Part of Your World - Nick Pitera



NICK PITERA may not be a name you recognize, but chances are you have seen one of his YouTube videos which have spread across the internet over the past few years.

He began in 2007 simply recording videos of himself singing for the purpose of entering contests. One of the earliest contests he entered was the Give Us Your Voice Contest which, if won, would allow the winner to sit in on the cast recording of Broadway's The Little Mermaid. Pitera didn't win, but his videos started to get noticed, by Ellen DeGeneres in particular who loves bringing in stars of youtube videos to her show.

What makes Nick Pitera so unique is his incredible vocal range. Not only is he amazing in his normal register, but he has amazing control over his upper register. When you listen to this song, you may swear you are actually listening to a girl! Stranger still is this cover of Pitera singing both Aladdin AND Jasmine's parts in A Whole New World.

When Pitera isn't singing, his is a 3D modeling artist for Pixar!

Labels: little mermaid, nick pitera, Part of Your World, pop

  ¶ 5:51 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Under the Sea - The Chipmunks



A big bulk of WHEN YOU WISH UPON A CHIPMUNK is fluff. Super sweet pop versions of Disney tunes with annoying voices. But if you grew up through the 80s and 90s watching a lot of Alvin and the Chimpunks on TV like I did, you will probably enjoy this track.

At first this may sound like an exact rip off of the original version of Under the Sea with squeaky vocals, and to some extent that may be true. But the strong rock star-esque strength of the lead, the high-pitched vibrato and the powerful harmonies are indicative of THE CHIPMUNKS and I can't help but smile just a little bit when listening to it.

Labels: chipmunks, little mermaid, pop, under the sea, when you wish upon a chipmunk

  ¶ 9:15 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Part of Your World - Miley Cyrus



I saw Bolt over the weekend and was quite happy with what I saw. While I enjoyed Chicken Little, I really didn't like Meet the Robinsons and both movies are not nearly as good as even the worst Pixar films.

Bolt is the third animated feature from Disney Animation since they made the switch from traditional 2D animation to 3D CGI. And it is certainly their best effort to date. The animation is really good with much improvement over facial animation and the movements of the animals. The backgrounds have this beautiful pseudo-realism to them using a stylized painted look that takes us back to the olden days of painted background.

The story, however cliché it may be, was still fun and engaging. The characters are lovable and a welcome addition to Disney's cast of characters, especially the scene-stealing Rhino the Hamster!

The voice work of the film's top billing actors is also really good. John Travolta delivers a great performance as Bolt, altering his voice just enough so that the viewer isn't saying "I can't believe Travolta's voice is coming out of this dog". Cyrus doesn't do much to change her voice so it is the same raspy sounding teen squeak that you may be used to if you are a fan of Hanna Montana. But it fits the character and I guess that's all you can really ask for. Her acting was pretty good especially since it was the animation that did most of the acting for her.

And it is MILEY CYRUS that ties in our cover song today. Here she sings Ariel's ballad Part of Your World, but reworks it into a rock ballad for DISNEYMANIA 5.

Labels: disneymania 5, little mermaid, miley cyrus, Part of Your World, pop

  ¶ 11:09 AM 3 Comments Links to this post

  Kiss the Girl - The Chipmunks
In 1995, THE CHIPMUNKS released an album of Disney covers. Some of you may say "Neat! I love the Chipmunks!" But please hold off until you hear some of these tracks. Most of them are nothing but high pitched versions of the originals with little or no extra creativity.

However, there are a few tracks that stand out. The Chipmunk banter in Kiss the Girl turns this song from a romantic introduction of kindred spirits to a jovial bout of mockery by two younger brothers.

Kiss the Girl The Chipmunks 1995

Labels: chipmunks, kiss the girl, little mermaid, pop, when you wish upon a chipmunk

  ¶ 7:01 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Under the Sea - Bena Lobo
BENA LOBO is a Bossa Nova artist from Rio de Janeiro whose style includes Samba, Jazz, Reggae, Funk, and Pop. However, for this cover of Under the Sea, Lobo went for a pure Bossa Nova groove and created one of the more interesting covers of the Little Mermaid classic.

The song can be found on a now out of print Bossa Nova cover album called BOSSA DISNEY that was released in 2001 in Japan.

Under the Sea Bena Lobo 2001

Labels: bena lobo, bossa disney, bossa nova, little mermaid, under the sea

  ¶ 6:48 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Under the Sea - Shaggy
Today's cover is by Orville Richard Burrell. Don't recognize that name? Maybe you know him by his stage name, SHAGGY.

Shaggy is a nickname given to him by his peers in high school due his name, Orville Richard, striking a close resemblance to the actual name of Scooby-Doo's companion, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers. The name stuck and he kept it as his stage name once he started his career in 1993.

In 1998, Shaggy covered Under the Sea for UNDER THE SEA - 18 COOL REGGAE HITS, a pop/reggae compilation album that was co-produced by Disney and Polygram. His unique vocal style and reggae tendencies really bring the song to life.

Under the Sea Shaggy 1998

Labels: little mermaid, pop, reggae, shaggy, under the sea

  ¶ 1:21 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Kiss the Girl - Peter Andre
After being discovered on the Australian tv show New Faces in 1990, PETER ANDRE has released a half dozen albums and has had seven top 5 singles, the most of any Australian male singer!

In 1998 he released a cover of Kiss the Girl which would end up being his last single as he took a break from recording and performing to look after his new children.

Peter has since gotten back into the business with the release of a new album with his model wife, Katie Price (the album is titled and features a cover of A Whole New World). They currently star in their own reality show and are working on their second album together.

Kiss the Girl Peter Andre 1998

Labels: kiss the girl, little mermaid, peter andre, pop, very best of peter andre

  ¶ 1:47 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Kiss the Girl - Ashley Tisdale
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

Labels: ashley tisdale, disneymania 5, kiss the girl, little mermaid, pop, rock

  ¶ 11:03 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  DJ Skribble Megamix - DJ Skribble
The mid 90s saw a trend that was becoming popular for every artist. The dance remix. It seemed that every hit song needed to have its own techno version so that the clubs could play it. Remix albums became super popular and often found at the end of those albums was a megamix.

A little late on the bandwagon, Disney released DISNEY REMIX MANIA in 2005 which was an album of techno remixes of the already electronic-heavy versions of past DISNEYMANIA cover songs. And yes, you can find a megamix at the end of this album.

This megamix is remixed by DJ SKRIBBLE and features Under The Sea by Raven-Symone, I Won't Say [I'm In Love] by the Cheetah Girls and Cruella De Vil by Lalaine. All three tracks were originally heard on DISNEYMANIA 3 and have their own individual remix on DISNEY REMIX MANIA.

I'm not really a fan of these dance/techno remixes, but megamixes are fun. And I like medleys and hearing the way the songs are tied together. However, this megamix is not that great. It is pretty much three songs tied together with a beat. There is no mushing them together at all. I prefer a little bit more creativity.

DJ Skribble Megamix DJ Skribble 2005

Labels: 101 dalmatians, cheetah girls, cruella de vil, disney remix mania, dj skribble, dj skribble megamix, hercules, i won't say i'm in love, lalaine, little mermaid, raven-symone, techno, under the sea

  ¶ 10:13 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Under the Sea - Squirrel Nut Zippers
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.

Under the Sea Squirrel Nut Zippers 1999

Labels: best of squirrel nut zippers, jazz, little mermaid, squirrel nut zippers, swing, under the sea

  ¶ 11:26 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

  Part of Your World - Yasuharu Konishi & Pizzicato Five



Continuing on our week long look at READYMADE DIGS DISNEY, here is Part of Your World by YASHUHARU KONISHI & PIZZICATO FIVE.

This track features MAKI NOMIYA, Pizzicato Five's lead singer. Nomiya, a recording artist since the early 80s with the New Wave band Portable 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.

Labels: little mermaid, Part of Your World, pizzicato five, pop, readymade digs disney, yasuharu konishi

  ¶ 3:29 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Under the Sea - Suburban Legends
Way back when, Christine requested the SUBURBAN LEGENDS version of the Oscar winning Under the Sea. The song is often used as the band's show closer as it is a huge fan-favourite. Unfortunately, we may never see an album recording of this song due to licensing issues.

I don't know what show this live recording is taken from. If you search youtube you can find many different recordings from many different shows. If any of you out there knows what show this comes from, please leave a comment!

Since their formation in 1998, Suburban Legends has used many Disney songs in their live shows. Their fun ska/funk style turns this song into a great crowd pleaser. It makes me want to go to their show just so I can join the dancing crowd! I'll post more Disney covers by Suburban Legends in the future with a special track coming in May. Stay tuned!

Under the Sea Suburban Legends

Labels: little mermaid, ska, suburban legends, under the sea

  ¶ 7:12 AM 3 Comments Links to this post

  Part of Your World - Captain Bogg & Salty



Finishing up our Pirate Week is a mermaid lullaby sung by an Oregon based pirate rock band. CAPTAIN BOGG & SALTY formed in 1999, performing original songs with a pirate theme. They have three self-produced album on their own record label and are very popular in the Portland area. They consistently play sold out shows everywhere from libraries, schools and zoos to bars, clubs and casinos! They are popular with children and adults all together.

On their third album, PRELUDE TO MUTINY, you will find a familiar track. A certain pirate version of Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Not only is this a great version of the song, the novelty of it being sung by a pirate is priceless! Although it may get old in the future, I'm not getting tired of it yet.

I hope to see one of their shows sooner or later but I don't think they ever come up to Canada. You hear that Captain Bogg? Set sail for the Port of Vancouver!

Labels: captain bogg and salty, little mermaid, Part of Your World, prelude to mutiny, rock

  ¶ 7:36 AM 4 Comments Links to this post

  Poor Unfortunate Souls - Jonas Brothers
The Little Mermaid was one of the first movies I saw in the theatre and the first Disney movies I saw in the theatre. So imagine being eight years old and seeing Ursula, an octopus sea-witch, casting evil magic spells, turning merpeople into little plants and growing several stories high! She was frightening!

But looking at her character now, I can see even more evil in the form of sneaky deception. Her true goal is taking down King Triton for banishing her from the kingdom many years earlier but this is not revealed until the climax of the film. The whole movie makes you think that she is playing with Ariel's mind for no reason other than to have fun, but then -BAM!- she reveals that she has had a plan all along! That's my kind of villain!

Poor Unfortunate Souls is a song from which I never thought we'd hear a good rock cover. I thought it to be too 'showtuney'. Too much starting and stopping and playing with tempo. But the JONAS BROTHERS proved me wrong with the amazing cover! They cut a bit of the 'showtuney' parts out of the middle but the rest is there and it rocks!

A few of the lyrics are changed to remove any mention of magic. I'm not sure why.

ORIGINAL: They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch.
COVER: They weren't kidding when they called me kinda strange.

ORIGINAL: And I fortunately know a little magic.
COVER: And I fortunately know a little secret.

ORIGINAL: They come flocking to my cauldron, crying "Spells, Ursula, please!"
COVER: They come flocking to me, crying "Will you help us, will you please?"

I can only assume that Disney wanted to make the song a little more kid friendly. Or maybe the Jonas Brothers don't believe in magic and only agreed to the song if they could change the lyrics. Who knows?

A cover of Poor Unfortunate Souls was one of the earliest request I got so I am happy to be able to finally fill it. Have a great weekend!

Poor Unfortunate Souls Jonas Brothers 2006

Labels: jonas brothers, little mermaid, little mermaid soundtrack, poor unfortunate souls, rock

  ¶ 11:59 AM 6 Comments Links to this post

  Part of Your World - Jessica Simpson



The first song I ever posted here at Covering the Mouse was a cover of Part of Your World by a Japanese pop band and several months and over a hundred songs have past and I haven't posted another! Well, it's time for that to change! Joshua wants to hear JESSICA SIMPSON'S version of Part of Your World, so here it is!

In 2002, Disney produced an album of their biggest songs reworked by the some of the biggest names in pop of the time. This was before Disney decided to use these albums as a vehicle to promote their own artists. You won't see the Jonas Brothers, Ashley Tisdale or Miley Cyrus on this first volume. Instead, DISNEYMANIA will treat you to Usher, NSYNC, Smash Mouth, Ashanti, S Club and Jessica Simpson! If you enjoy this genre then DISNEYMANIA is worth the money you pay (or don't pay).

This was also back in the day when Jessica Simpson was a respectable singer instead of a bad actor and a blonde who is constantly getting different sorts of plastic surgery. Simpson actually does a fine version of Part of Your World, mostly because I feel that Jessica really identifies with Ariel and means the lyrics she sings. She longs to explore new horizons apart from her over-protective father/manager. Unfortunately she obtained this 'freedom' and went on to star in Employee of the Month. Good job Jessica.

Labels: disneymania, jessica simpson, little mermaid, Part of Your World, pop

  ¶ 7:41 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Under the Sea - Kevin Davis and Jason Lamb
Hey, Ray here from Cover Me. Kurtis was nice enough to let me take the helm – an appropriate metaphor for today’s song – and I hope to return the gesture soon.

As a kid, The Little Mermaid was the Disney movie I hated. It had too much girl-whining and hair-combing for a seven-year old boy who is far more interested in a pirate’s sword or a dwarf’s axe than a redhead’s clam-shell bra. However, there was one song I’d rewind the tape for again and again, a song probably thrown in the movie just to give all us Y-chromosome children something to enjoy, Under the Sea. Ariel doesn’t sing a word and any ideas about boy-girl romance (ew, cooties!) are miles away. Practical issues such as breathing didn't enter my mind as, hearing how much fun the ocean's depths sounded, I planned my move there.

Turns out though the song doesn’t need Sebastian the crab’s faux-Jamaican accent or careening steel drums to be effective, as evidenced by Kevin Davis and Jason Lamb’s guitar and harmonica rendition. A songwriter from southern Illinois, Davis is a little-known, record-label-less gem of a performer, using simple instrumentation and straightforward singing to focus on the melodies. It’s a technique that lends itself to great covers like this one: just enough instrumentation to make it interesting, but not to distract from the great lyrics and vocal presentation. Add in Lamb’s harmonica wailing in the background on this one and you’ll see just why it’s hotter under the water.

Under the Sea Kevin Davis and Jason Lamb 2006

Labels: acoustic, jason lamb, kevin davis, little mermaid, under the sea

  ¶ 11:04 AM 3 Comments Links to this post