Disney princesses make it seem easy, but these songs are hard to sing. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most difficult Disney songs to tackle from animated and live-action movies alike.
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00:00 "I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid."
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 hardest Disney
00:12 songs to sing.
00:13 "Ash, Clopin will tell you."
00:17 For this list, we'll be looking at the most difficult Disney songs to tackle from animated
00:21 and live-action movies alike.
00:23 If we missed any of the tunes you find yourself struggling to nail, let us know in the comments
00:28 below.
00:29 20.
00:30 With a Smile and a Song, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
00:34 Can you imagine having the ability to trill like an actual bluebird?
00:38 Yeah, we can either.
00:48 Snow White has one of the more soprano voices out of all the Disney princesses, thanks to
00:52 the late Adriana Casalotti's gorgeous voice.
00:55 But this is just wild.
00:57 Throughout With a Smile and a Song, Snow White and the little birdies she's befriended go
01:01 back and forth with beautiful melodies.
01:14 When she actually starts to sing, most of the notes aren't actually too high, but Casalotti's
01:19 soaring, uplifting vocals are what make the tune work as well as it does.
01:24 To do this one justice, you've got to have the voice of a bird.
01:27 No exceptions.
01:36 19.
01:37 I Wonder, Sleeping Beauty Much like Snow White, Aurora also loved to
01:42 hang around outside and sing with birds.
01:44 The woman behind the character, Mary Costa, was a literal opera queen.
01:49 So it appears our protagonist in this 1959 flick mainly sings with the soprano birds.
02:01 The strength of Costa's voice gives I Wonder the extra oomph it needs to become a classic.
02:06 When she stops vocalizing with the animals and gets to the actual meat of the number,
02:10 the power behind her voice shines through even more.
02:26 And that's not power just anyone can achieve.
02:29 Though she makes it seem effortless, confidence is also paramount for this number.
02:33 You can't bring it to life properly without it.
02:47 18.
02:48 I Won't Say I'm In Love, Hercules The music in Hercules is anything but easy.
03:01 The songs are mostly upbeat, but even when they're ballads like "Go the Distance,"
03:05 they require a ton of energy and vocal power.
03:17 But the hardest solo number in the film definitely belongs to "I Won't Say I'm In Love."
03:22 Meg's bittersweet pop ballad requires a strong belt and plenty of sass.
03:34 The song features aspects of Motown and R&B, so the singer who takes it on needs to be
03:38 comfortable with those vocal flourishes.
03:41 We think Susan Egan, the voice of Meg, handles it with aplomb.
04:00 17.
04:01 Circle of Life, The Lion King From the moment The Lion King starts, it's
04:05 apparent that the minds behind the music are some of the best in the business.
04:09 Elton John and Tim Rice wrote gorgeous songs for The Lion King, and one of their most complex
04:14 creations is the first thing you hear.
04:25 Circle of Life opens with an iconic Zulu part, performed by Lebo M, before leading into the
04:30 opening lines of the verse.
04:32 Carmen Twilley is the vocalist who sings the verses and chorus, and her unique sound makes
04:36 the number what it is.
04:48 It's hard for just any singer to capture the magic Twilley brings.
04:51 It takes a special voice to get this one right, while also nailing the technical aspects.
05:01 16.
05:09 Colors of the Wind, Pocahontas Disney is known for their Princess Power
05:13 ballads, and it's hard to beat the magic of Colors of the Wind in Pocahontas.
05:26 The titular character sings the tune after meeting John Smith as she tries to teach him
05:30 about the world from a different perspective.
05:32 Judy Kuhn serves as Pocahontas' singing voice, and her layered vocal gives the number the
05:37 force it needs to carry the weight of the song's message.
05:51 To sing Colors of the Wind well, a vocalist needs not just a powerful belt, but the capacity
05:56 to tap into the emotional truth behind the track's lyrics.
06:19 15.
06:20 We Don't Talk About Bruno, Encanto This viral sensation is a lot tougher to
06:25 perform than it seems.
06:26 We Don't Talk About Bruno might seem like a simple song aimed primarily at kids, but
06:31 it's got a lot more going for it than that.
06:43 The ensemble song features lots of Encanto's cast, and has a lot of moving parts that all
06:48 have to come together to create one musical moment.
06:51 The rhythms combine the musical stylings of salsa, hip-hop, pop, and more, and each singer
06:57 has to deliver their lyrics in a syncopated beat that can be hard to master.
07:10 Each section is vastly different, but by the end they're all fusing together cohesively.
07:15 You've got to focus on your part while paying attention to the whole.
07:20 It's tough.
07:27 14.
07:32 Gaston, Beauty and the Beast Think drinking song, but in the style of Broadway.
07:37 That's the type of ditty Alan Menken and Howard Ashman created with Gaston.
07:48 You might not hear the words "drinking song" and think, "Oh, that'll be particularly
07:56 difficult to master."
07:57 But when you've got Ashman holding the proverbial pen and Menken creating the music, things
08:02 are different.
08:03 The lyrics of Gaston are some of the best in Beauty and the Beast, and the close harmonies
08:23 help give the song a silly, winking flow.
08:26 When you add in Gaston's stellar baritone and LeFou's personality, you've got yourself
08:31 a tough one to recreate.
08:36 13.
08:41 A Whole New World, Aladdin This duet is one of the crowning achievements
08:45 of any Disney movie.
08:46 That's high praise, but it really is one for the books.
09:04 While Aladdin features a ton of wonderful songs, A Whole New World requires really excellent
09:09 singers behind the mic to make it work.
09:11 Jasmine's parts in particular soar high into the upper register, so whoever is taking it
09:16 on needs a strong mix and belt.
09:26 The harmonies near the end, meanwhile, move in tandem and require both vocalists to follow
09:31 each other closely and stay exactly in tune.
09:34 When it comes to this duet, there's no room for mistakes.
09:48 12.
09:52 When Will My Life Begin, Tangled Do you ever listen to a song and try to figure
09:57 out when the singer is supposed to breathe?
09:59 Yeah, us too.
10:00 When Will My Life Begin is a perfect example of this phenomenon.
10:12 The opening number of Tangled moves relatively quickly, and basically covers the performer's
10:17 entire register throughout its run.
10:19 Those two factors combined make it difficult to sing in general, but exceedingly difficult
10:24 to sing well.
10:33 Of course, Mandy Moore utilizes the breathy quality to her voice perfectly in her rendition
10:38 of the tune, but not all vocalists are as lucky.
10:46 11.
10:50 Under the Sea, The Little Mermaid Talk about a fast-paced wail of a good time.
10:55 Sebastian is a beloved character in 1989's The Little Mermaid, and he's voiced superbly
11:00 well by the late Samuel E. Wright.
11:02 One area where Wright really shines is during his performance of Under the Sea.
11:16 He perfectly nails the calypso and reggae styles of the song.
11:19 He also has the chops to sing and shimmy his way through the song's quick tempo, getting
11:24 the words out with a sense of ease and relaxation.
11:37 You need to be a singer who can compete with him to make something like Under the Sea sparkle.
11:41 It takes a true wordsmith.
11:52 10.
11:57 Be Our Guest, Beauty and the Beast One of the most famous songs in the Disney
12:02 canon, Be Our Guest is a show-stopping Broadway number performed mostly by baritone vocalist
12:07 Jerry Orbach.
12:13 Orbach's vocal performance has long garnered critical acclaim and award recognition, and
12:26 Be Our Guest was nominated for the American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Songs list.
12:32 Part of its difficulty undoubtedly stems from Lumiere's accent, as Orbach, a New York
12:38 native, was forced to sing in a convincing French accent.
12:48 Singing this song, even as an ensemble member, and hitting its signature low notes is hard
12:53 enough, let alone in a completely different accent.
13:04 9.
13:09 Almost There, The Princess and the Frog Known for playing the first black Disney
13:13 princess, Tony winner Anika Noni Rose has had a long and prosperous career on stage,
13:18 but she's certainly no stranger to the silver screen.
13:23 She's obviously supremely talented, and that shows in the beautiful song Almost There.
13:35 This is Tiana's main song, signaling her ambition and pride.
13:51 Most of the song is wonderfully sung by Rose, her voice proving buttery smooth and captivating.
13:57 But like the Bells of Notre Dame, much of the wow factor comes in the final line, when
14:02 Rose holds an impressively extended high note that caps the song in thrilling fashion.
14:23 8.
14:24 Zero to Hero, Hercules This Disney film follows a group of gods,
14:29 so what better way to honor that theme than with some gospel music?
14:39 Hercules is notable in the Disney canon for containing gospel, with the muses inhabiting
14:44 the genre while discussing the events of the story.
14:47 Zero to Hero is a whirlwind of a song performed by seasoned professionals, including R&B legend
14:54 Tawwatha Agee, and Tony Award winning Broadway performers Lilius White and LaChanze.
15:10 As is often the case with gospel, the song contains a lot of difficult high notes, and
15:16 it moves along at a zippy speed that could easily leave behind more inexperienced singers.
15:24 7.
15:28 Show Yourself, Frozen 2 This might not be the most famous song in
15:32 Frozen 2, but it's certainly the hardest.
15:34 When this sequel came out, most people probably left the theater singing "Into the Unknown."
15:53 That one is certainly challenging in its own right, but the more we listened to Show Yourself,
15:58 the more it became apparent that it was the true test.
16:12 The ballad is mostly sung by Idina Menzel and runs the gamut of her vocal range.
16:17 She's joined by Evan Rachel Wood, who adds a majestic quality.
16:31 Bringing the number to life necessitates precision, along with great emotion.
16:36 Seasoned performers like Menzel and Wood are talented enough to deliver all that and more,
16:40 but an amateur will have to work to get it right.
16:50 6.
16:55 Reflection, Mulan After providing the singing for Jasmine in
16:59 Aladdin, singer Lea Salonga returned to lend her voice for Mulan.
17:14 And Reflection, while quite a short song at just two minutes, has long proven one of the
17:19 most memorable and difficult Disney princess tunes.
17:23 With an Olivier and Tony Award winning singer, Salonga has a marvelous voice.
17:39 She is forced to hit and hold many challenging high notes throughout Reflection, and just
17:44 thinking about trying it makes our throats hurt.
17:54 It's a perfect representation of Salonga's commanding stage presence, as she has the
18:03 ability to belt out vocals with amazing clarity.
18:07 5.
18:08 How Far I'll Go, Moana With songs co-written by the Pulitzer-winning
18:13 Lin-Manuel Miranda, the soundtrack to Moana has proven one of the most popular of Disney's
18:18 modern efforts.
18:20 It features a fantastic yet deceptively challenging villain song in Shiny, which is wonderfully
18:25 performed by Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement.
18:35 But How Far I'll Go is a shining example of the Disney "I Want" song, and it's
18:40 sung with amazing precision by Hawaiian native Auli'i Cravayo.
18:56 Cravayo shows off her enviable range throughout the song, and caps the piece with an impressive
19:01 flourish.
19:02 Miranda knows how to write a killer show tune, and Cravayo certainly knows how to sing 'em,
19:07 but it ain't easy.
19:19 4.
19:20 Let It Go, Frozen It's not often that we get a song like Let
19:24 It Go.
19:37 As seemingly everyone in the world knows, Let It Go transcended its movie to become
19:42 a genuine pop culture phenomenon, and it's mainly due to the aforementioned Idina Menzel's
19:48 matchless voice.
19:49 There's simply no one else out there who can do what she does behind a microphone.
20:02 Some critics called it Menzel's best vocal performance since Wicked, displaying her signature
20:06 power, clarity, and belting technique.
20:09 She hits the type of high notes that few others can, and she ends Let It Go with the most
20:14 famous sustained note in Disney history.
20:17 Bravo for the bros!
20:22 3.
20:25 Friend Like Me, Aladdin Proving his incredible talent as an all-around
20:35 performer, Robin Williams absolutely killed it with Friend Like Me.
20:50 The vocals don't stand out, as Robin Williams wasn't a professional singer, but it's
20:56 the energy and the multifaceted nature of the song that prove immensely difficult.
21:01 Williams rapidly varies between voices, tones, and inflections, and the lyrics are both dense
21:07 and fast-paced.
21:08 It's hard to sing this one without quickly running out of breath, and only a performer
21:21 with Williams's energy can do it justice.
21:31 With this quality that makes Friend Like Me such a joy to watch on stage, and it quickly
21:36 became the most popular number of the Broadway musical.
21:40 2.
21:41 The Bells of Notre Dame, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
21:44 For such an underrated Disney film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame contains some killer tunes.
21:50 Out There is a heartbreaking song, beautifully performed by Tony Jay and Tom Hulse playing
21:56 Frollo and Quasimodo, respectively.
22:07 But the most technically demanding song of the film is arguably the opening number, The
22:11 Bells of Notre Dame.
22:13 It's mostly performed by Paul Kandel, a supremely talented tenor singer and Tony-nominated
22:19 Broadway performer.
22:26 There's a reason tenors are so respected.
22:37 What they do can be incredibly difficult, but their effort pays off in magical and gorgeous
22:43 ways.
22:44 Plus, that extended high note in the finale is absolutely heavenly.
22:48 It could very well be the greatest opening number in any Disney film.
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23:18 1.
23:19 Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Mary Poppins
23:23 While both Spoonful of Sugar and Step in Time are great yet tricky tunes, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
23:30 is unlike anything heard in film, either before or since.
23:41 Written by both Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, the song's tongue-twisting title has entered
23:46 the common vernacular and can even be found in the Oxford English Dictionary.
23:51 The song gallops along at quite a rapid tempo, and both Van Dyke and Andrews require great
23:57 skill to sing at high speed.
24:06 Simply saying the word is difficult enough, let alone integrating it within such a fast-moving
24:11 song.
24:12 These performers have astonishing breath control and vocal clarity, and they make the most
24:17 challenging Disney song look easy.
24:27 Do you agree with our picks?
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