covering the mouse

VOTE 2008: Weird World of Cover Tunes

2008-07-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

Welcome to day three of VOTE 2008!

The Weird World of Cover Tunes features the weirdest of the weird. What was the artist thinking when they covered that?!

5. It's a Small World - Rockapella

Some songs just shouldn't be covered and It's a Small World fits into that category due to it being the most annoying song in history. So why would the hit a cappella group want to subject their fans to that torture? And why is it on their Christmas album?

4. A World of My Own - Ed Harcourt

Why on Earth would Ed Harcourt want to sing this song if he didn't know the melody? What was he thinking? I like the musical arrangement but the vocal work is a bit too weird.

3. You've Got a Friend In Me - Mannheim Steamroller

If you are going to cover a song, why would you make it so unrecognizable that the listener has no idea what the original is supposed to be? While most of Mannheim Steamroller's album is good, this track is definitely weird.

2. Main Street Electrical Parade - Eccentric Opera

Just listen to this one. I won't even need to explain anything.

1. Heigh-Ho (The Dwarfs Marching Song) - Tom Waits

The weirdest of the weird is someone who has probably been called weird once or twice in his life. Tom Waits turns the happy, fun dwarf song into a industrial rock tune. Why? Could it be because he is weird?

You may not want to tune in tomorrow because I will be giving you the worst songs on this site!

VOTE 2008: Most Unlikely Candidate

2008-07-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to day two of VOTE 2008!

Today's category is Most Unlikely Candidate. These are the people you thought would never cover Disney. These are the songs you never thought you'd hear covered. These are the songs you thought you'd never hear in that style.

5. When You Wish Upon a Star - Gene Simmons

This KISS rocker is definitely one who you wouldn't imaging covering When You Wish Upon a Star. Isn't he tougher than that? Apparently this song is very special to him and when he covered the Pinocchio classic he wanted to be very true to the original.

4. You've Got a Friend In Me - Robert Goulet

Robert Goulet? Really? His awesome cameo in Toy Story 2 was one of the reasons that movie was so great! While I could see him singing Disney songs, I never thought that he would be lend his voice to the Wheezy the Penguin. I guess you didn't either.

3. This is Halloween - Marilyn Manson

Although Manson is probably the least likely to be associated with Disney, his cover of This is Halloween embodies Manson in every way.

2. The Spectrum Song - Michelle Shocked

Who would have thought that this song would ever be covered? Yet it works thanks to the unique twang added by Michelle Shocked. I'd love to hear more covers of this song but it might be as unlikely as everyone believes.

1. Hip Hip Pooh Ray! - Domino & Stormy Seven

Out of all the songs to come out of the Winnie the Pooh shorts from the 60s, this one is probably one of the lesser know tracks. Who would have thought someone would cover it. And even more, who would have thought that it would be covered in the Eurobeat style?!

Tomorrow is weird Wednesday as I bring you the five weirdest covers on Covering the Mouse!

VOTE 2008: Kurtis' Kovers

2008-07-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to day one of VOTE 2008! It has been one year since I launched this site and I am happy to say that it is still going strong! I still have a few years worth of Disney covers to share with you so here's to another glorious year!

It's not too late to get your vote in for the other categories! If you haven't voted yet, do it right now!

Today I am sharing with you my top five favourite covers. So enough talking and let's get on with it!

5. The Silly Symphony - On the Record Original Cast

I absolutely love this medley of all of the Disney songs with nonsense words from the On the Record Broadway musical, especially when they start singing all over them at the same time! A few they missed: Oo-De-Lallly, La La Lu, Trashin' the Camp, Passamashloddy, Substitutiary Locomotion.

4. The Three Caballeros - Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters

Being a Disney fan, I have also grown to be a big Andrews Sisters fan. I was introduced to them by Johnny Fedora & Alice Blue Bonnet and Little Toot and became interested in their other work. This cover is one of the many songs they sing with Bing and it is wonderful.

3. What's This? - Fall Out Boy

I never gave Fall Out Boy the time of day until I heard this song. Their cover is so much fun that I had to check out the band's other material and it's not that bad! They have recently recorded a cover of Beat It which doesn't hold a candle to Jackson's original but is still good.

2. Grim Grinning Ghosts - Barenaked Ladies

No, I didn't pick this song just to be topical. Even though Steven Page got busted for drug possession I still think he and his band are great. And this cover is not exception. I love the original and this cover adds the quirky BNL flavour that truly captures the feel of the ride: Fun and creepy! Also, be sure to listen to this track with stereo speakers.

1. Part of Your World - Sumitsu & the Suemith

Here is the first song I posted on this site. In fact, this song was what inspired me to start this blog! I thought this cover was so creative and unexpected that I had to share it with a bunch of people! It remains my favourite Disney cover to date.

That's all for today! Tomorrow I reveal the covers that you thought you'd never hear!

Magic Journeys - The Doopees

2008-07-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not posting yesterday. I saw the midnight show of The Dark Knight (which is awesome, by the way) and still had to take in a full day of work a few hours after that. Needless to say, this blog was not a priority.

So here I am on the weekend, bringing you a track that falls under the Obscure Disney Song category. I know that I usually post the obscure track on the fourth Friday of the month, which would be next week, and that this week should be a terrible track, but next week is Vote 2008 so I thought I'd spare you the awful track and bring you something special.

This also brings Disneyland Week to a close. And to finish off the week, we are traveling to Tomorrowland to visit the Magic Eye Theatre which in 1986, was playing the 3D film fantasy, Magic Journeys. The movie, which originally debuted with EPCOT Center in 1982, was basically one giant drug trip. Or at least that's what the description on Wikipedia sounds like. I've never actually seen this show.

Magic Journeys looked at the world through the eyes of a child. The film started with children running through a meadow and looking at clouds. Someone blew on a dandelion and the seeds then flew away, turning into stars and then turned into the sun. Next the kids were seen flying a kite at the beach. The kite then turned into a bird, a fish, a school of fish, a flock of birds, bird wings, a Pegasus, a horse and then finally into a merry-go-round. While the children rode the carousel, they began reaching for a brass ring spinning next to the carousel; it became a moon, a bat, a witch, a mask and finally into the Sphinx.

The show played at Disneyland for only two years, until 1986, when it was replaced by Captain EO, a show that I remember from my childhood visits to Disneyland (anyone have some Captain EO covers?). In Florida, the show was moved from EPCOT to the Fantasyland Theater in the Magic Kingdom where it played until 1993 when it was replaced by the Legend of the Lion King.

The soundtrack to Magic Journeys was written by the Sherman Brothers. This cover is by an obscure Japanese experimental electronic group called THE DOOPEES. The band was formed by YAAN TOMITA whose experimental electronic work has been admired for years. He formed this "pop" group in 1995 with singer SUZI KIM and CAROLINE NOVAC and recorded only two albums. The result was cult status as most people even inside Japan have no idea who the Doopees are.

While this track is nice, it doesn't give you any idea of the Doopees' style. Please visit their myspace page to get the idea. They are wonderfully creative and really odd too! The first two minutes of Love is samples of the word love from other songs! Brilliant!

PS: Next week is VOTE 2008! If you haven't already done this please vote now!

Magic Journeys
The Doopees
2001

Covering the Mouse Vote 2008!

2008-07-19T04:12:00.000-07:00

Coming up on July 26 is the one year anniversary of Covering the Mouse! A whole year has flown by since I posted my first song and over 200 songs later it looks like I'm set to go for another year!

To celebrate the anniversary I want to dedicate the week of July 21-25 to readers/listeners choice music! And that's where you can help!

COVERING THE MOUSE VOTE 2008 will be a week long event where you will get to pick your favourite Disney cover tunes from the Covering the Mouse archives. Here is what the week will look like:

MONDAY: Kurtis' Kovers - I will pick my top five favourite covers for your listening enjoyment!

TUESDAY: Most Unlikely Candidate - You never thought you'd hear a cover of this song! You never thought you'd hear a cover from this artist! The top five covers you never thought you'd hear!

WEDNESDAY: Weird World of Cover Tunes! - What were they thinking when they covered this?! These are the top five weirdest covers as voted by you!

THURSDAY: Cover Your Ears! - Your least favourite covers! Often too painful to listen to!

FRIDAY: Cream of the Cover Crop! - The best of the best! The cream of the crop! Your top five favourite cover songs as voted by you!

HOW CAN I VOTE?

Voting is simple. Just add a comment on the song of your choice with the category you're voting for!

For instance, if you think When You Wish Upon a Star by Louis Armstrong is a cover you never thought you'd ever hear, then add a comment to that post that says Vote 2008 - Most Unlikley Candidate! plus anything else you want to say about the cover.

You can vote for as many songs as you like, but please only vote for a song once.

One other thing, please add a name or and alias to your comment. I will not be counting anonymous votes.

Have fun!

It's A Small World - Sugar Minott

2008-07-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

Legendary Reggae artist SUGAR MINOTT covers It's a Small World today as we travel to Fantasyland for today's installment of Disneyland Week.

The It's a Small World attraction was one of the few that Walt Disney created with his Imagineers for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The ride was designed by Mary Blair who also worked on conceptual work for Cinderella and Peter Pan.

Originally, the ride was supposed to be called "Children of the World" but when Walt heard the song, written by the Sherman Brothers, he knew he had to change the name based on this catchy tune. It's a Small World (After All) has become one of the most popular and well known Disney songs in history!

It's a Small World has been closed since January to be refurbished by adding a few Disney characters throughout the ride, here and there. It is planned to reopen in November. It's a Small World in Hong Kong Disneyland opened earlier this year with the Disney characters and it seems to have gone over well.

It's a Small World
Sugar Minott
2001

Grim Grinning Ghosts - Club 33

2008-07-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Our next stop on our tour of Disneyland is New Orleans Square where we will find two attractions that are brought together with this cover song.

Grim Grinning Ghosts is the main theme for the popular Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. The original plan when the park was first built was to place a haunted house at the top of a high hill that loomed over the park. Walt was not impressed with the concept and put the project on hold until they were looking for attractions for a new section of the park, New Orleans Square, that would replace the unpopular Holidayland.

In 1961, the park started construction and advertising the Mansion but the project was still delayed because Walt wasn't sure about how the plans were shaping up. The completed exterior of Mansion was previewed in 1965 on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color but did not actually open because now Walt's attention was on the New York World's Fair for which he was creating a few attractions. It wasn't until Walt's death in 1966 that the Mansion could actually get some attention. It finally opened in 1969!

This cover of Grim Grinning Ghosts is the version that is played in Club 33, an exclusive restaurant in New Orleans Square that is only indicated by a nondescript door with a simple 33 on it. It is not open to the public and the membership fees are in the thousands. But even if you have the money, don't expect to get in any time soon as the waiting is is apparently 14 years long!

All of the music that is heard in Club 33 has this similar chamber feel to it. I think this track is quite beautiful and eerie at the same time. I also have the Club 33 version of Feed the Birds but that is it. There are a dozen more songs that are heard in the club but a formal album has not been released. I don't even know where this track came from! I got it from another music blogger.

If anyone knows where I can get Club 33 music or who the performers are, I would be your best friend forever. UPDATE: Kevin hooked me up with this album! He is my new BFF! Thanks Kevin!

Grim Grinning Ghost
Club 33
???

Country Bear Jamboree Medley - Chris Calabrese

2008-07-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

Day two of Disneyland Week brings us to an area of town that wasn't around when the park first opened in 1955. In fact the Country Bear Jamboree didn't even make it to Disneyland until 1972, a year after appearing in Walt Disney World in Florida.

The original idea for the Jamboree was that it would be a nice attraction for skiers at the ski resort that Walt was planning to build in the mid 60s. But legal issues and then Walt's death never saw the resort come to life. But the Imagineers kept the Jamboree alive and placed it in Frontierland in Walt Disney World in 1971.

The reaction was abundantly positive so the Imagineers immediately brought it to Disneyland and placed it in the area of the park known as Indian Village. That section of the park was renamed to Bear Country as it was the only attraction on that side of town. Bear Country was later renamed Critter Country in 1988 when Splash Mountain was added.

This wonderful ragtime medley comes from CHRIS CALABRESE'S Disneyland tribute album RAGTIME AT THE MAGICAL KINGDOMS. Country Bear Jamboree Medley is composed of five songs from the attraction:

Pianjo
Bear Band Serenade
Heart, We Did All That We Could
Blood on the Saddle

Come Again

Sadly, Country Bear Jamboree is no longer at Disneyland as they have replaced it with a Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. Many fans were upset when this happened but I always remind myself that Walt's plans for this park were to have the attractions constantly changing so that the experience would be new every single time you went. Besides, it's still at Walt Disney World for you to enjoy.

Country Bear Jamboree Medley
Chris Calabrese
1998

Main Street Electrical Parade - Eccentric Opera

2008-07-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

This week at Covering the Mouse is Disneyland Week, celebrating 53 years since the beginning of the magic. The actual day isn't until Thursday but I'll be sharing with you some info about the park, the rides and the music leading up to that day.

Since Main Street is the first thing to greet you as you enter the park, I though it would be fitting to begin this week by greeting you the same way. This version of the Main Street Electrical Parade is covered by the Japanese group ECCENTRIC OPERA and was recorded in 1998 for yet another Japanese Disney cover album called WE LOVE MICKEY: HAPPY 70TH ANNIVERSARY. You will hear the Baroque Hoedown and Unbirthday Song as well as some samples from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The song's main theme is actually called the Baroque Hoedown and was written in 1967 by Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley who were composing music with their early version of a synthesizer. The song became an early electronic hit and it wasn't long before Disney would secure the rights for his Electrical Parade in 1972. In 1977 the song was re-written, covered if you please, by Don Dorsey and Jack Wagner (that's Jack's voice you hear at the beginning of the track) which is the version you still hear to this day. So this cover is actually a cover of a cover.

The Eccentric Opera is Naomi Sagara, a soprano who graduated from The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and Nahoko Kakiage, who also graduated from the TNUFAM but in composition. Nahoko is the one behind keyboards, computers and sampling. Together these two girls arrange and record classical music in their unique style. I suppose that this Baroque-esque piece is very suiting for them to cover.

Main Street Electrical Parade
Eccentric Opera
1998

When You Wish Upon a Star - Chet Atkins

2008-07-11T12:23:00.001-07:00

For this month's installment of When You Wish Upon a Star Week, I've posted a cover of the classic Pinocchio tune by a classic guitarist.

CHET ATKINS, also known as Mr. Guitar, began his career as a musician of the string variety by playing ukulele, fiddle and then guitar, all before he was ten years old.

He grew up playing the guitar through the 30s and 40s and started performing in 1946 as part of Red Foley's country dance band. His guitar playing soon became very popular and he signed a deal with Steve Sholes of RCA Records to start recording records.

In 1957, Steve Sholes got a bit too busy producing and promoting an artist called Elvis Presley. Sholes couldn't keep up with the other branches of the label so Sholes put Atkins in charge of his Nashville branch. This was the beginning of Atkins' long career as a record producer. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton are just a few of the names Atkins brought to the label.

It was around that time that Atkins started designing his own line of electric guitars with Gretsch. Atkins' guitars were the number one reason Gretsch could compete with the big names like Fender and Gibson. The Chet Atkins Country Gentleman was used by many musicians including Elvis Presley.

Atkins retired in the 70s after becoming dissatisfied with the way new executives ran RCA and the new ways his guitars were being made. He signed with Columbia and started making guitars with Gibson.

This beautiful cover of When You Wish Upon a Star is from PICKIN' MY WAY, an LP released by RCA in 1970. It is the perfect example of the awesome abilities Atkins possessed.

When You Wish Upon a Star
Chet Atkins
1970

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Kei Kobayashi

2008-07-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

KEI KOBAYASHI has been surrounded by jazz his whole life. His dad, a jazz pianist, and his mom, a jazz vocalist, kept him constantly surrounded by the music they loved.

When he was sixteen he performed with Herbie Hancock in a benefit performance for victims of the Kobe earthquake. This was his big break. Soon after he released his indie album PS I Love You which sent Kobayashi into a bidding war between major labels!

He has now signed with Toshiba EMI and has released a few albums including JUST YOU in 2000 which includes a nice jazz cover of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Kei Kobayashi
2000

Tron (Blue Machine Mix) - O.N.O.

2008-07-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the 26th anniversary of the ground-breaking film Tron that was produced by Disney in 1982. The film was one of the first film to be released by a major studio that heavily relied on computer graphics. It has gone on to become a cult classic due to its computer game plot and CGI.

"In the year it was released," says director Lisberger, "the Motion Picture Academy refused to nominate Tron for special effects because they said we 'cheated' when we used computers which, in the light of what happened, is just mind-boggling."

The song I have chosen to post today is a remix of the Tron soundtrack. I'm not too familiar with the score to this film so I can't really give you specifics. Maybe one of you can? Leave a comments!

The track is by O.N.O., a Japanese DJ who likes to be simplistic yet powerful and sensitive. I think this track is a good example of that. I also think that this track is very fitting due to the heavy use of computers to do the remixing. Very apropos.

Tron (Blue Machine Mix)
O.N.O.
2005

Trashin' the Camp - Chester Gregory II & Ensemble

2008-07-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

On July 8, 2007, the Tarzan Broadway Musical played it final performance at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. It had been running for just over a year.

The musical stared JOSH STRICKLAND (who you may remember from American Idol season two) as Tarzan and stuck pretty close to the Disney version.

Phil Collins, who wrote five songs for the Tarzan film, was asked to write nine more songs to fill out the story of this musical.

Today's cover is great, high-energy version of Trashin' the Camp from the Tarzan Broadway Musical and features the Ensemble singers with CHESTER GREGORY II in the lead as Terk. Gregory II was also cast as Donkey in the Shrek musical.

Trashin' the Camp
Tarzan Ensemble
2006

Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat/The Siamese Cat Song/The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room - On the Record Cast

2008-07-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a few months since I posted a track from the On the Record Broadway Musical.

The main bulk of this song is Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat from the Aristocats but you will also hear a sample of the Siamese Cat Song from Lady and the Tramp as well as the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room from the Enchanted Tiki Room ride in Disneyland.

Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat/The Siamese Cat Song/The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room
On the Record Cast
2005

Mi Príncipe Vendrá - Mocedades

2008-07-04T16:27:00.001-07:00

An anonymous reader turned me on to this Spanish Disney cover album by MOCEDADES. He/she requested Some Day My Prince Will Come off this album and since this is Request Friday I am happy to oblige!

Mocedades formed in 1967 in Spain and recorded many hit songs throughout the 70s and 80s. Though their music was popular mainly to the Spanish-speaking world, Mocedades was able to reach the American market with their single Eres Tú in the early 70s. Eres Tú is one of the only Spanish language songs to reach the top 10 in the United States and has been coverd by dozens of artist including Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Petula Clark, Johnny Mathis and even a duet between Chris Farley and David Spade for the movie Tommy Boy.

In 1997, Mocedades released their 21st album, MOCEDADES CANTA A WALT DISNEY, a collection of Disney songs in their Spanish pop sound. The track I am sharing with you today is Some Day My Prince Will Come from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Mi Príncipe Vendrá
Mocedades
1997

Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me) - Jonas Brothers

2008-07-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

If you know only a handful of important people in Disney history, GEORGE BRUNS should be one of them. And it is today that we are celebrating his birthday with a cover of a song he wrote with X. Atencio in 1967.

George Bruns was a proud member of the Walt Disney Company from the 50s through the 70s. He composed many well-known Disney songs (Ballad of Davy Crockett, Love, Yo Ho) and wrote many movie scores including the wonderful adaptation of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty for the film of the same name.

Not only trained in classical, Bruns was also an expert jazz player and played trombone in the Disney employee's band FIREHOUSE FIVE PLUS TWO.

Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me) was written by Bruns with lyrics by Xavier Atencio in 1967 for the theme park ride. The song has become very popular, having recently been introduced to a new generation by being featured in the Pirates of the Carribean trilogy twenty years after Bruns' death!

This cover appears on DISNEYMANA 4 and is by the Disney pop/punk band JONAS BROTHERS. Due to the clean image of all Disney employees, the lyrics "Drink up me hearties" has been replaced with "Stand up me hearties."

Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)
Jonas Brothers
2006

Kiss the Girl - Ashley Tisdale

2008-07-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to ASHELY TISDALE who is celebrating her 23rd birthday today. Tisdale, who started her career as the girl whose head turns into a giant orange in the Gushers commercials, is best known for her roles as Maddie Fitzpatrick on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Sharpay Evans High School Musical.

Ashley will reprise her role as Sharpay Evans in the upcoming High School Musical 3: Senior Year which is actually getting a theatrical release rather than premiering on the Disney Channel like the last two.

While Ashley hasn't really branched out of the Disney world since becoming famous, she has branched out into other areas of media. She has released her own pop/rock record and has provided the voices of a few Disney characters including Candace Flynn in Phineas and Ferb, Camille Leon in Kim Possible and the Lead Blueberry Scout in A Bug's Life.

Kiss the Girl is a small sample of her music. While most of her stuff falls in the ultra-cheesy pop catagory, this song is a fun, high-energy version of the Little Mermaid ballad. I actually kind of like it a lot.

Kiss the Girl
Ashley Tisdale
2007

Can You Feel the Love Tongiht - Jim Brickman

2008-07-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

I don't have time for a full post today so I am just posting another track from JIM BRICKMAN'S THE DISNEY SONGBOOK.

This one is Can You Feel the Love Tonight played beautifully on the piano. For more information about Brickman, click here.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Jim Brickman
2005

It Only Takes a Moment - Paige O'Hara

2008-06-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Wall*E opened this weekend and I was one of the thousands that needed to rush out and see it right away. And once I picked my jaw off the floor I knew that I needed to find a way to work it into Covering the Mouse so that I could talk about it with you!

Wall*E is a fantastic movie with beautiful animation, wonderful characters and and heart-warming story. The concept is unique and original and the animators should be praise for brilliant acting with characters that don't really use verbal language.

The reason I have posted a cover of It Only Takes a Moment is because the song is a pivotal element of the story. In the film, Wall*E finds a 700 year old tape of Hello Dolly! which helps teach him about human characteristics. A few different Hello Dolly! songs are heard but this one is heard through out the film.

Here is what director Andrew Stanton had to say about the use of It Only Takes a Moment in his film:

"And then I found the song It Only Takes a Moment and then I looked at the movie footage, and I saw the two lovers holding hands. That was a big 'Ah-ha!' moment for me, because I have a character who can’t actually say 'I love you' but he can express it by holding hands. And when you get a gift like that from an initial inspiration, you take it as fate. So I ran with it (laughs)."

It looks like Andrew Stanton, who directed Finding Nemo and won an Oscar for it, has another Oscar headed his way.

I know that It Only Takes a Moment isn't really a Disney song but it was featured in this film so I feel that it is acceptable. However, don't expect to hear any covers of Route 66 (Cars), Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Chicken Little) or Heartbreak Hotel (Lilo & Stitch). And don't expect to hear any more covers of It Only Takes a Moment either.

And to give It Only Takes a Moment a greater Disney connection, I've chosen a cover of the song by PAIGE O'HARA who you may recognize as the voice of Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

It Only Takes a Moment
Paige O`Hara
1995

Sooner or Later - Barbara Cook

2008-06-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Todd, a faithful reader and ex-Disney 'cast member', emailed me a week ago, asking me why I haven't posted any songs from THE DISNEY ALBUM by BARBARA COOK. That's a good question. There are actually a number of albums that I haven't posted anything from as of today. In fact, yesterday's post was the first time I posted something from Mary Martin's album. So let's fix things and post one of the Cook covers today!

Actually, it works out well as today is Obscure Disney Song Friday and there is a fairly obscure Disney song on her album. The song is Sooner or Later from the controversial Song of the South. I bring up the term 'controversial' because that is the very reason why this song has become obscure. Due to the insensitive stereotypes in the picture, Disney has locked this movie away in the faults with no plans on releasing it ever. So to the modern generation, and even the generation before that, the only exposure to Song of the South that they will get is Splash Mountain and the various cover versions of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by their favourite tween idols.

Well, here is a little bit of Song of the South for you! Sooner or Later was originally sung by Hattie McDaniel in what would end up being one of her last movies. She was the first black woman to win an Oscar because of her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind. In Song of the South McDaniel plays Aunt Tempy, who sings this song about how Uncle Remus is always after her cooking, and her gooseberry pie especially!

Barbara Cook takes this song, slows it down and turns it into a fun cabaret piece perfect for her Broadway concerts. In fact, this song has become a standard for Cook and she still performs it to this day!

And common thing for recording artists to do while covering this song is change the focus of the lyrics by swapping cooking for loving and adding a few extra verses. In fact, there is Disney produced sheet music with these lyrics because, I assume, the subject matter is better for radio and concerts. Cook retains the actual lyrics in this version and sings about cooking!

Sooner or Later
Barbara Cook
1988

The Magic Song (Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo) - Mary Martin

2008-06-26T08:00:00.001-07:00

MARY MARTIN is an artist who has recorded many Disney songs and this is the first one to grace the pages of Covering the Mouse.

A star of Broadway, Mary Martin is most well known for her roles as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music, two characters that she had the pleasure of portraying for the first time for the original Broadway performances. She is also quite well known for her portrayal of Peter Pan for the Broadway show as well as her famous Peter Pan television special. Martin won a Tony Award for all three roles.

In 1958, Martin recorded HI HO! MARY SINGS AND SWINGS WALT DISNEY FAVORITES for Disneyland Records. The wonderful arrangements are by Tutti Camarata who produced hundreds of records for Disneyland records over his 19 year association with them. I love his arrangements and this album is full of his great work.

Included on the album is this cover of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo which is a noteworthy cover because it is the first time the song is called The Magic Song. Here is an excerpt from the liner notes:

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo from Walt Disney's Cinderella got a new title for this album - The Magic Song and Tutti Camarata's arrangement, like many in this album, is full of surprises from the low-down New Orleans-style verse in the beginning to the gentle slip into samba half way through to the Bibbidi-Bop-iddi burst of brass at the end.

The Magic Song (Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo)
Mary Martin
1958

With a Smile and a Song - Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans

2008-06-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

While doing research for this album, it became clear that there is no good source of information on the internet about CARROLL GIBBONS AND THE SAVOY HOTEL ORPHEANS. I have a couple of Disney songs by this group and absolutely love them and want to share them with you, but don't really have any info about them.

Here is what I do know: The house band for the Savoy Hotel in London, England, the Savoy Havana Band, was one of the top dance bands in the country in the 20s, but when they left to tour in 1923 the manager of the hotel hired a new group. This new group, called the Savoy Orpheans, specialized in fresh renditions of current pop hits and soon grew to have the same and then even greater popularity than their predecessors.

The Savoy Orpheans was lead by Debroy Sommers until his departure in 1926 and, after changing hands a few times, the baton was handed to Carrol Gibbons who had played with the group as a musician since the beginning.

With all the reading I did, I'm not sure what instrument Gibbons played in the band. I know he later moved to piano, but in the early days he was said to be in the band but Billy Thorburn was the pianist.

Gibbons lead the Savoy Orpheans starting in 1932 and continued to play at the Savoy Hotel until 1937 when they quit being the house band because the hotel wouldn't let them play gigs in other venues. The name of the band was changed to the Savoy Hotel Orpheans and later, when Carroll Gibbons became a big selling point for the group, it was changed again to Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans.

I know this seems like I actually found a lot of information, but certain things remain a mystery, like the recording date of this track. Snow White's With a Smile and a Song was released as a single on the Columbia record label with One Song, another Snow White song, as the b-side. But when was it recorded? Well, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937 so it can't have been before that. I would guess that it was probably recorded around 1938 or 1939 as the music from that film was quite popular after its release.

It should also be noted that the vocals are sung by Anne Lenner, a popular British singer who sang for Carroll on many occasions.

With a Smile and a Song
Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans
1939?

When She Loved Me - Michael Crawford

2008-06-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Last week Brian Ibbot, creator of the awesome cover podcast Coverville, emailed me asking me if I knew of any good covers of Sarah McLaughlin's When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2. I told him I knew of a few and then realized that I haven't posted any of them here!

So tonight, please check out Coverville to find out which version I recommended to Brian, and in the mean time, enjoy this version of When She Loved Me by MICHAEL CRAWFORD from his album of Disney songs called THE DISNEY ALBUM.

When She Loved Me
Michael Crawford
2001

Colors of the Wind - CoCo Lee

2008-06-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

It was 13 years ago on this day that Pocahontas hit the theatres for everyone to experience. Although it wasn't the blockbuster like its predecessor, The Lion King, this film was still beautiful in terms of artwork and animation. However, many criticized the film for its inaccurate portrayal of Pocahontas and her history. (But what Disney movie is 100% faithful to its origin?)

Today's cover is by Asian superstar COCO LEE who recorded this song for her second English-speaking album COCO'S PARTY in 1996.

CoCo Lee has had over a dozen and a half hit singles, but they are all over seas. So if you don't recognize her name, it's okay. CoCo has been recording music since 1993 and is still popular to this day in Asia. Although she hasn't seen the same sort of popularity here in North America, she released a few songs that you may know: A Love Before Time for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Before I Fall In Love which can be found on the Runaway Bride soundtrack.

Colors of the Wind
CoCo Lee
1996

Some Day My Prince Will Come - Sun Ra and His Intergalxtic Arkestra

2008-06-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another addition of Terrible Track Friday. Today, I have chosen a track that I hope will not bring a bunch of hate mail my way. SUN RA and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra has a large cult following due to their unique genre of jazz and unusual origins (Sun Ra claims to be a man from Saturn).

Sun Ra formed his group in the 60s and even though he has passed away the group lives on.

Some of their material I really like. They are extremely creative, good musicians and tons of fun. But there is one element that I can't stand and that is the crazy squeaking and squawking that comes from the saxophonist, Marshall Allen. There is no need for it to be there, Allen is a great saxophonist and he really just does it because it is different. I can understand why people may like it, but in my opinion, it ruins the song and I usually skip this track.

Some Day My Prince Will Come
Sun Ra and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra
1989