Like most of the kids in my generation, I grew up with a love for anything Disney. My favorite Disney princess has always been Ariel, the little mermaid with fiery red hair and a personality to match. I loved that movie so much. I would always wait by the window for the first star every night, and wish to become a mermaid. I know, I took those movies way too seriously.Nevertheless, I would watch The Little Mermaid, and my other Disney favorites, over and over until the tapes were worn out.
Most of my love for Disney comes from the music that was always so beautifully written into each movie. Disney music is iconic, plain and simple. It doesn't matter which movie you are watching or how hard you try, you are having a hardcore karaoke session ten minutes into it.
Sadly, many of my fellow Disney enthusiasts are unaware of the genius behind some of our favorite songs. One man is responsible for a good portion of the Disney "classics" as we see them today. The composer behind many of our all time favorite Disney ditties is none other than... Mr. Alan Menken.
Alan Menken composed the music for Pocahontas, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, my personal favorite, The Little Mermaid, and many more. While his credits extend far past being "the Disney guy," it's safe to say that 90s kids like me will always remember him for the music in our favorite movies.
Disney movies wouldn't be the same without the music.Think about it. Without Menken and his music, how different would our childhoods have been? Would we still be romantics without the percussion, strings, and winds that create the mood for "Kiss the Girl?"
Would Hercules inspire us to be more than what society dictates us to be if "Go the Distance" hadn't been composed? Would my love for a good power ballad/duet still exist if someone else penned "A Whole New World?" Would the beautifully crafted "God Help the Outcasts" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame still bring us to tears? The truth is, yeah it probably would, but it wouldn't be as good and definitely wouldn't be the same.
I guess all I'm trying to say is, thank you, Alan Menken. Thank you for crafting beautiful music that, when paired with the lyrical genius of people like Stephen Schwartz and the late Howard Ashman, takes us to new, beautiful places. Thank you for giving this awkward little girl a voice that was all her own. Thank you for inspiring kids from my generation to be better by loving all people, just because they are people.
Here's to many more years of beautiful music. I can't wait to see what you do next.
