Top 10 Songs that Would Fit Well in a Disney Movie
This is a list that might seem odd to a lot of people. To many, Disney movies are a happy escape from reality into a world where everything is positive and nice. However, I have a different feeling when it comes to my perception of Disney movies. I realize that a lot of them touch upon difficult topics and their characters go through a deal of turmoil in each of the films. These are a couple of songs that I believe would fit well into animated films made by Disney, in terms of their lyrics or overall mood. I have a very odd imagination, and when I'm bored or trying to fall asleep, I even imagine some characters even singing some of these songs. So, here's a completely subjective and wild list.By the way, the majority of songs on this list are 90s and 2000s alternative rock songs. The reason why the list is so filled up with them is because that's my favorite type of music and it's the type of music that emotionally resonates with me the most.
This is definitely in my Top 5 of favorite songs of all time. It has everything that I love in music. Loads of atmosphere, emotional and intelligent lyrics, a great rocking rhythm, and so much heart and passion. In terms of love songs, "Everlong" has to be one of the most badass ever made. The song is essentially about never wanting to leave the person who you love, and how the simplest things like connecting through music can reveal much deeper and grander social connections to the people we truly care about. This is my all time favorite song from my all time favorite band, and being able to hear characters sing it in a Disney film would be awesome. This is truly one of Dave Grohl's greatest musical and lyrical achievements, and given his career, that is saying a whole lot.
Outside of the references to self-harm in the song's climax, "Under the Bridge" is a song that could possibly work very well if performed by a character who feels like nobody in the world understands them. The character could be going through a major identity crisis or just feel isolated in the world around them. The song was written by RHCP singer Anthony Kiedis as a poem to express the pain and loneliness he felt in his life due to his drug addiction. And while no Disney movie would ever fully touch on issues that serious, the song still has a beautifully tragic sense to it that could fit any character going through intense struggle, especially due to the song's first-person perspective. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest songs ever made, and is the best song the Peppers ever released.
Not many know that "Iris", one of the biggest crossover hits in music history and one of the most instantly recognizable songs of all time, was actually written for a Nicolas Cage movie. I'm not kidding. The movie's about an angel giving up his mortality to be with a mortal woman. The song just sounds like it would be a fantastic power ballad in the same vein as songs like "Let it Go", "Part of Your World", or "Reflection". The song sounds enormous with lush orchestration, an echoing drum beat, powerful vocals, and swelling guitars. The song happens to be about giving up anything to feel human and to be accepted and loved. The song also happens to have one of the most relatable lyrics in music history with the line, "I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand."
This song has such a chill and emotional vibe that would translate well to film. The song deals with the feelings of being able to start fresh and put the past behind you with the help of people you love. John Fruiscante's melancholy and touching guitar riff creates an emotional feel to the song that carries it throughout. The fact that the song is titled "Snow", is about putting the past behind you with the help of close relationships, and the pre-chorus lyrics are "The more I see, the less I know, the more I like to LET IT GO", I have a good idea in terms of which Disney character this song would fit with.
Many boys as they get older have some difficulties in admitting they like certain media that is related to females. I've heard many guys my age say that Avril Lavigne is a guilty pleasure. But for me at least, I actually straight-up like Avril Lavigne in the first decade of her career. She was only 17 when her smash hit "Complicated" came out in 2002, and this song sounds like it was written and performed by a teenager in the best kind of way. This song is perfect at capturing all that teen angst and frustration that we all go through at that age with lyrics that detail the feelings of losing friendships and growing up. It's both innocent and punchy at the same time. It also helps that this is probably one of the catchiest and has one of the most sing-along choruses of any song released this century. Due to the fact that many Disney animated musicals star women in their teen years, it would be plausible to imagine a character singing a song like this in a movie.
This song makes me feel so happy with just how sweet and cool it sounds. It makes me feel nostalgic for the late 90s and early 2000s, despite me being a toddler around that time. The lyrics detail an ended relationship where the couple is looking back on each other fondly and contemplating getting back together. The song has such a cool guitar riff that you can't help but feel great listening to it. Most people only know Third Eye Blind from their song "Semi-Charmed Life", but they have many other fantastic songs in their discography including this one. I can just imagine a character singing this song near a beach or ocean thinking back on someone they used to be together.
Green Day is a punk rock band regardless of what anybody says about them. Not every band needs to sound like Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, or The Bad Brains in order to be considered "punk rock". Green Day just so happened to expand their simple punk rock formula with elements from other genres like alternative rock and rock opera while adding nice melodies to their sharp and quick guitar riffs. As Billie Joe said, "You can take us out of a punk rock environment, but you can't take the punk rock out of us." That being said, one of their most recognizable tunes from the 90s would fit will in any film due to its sharp lyrics about a troubled relationship. I love Green Day. I know that didn't have to do with anything, but I just wanted to say it. I love Green Day.
There are two sides of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There's their wild, crazy, funky, party animal side that's found on songs like "Give it Away", "Around the World", and their cover of "Higher Ground". And there's their more chill, vulnerable, and melodic side found on songs like "Scar Tissue". The song has such a relaxing vibe to it with its smooth vocals and almost blues-y instrumentation. Similar to "Under the Bridge", this song delves into the topics of loneliness and healing, which in the Chili Peppers' case meant recovering from their drug addictions. The song would be great for any character going through a struggle and their need to find another person to connect with.
You never know what you have until it's gone, and that was definitely the case for Chester Bennington. After Linkin Park received loads of criticism from fans and critics about their poppy seventh album, Bennington took his life in the summer of 2017. Bennington was a sufferer of severe depression and was clearly distraught by the suicide of fellow musician Chris Cornell two months prior. Chester Bennington was one of the greatest singers in the history of rock, and it was his vocal abilities that made Linkin Park by far the best band to come out of the nu metal scene of the late 90s and early 2000s. This song is from one of the band's most divise projects "A Thousand Suns" which saw the band draw influence from the genres of electronic rock and progressive rock. This song is about starting again through past hardships and wishing for a better life for oneself. The song has a very climactic and epic feel to it, and its sound just feels cinematic.
Remember when Fall Out Boy used to be a rock band? Yeah, those were the good ole days. In 2005, during the height of the 2000s pop punk movement, Fall Out Boy dropped this rocking song about teenage angst and confusion. They earned a fan base almost immediately after the song hit radio stations due to their odd lyrics, abstract song titles, and Patrick Stump's theatrical vocal delivery. This song feels ripe for something from Disney, and given that it came out during a similar period in time, it has a sort of High School Musical corny charm to it (I haven't watched High School Musical in over a decade by the way). The blaring guitar riffs and Stump's slurred vocals make this song recognizable immediately, even if many of us still have no clue what he's saying during the chorus.
Yeah the lyrics could work.
Could have been sung by one of the gypsys in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that's not Esmeralda.
It would go well as the self-fulfillment song of the hero that realizes they are not happy with things as they are, e.g. "Reflection", "Just Around the Riverbend" or "Part of Your World".
According to my father, so I thought I'd add this as well.
I mean all of the movements, because literally any movement of this song could be in a Disney movie. I mean that in a good way.
