs but this isn't one of them.
Some Day My Prince Will Come/One Song En Vogue 1991
Last year, the JAKARTA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CHOIR recorded their first album, called THE VERY 1ST ALBUM. This choir from Jakarta, Indonesia takes their work very seriously, recording music and playing televised concerts several times a year.
The quality of this community choir is quite good because it is not made up of volunteers you have to pay a monthly fee of 150,000 rupiahs, which is a very reasonable 16.14 USD. Their album includes several songs from Beauty and the Beast including this medley of Be Our Guest and Belle
Be Our Guest/Belle Jakarta International Community Choir 2007
Whistle While You Work/Heigh-Ho! Heigh-Ho! - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Here is a short Snow White medley from the Walt Disney tribute album WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR recorded by THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR.
There are two songs in Snow White about working, one sung by Snow White as she cleans the dwarfs cabin and one sung by the dwarfs as they mine for diamonds. It is rather peculiar that both of these songs are about making work fun. As a Canadian, I don't know much about American history but I do know that the Great Depression was in the 30s and took most of that decade to recover from. So could it be that Disney had it in mind to create a movie about a poor working girl, forced to live in poverty, who has a cheery outlook on life and sings happy songs about working in order to help the general public through these tough times? Walt started production on this movie in 1934 so I'm sure that the depression must have been on his mind and I wouldn't be surprised if it was an influence on the film.
Under the conduction of JEROLD OTTLEY, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra take these two songs and combine them to make a jolly work song every bit as jolly as the originals.
Whistle While You Work/Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! Mormon Tabernacle Choir 1990
It's a Small World/God Help the Outcasts - Kerry Butler
I'm sorry but there is no song today. The reason is that I want to promote this new Disney cover album that came out today but I don't have a copy of it yet so I can't post the track. I hope to have it very soon and I will repost it with the song at that time but you will have to wait for a little while.
The album is called FAITH, TRUST AND PIXIE DUST and it is by Broadway singer KERRY BUTLER. Butler is currently performing as Ariel in the Little Mermaid Broadway Musical. Having performed in other musicals such as Hairspray, Bat Boy, Little Shop of Horrors and as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
UPDATE: Thank you to many readers who wrote in to tell me that Butler is not playing Ariel in the Broadway musical. However she was involved in the project, she recorded Ariel's voice for some of the demo recordings. I found a copy of her singing Part of Your World that I will post at a later date. It should also be said that I neglected to mention Xanadu, a musical for which Kerry Butler was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical! Good job Kerry!
Butler had now stepped out and recorded her first album, titled FAITH, TRUST AND PIXIE DUST, a line taken from I'll Try from Return to Neverland. She has chosen a selection of her favourite Disney songs and is giving them a non-Broadway feel. Simple and acoustic is the way to go for her. Also on the album are a few previously unreleased Disney songs, which I may post like I did with Clay Akien's Proud of Your Boy.
The track that I want to post today is a medley of It's a Small World and God Help the Outcasts. This sounds like an odd combination of songs and I haven't heard it yet so I can't really comment on it. However, there is a little story behind why God Help the Outcasts is on this disc. Apparently she held a contest asking people to submit a Disney song that they wanted to hear on the album. The winner got to sit in the studio as she recorded it.
Again, I will be posting this song as soon as I get it but if you want to hear a short sample you can click here or here.
UPDATE: Here it is, everyone! I finally got my hands on a copy of this album and am now sharing it with you! Enjoy!
It's a Small World/God Help the Outcasts Kerry Butler 2007
Circle of Life/Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Richard Page
Here is a short Lion King medley (or is it an Elton John medley?) of the two most popular tracks from the movie, Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. This medley is sung by RICHARD PAGE, lead sing of the 80s pop band MR. MISTER.
Mr. Mister had a successful run in the late 80s after releasing their second album WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD in 1985. The album hit #1 in 1986 as did their hit singles Broken Wings and Kyrie. After the band broke up in 1989, Page started writing music for other pop artists, including Kenny Loggins, Josh Groban, Meatloaf, Michael Jackson and Celine Dion, just to name a few.
If you grew up in the 80s there is no doubt that you know Mr. Mister, but did you know that before Richard Page became the lead singer of the group he turned down offers to be lead singer for Chicago and Toto? With both of those bands still going strong today I wonder if Page is regretting his decision to go with Mr. Mister.
For a medley, this one is pretty weak. I love medleys and really appreciate the transitions that tie one song to the next. But this song almost comes to a stop before jumping into Can You Feel. I would have liked to hear a little bit more creativity from this hit songwriter.
Circle of Life/Can You Feel the Love Tonight Richard Page 1996
When You Wish Upon a Star - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
Now we come to the end of the week and since it is Wish Upon a Star Friday and since we have been listening to READYMADE DIGS DISNEY all week I will be posting the PIZZICATO FIVE cover of When You Wish Upon a Star.
A lot of the time I find that mainstream Japanese artists are way more open to experimenting with their music than mainstream artists in North America. This is the case with Pizzicato Five. About half way through this cute little song, we get two instruments playing the same melody but a semitone apart making it sound very dissonant. But for some reason, I don't hate it. It just follows through with the rest of the album.
Thanks for being part of this week and I'm sorry if you don't like this album. I'll be back on Monday with something other than Pizzicato Five.
When You Wish Upon a Star Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
This track features MAKI NOMIYA, Pizzicato Five's lead singer. Nomiya, a recording artist since the early 80s with the New Wave band Portible Rock, joined Pizzicato Five in 1991 as lead singer and stayed with the group until they broke up. She has since continued on as a solo artist and is still active today.
Part of Your World Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
Supercalifraigilsitcexpialidocious - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
With beats that sound like they're straight outta the Powerpuff Girls, YASHUHARU KONISHI takes this classic Mary Poppins song and combines the electronic beats we heard on Monday and and jazz we heard yesterday and creates a wonderful cover song.
I can't stress enough how much I like the creativity that these guys bring to the table. The PIZZICATO FIVE was a group that Konishi formed in the late 80s. The group went through many different musical evolutions and eventually came to a style that sound quite similar to what you hear on this album. Pizzicato Five recorded over a dozen albums before breaking up in 2002. This album was released a year later by Konishi, probably as a way to get a couple more bucks out of the Pizzicato Five.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
Winnie the Pooh - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
Now we go to the other end of musical styles and take a listen to a jazzy rendition of Winnie the Pooh. I know it sound completely different than yesterday's track but when listening to the album as a whole it's not really a shock to hear it.
This album sort of reminds me of the soundtrack to the anime Cowboy Bebop by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts which switches from jazz to country to techno to rock in a heartbeat but for some reason all seems to fit together. That is what a well produced album sounds like and I believe READYMADE DIGS DISNEY to be just that.
Winnie the Pooh Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
Main Street Electrical Parade - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five
A few weeks ago, I posted a track from the wonderful album READYMADE DIGS DISNEY, a whole album of covers by YASUHARU KONISHI, founder of Readymade Entertainment. I was so impressed by this album when I heard it that I knew I wanted to devote a whole week of Covering the Mouse dedicated to it.
Now, the best way to listen to this album is from start to finish because the transitions between some of the songs are quite fun. But I have decided to pick a few choice tracks for this week and forgo the whole order thing.
This track is the Baroque Hoedown, the main theme for the Main Street Electrical Parade. The MSEP no longer runs at Disneyland but the music lives on forever on albums just like this. You will be able to hear a sample of the Unbirthday Song from Alice in Wonderland, another featured melody in the parade.
Main Street Electrical Parade Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five 2003
Pink Elephants on Parade - Lee Press-On & the Nails
It was my birthday last week and Jamie sent me this wonderful cover of Pink Elephants on Parade and since this is Request Friday I thought it would be a good idea to fulfill craziemutant's request for this Dumbo acid trip.
Hailing from San Fran and known for their crazy on stage antics and "sinister swing", LEE PRESS-ON & THE NAILS have proven themselves as a swing band, especially when they won the California Music Award in 1998 for Best Swing/Cabaret Act.
Although they formed in 1994, their first album wasn't released until 1998. Since then they released three other albums, their newest being EL BANGO EN FUEGO! in 2002 which includes this cover of Pink Elephants.
I would love to see these guys live because of all the stuff I read about their live show, but it seems like they have only played a few shows in the last few years.
Pink Elephants on Parade Lee Press-On & the Nails 2002
In 2005, MICHELLE SHOCKED released three albums at the same time! One of the albums, GOT NO STRINGS is composed of her interpretations of her favourite Disney songs. Today I'm posting her version of Give a Little Whistle from Pinocchio. GOT NO STRINGS is arguably the favourite of the three albums, and with good reason. Her arrangements are unique and they are fun to listen to! Give this whole album a listen to if you can. It is filled with good music.
I find it a bit hard to classify this album in a genre. It's a bit country, a bit jazzy, a bit folky and bit bluegrassy. This is part of the reason many people like Shocked and her albums. It is diverse enough to reach a wide variety of people but still stays true to the style that she has created.
Over the years, many musical artists have paid tribute to the music of Disney. This blog pays tribute to those artists.
You won't find any original Disney songs here, these are all covers, interpretations and variations on the tunes we all love.
Covering the Mouse is not associated with Disney or any major record label. If you wish to have a song removed from my site, please email me and I will be happy to comply.
Stumble It!
