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

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

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!

I'll Try Jesse McCartney 2006

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) - Orlando Brown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SuperCali (BoiOB Version) Orlando Brown 2006

Candle on the Water - Anneliese van der Pol

Happy birthday HELEN REDDY! The star of Pete's Dragon turns 66 today and I am celebrating by posting a cover of her hit song Candle on the Water covered by ANNELIESE VAN DER POL.

Helen Reddy was one of the most successful female recording artists of the seventies and when she joined the cast of Pete's Dragon it was obvious that there would be a song written with her in mind. Candle on the Water was a smash hit and was nominated for a "Best Song" Oscar in 1977. It was competing with another Disney song, the Rescuers song Someone's Waiting For You, but both lost to You Light Up My Life. Reddy recorded her own version of Candle on the Water and released it as a single. It reached #27 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

The cover, by Anneliese van der Pol, is nothing really special. It pretty much sounds like how it would sound if the song was written today. A cheesy, adult contemporary piece of pop fluff. Anneliese does have a nice voice and, along with her theatre experience, it proves to me that she was a good choice to play Belle in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. In fact, she was the last girl to play Belle before the show ended its thirteen year run in July.

Candle on the Water Anneliese van der Pol 2006