Will the Sun Ever Shine Again - Kaitlin Hopkins

The 2004 box office failure known as Home on the Range is an important one in Disney history because it was the last Disney Animation Feature Film to be released in their classic hand drawn 2D animation.

Michael Eisner, seeing the success of 3D films like Shrek, thought it would be a good idea to throw 80 years of Disney history out the window by shutting down their 2D animation departments. He replaced pencils and paper with computers. This was the future.

Fortunately for everyone, Michael Eisner is no longer in charge and the new guy, Pixar CEO John Lasseter, was put in charge. Lasseter, knowing how important 2D animation is to the world of animation, especially 3D animation, made it his first order of business to resurrect the 2D department! Their first feature film, The Princess and the Frog, is set to be released in 2009. I can't wait!

Home on the Range was released on this day in 2004 and featured the song Will the Song Ever Shine Again by Bonnie Raitt. This version of the song was included in the On the Record Broadway musical which showcases Disney music from the 20s all the way to the most recent work at the time, which was Home on the Range.

Will the Sun Ever Shine Again Kaitlin Hopkins 2005

Someday - Lee Roy Parnell

Today celebrates the birth of VICTOR HUGO in 1802. Hugo is best known for writing Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as Hunchback of Notre Dame. The novel has been adapted to theatre many times since it was written and can still be seen to this day! Many film adaptations have been made dating back to the beginning of the medium, the earliest version dating back to 1911!

Of course you know that Disney made an animated version of the film in 1996 that was met with much criticism to fans of the original work. But I like this film as one of my favourite Disney films. It has very beautiful, rich animation, the score and songs are fantastic and the darker themes make this Disney movie stand out. A little bit of trivia: The names of two of the gargoyles are Victor and Hugo, named after the author of the novel.

The song that I have picked for you today is one that is only heard during the credits of the movie. Someday was supposed to be sung by Esmeralda but was dropped when God Help the Outcasts came along. However, a pop version by All-4-One was already recorded so they stuck it at the end of the film and on the soundtrack.

This version was recorded by country artist LEE ROY PARNELL for the BEST OF COUNTRY SING THE BEST OF DISNEY album in 1996, just after the movie came out. Chris, this song is for you because you wanted to hear something from Hunchback. And look forward to a Hercules cover coming later this week!

Someday Lee Roy Parnell 1996

A Cowboy Needs a Horse - Larry Groce

This month's Obscure Disney Song is the title track from the 1956 short A Cowboy Needs a Horse. The film is about a boy who dreams about being a cowboy. He fights off indians, saves a train from a collapsed bridge and rescues a damsel in distress.

The flat look to this film is the modern look that many cartoons had in the 50s. This style was popularized by studios that didn't have a very big budget and were forced to limit the amount of animation in their films. Studios like UPA and Hanna-Barbera are good examples of this style. Disney certainly didn't have a small budget but they still wanted to stay hip to current styles and trends so they started creating films in this modern style. The result is a very charming cartoon.

This cover of A Cowboy Needs a Horse is taken from PARDERS - 14 GREAT COWBOY SONGS, a record that Disney produced in 1980. Larry Groce sings with the Disneyland Children's Sing-Along Chorus as well as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.

Larry Groce recorded many albums for Disneyland Records in the 70s and 80s, including the DISNEY CHILDREN'S FAVOURITES series and the DISNEY CHRISTMAS FAVOURITES albums and many of the storybook records.

A Cowboy Needs a Horse Larry Groce 1980

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

Blue Shadows on the Trail - Syd Straw

Wrapping up Cowboy Week brings us to this month's Obscure Disney Song. This time it's a song from the Pecos Bill segment of Melody Time from 1948. Blue Shadows on the Trail is the opening number for the short and was originally performed by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers.

Covering this song is SYD STRAW, an alternative rocker whose career started out as a back up singer for Pat Benatar. Straw recorded this song as part of the STAY AWAKE project in 1988 and from there went on to release her first album in 1989. She has released three albums, a live album and last week she held the CD release party for her fourth studio album, PINK VELOUR.

It is interesting to hear her take on this Western song. Her roots in alternative and indie rock don't really show through. Instead, we are treated to a nice country/folky version of Blue Shadows. She has a nice and unique voice and really shows her talent with the simplicity of this song.

Blue Shadows on the Trail Syd Straw 1988

You've Got a Friend In Me - Riders in the Sky

Today we go back to the Wild Wild West for Country Music Week with Riders in the Sky and their version of You've Got a Friend In Me from the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story

RIDERS IN THE SKY is a Western group which means they mimic the style of music played by cowboys of the late 19th century. Think Magnificent Seven or The Great Train Robbery and you've got a classic Western. The Riders have been making music since the 70s and now have over thirty albums! The personnel has changed over the years but the musical style has remained in tact.

You'll find this song on WOODY'S ROUND-UP, a companion album for Toy Story 2. The album and the movie take a closer look into Woody's past. In the film, it was revealed that Woody was part of an old Western kids show called Woody's Round-Up. Pixar hired Riders in the Sky to compose the theme song for the show as well as a few other tunes. The work was well received and they went on to record a whole album for the show. They also provided the music for the Pixar short For the Birds

Also, today is the 12th anniversary of the release of Toy Story!

You've Got a Friend In Me Riders in the Sky 2000

Circle of Life - Collin Raye

Yesterday I posted a bluegrass song as part of Country Music Week and today I continue with another bluegrass tune, this time one that is more on the country side of things.

As I said yesterday, traditional bluegrass has its roots in blues, jazz and folk and uses acoustic instruments like guitars, upright bass, banjo and the fiddle. In the late 60s and in the 70s there was a movement that introduced electric instruments into the genre. Electric bass is the most commonly used electric instrument but it is not unusual to hear piano and a full drum kit in some modern bluegrass tunes.

Songs from other genres, rock 'n' roll in particular, also started popping up in bluegrass sets. The musicians took the popular songs and put a new twist on them. More unusual chord progressions and 'jamming' sections in the songs also became part of this movement. This new style is called progressive bluegrass, also known as newgrass.

However, the focus of the music is still on the acoustic instruments, especially the fiddle and acoustic guitar. In the 90s, it became a popular thing for country artists to record a bluegrass album now that the genres seemed to be getting closer together.

The song that I have posted is the Circle of Life from the Lion King by country music artist COLIN RAYE. Colin's version of this song is a good example of a newgrass piece. Especially nice is the inclusion of the bluegrass standard Will the Circle Be Unbroken which fits both musically and lyrically.

According to producer Fred Mollin, Colin recorded this track in one take!

Circle of Life Colin Raye 2001

Some Day My Prince Will Come - Tanya Tucker

Hello everybody! I trust you had a great weekend and are now going back to work for another five days! Well, to help you through the next five days I have declared it Country Music Week at Covering the Mouse. Now before all you country music haters decide to never return to my blog ever again, I'd like to say that I have a good mix of covers that focus on the different areas of country music, so you won't hear Tim McGraw wannabes for the next week.

To start of Country Music Week we have TANYA TUCKER singing her version of Snow White's Some Day My Prince Will Come off the BEST OF COUNTRY SING THE BEST OF DISNEY cover album from 1996.

Tanya Tucker is no stranger to country music. She had her first hit single, Delta Dawn, in 1972 at the age of 13! (A year later Delta Dawn was recorded by Pete's Dragon's very own, Helen Reddy!) Since then she has done everything a country music artist could hope to do in a life long career: She has released 26 albums with a 27th coming next year, she's had number one hits, gold records, grammy awards, written a book, played at the super bowl half time show, been inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and starred in a reality tv show called Tuckerville!

Her version of Some Day My Prince Will Come turns this sweet love ballad into an upbeat country hoe-down! She breathes new life into this song without completely destroying it. She also adds a verse at the beginning that I haven't heard before. I don't know if she wrote it or if it comes from another version. If anyone can help please leave a comment! UPDATE: A reader has let me know that these lyrics are from the film. It is the conversation that Snow White and the Dwarfs have before she sings this song. I've just never heard these word sung before and I guess that's why I didn't recognize them. Thanks for the help!

I know that fans of this song will find this cover a little hard to swallow but the arrangement is nice and it turns the song into a song of excitement for when the Prince actually does arrive!

(A big thank you to thedisneyblog.com and boingboing.net for plugging this site!)

Some Day My Prince Will Come Tanya Tucker 1996

Beauty and the Beast - Diamond Rio

Walt Disney Animation's 30th animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast, is 16 years old today! Let's celebrate the classic by playing a cover of the titular song.

Today's cover is by modern country group DIAMOND RIO. The group, who formed in 1984, was the first country act to have their debut single hit number one on the Billboard country charts. Five albums later, the group is stronger than ever and their single One More Day, which was released early 2001, made it huge in radio rotation as a tribute song for those lost in the 9/11 tragedy.

This is the second track I've posted from THE BEST OF COUNTRY SING THE BEST OF DISNEY. It is not one of the best on the disc but it is certainly worth listening to. What are your thoughts on this cover?

Beauty and the Beast Diamond Rio 1996

Kiss the Girl - Little Texas

I am not a country fan really at all. But of all the versions of Kiss the Girl that I have heard, I would have to say that I like this one the best. The Little Mermaid song has been crafted into a modern country hit by LITTLE TEXAS in 1996 for the Disney tribute album, THE BEST OF COUNTRY SING THE BEST OF DISNEY. The song reached 52 on the US Country Music Charts.

A year after this single was released Little Texas broke up. Ten years later, four of the original members decided to get back together again to record and tour. They released an album in June 2007. How long will they be around this time? Who knows. I just hope they cover another Disney tune.

Kiss the Girl Little Texas 1996