Disnovember - Top 5 Villain Songs

 

If you've read my previous post here, Old School Evil - Animated Antagonists Through the Decades, you'd know I'm a sucker for cartoon bad guys. A long time ago on my old blog, I wrote a series of villain retrospective posts, but the one thing you wouldn't find there was Disney stuff.  I can’t remember my reasoning, maybe the focus on humor over action, maybe trying to stay on the good side of their corporate overlords. Whatever it was, it was a bogus excuse that I intend to rectify. 

With the wide selection of villains to choose from in their movies and the television shows, it was a daunting task to pick my favorites from either of them. But this month I christen Disnovember because I’m going to be taking a look at the bad guys from Disney's cinematic ventures. I want to consider a few different facets of the nefarious evil-doers, so each week of this month will have a different list. We’re starting this week with something that doesn’t apply to all villains – their songs!

I’ll be the first one to admit I’m not musical in any regard. I don’t listen to a lot of music myself, and I can’t even tell you if a song is good or not. All I know is these songs are the ones that send chills up my spine when I hear them.

5. Savages – John Ratcliffe – Pocahontas

As the final battle approaches in Pocahontas, Radcliffe’s colonists and Powhatan’s tribe prepare for war, both sides sing half of the anthem. Axes are sharpened, and cannons are loaded. Natives dance around the fire.  As the song goes on, the two armies march towards the battlefield where John Smith is due to be executed.  Pocahontas breaks in, trying to reach her lover before his brains are bashed in.

When I made up this list, I wasn’t sure duets with the protagonists of the movie would have counted as villain songs, but considering I like this song a ton more than Ratcliff’s “Mine, Mine, Mine,” I figured it deserved a spot. While I’m far from a fan of this movie, “Savages” is a part I always enjoy.

4. Trust in Me – Kaa – The Jungle Book

While sleeping in the trees, the massive python Kaa sneaks up on Mowgli, intent on hypnotizing him before swallowing him whole. His first attempt fails, but when he finds Mowgli alone in the woods later, he hypnotizes the boy again, this time adding in the dreamy tune, “Trust in Me.” The perfect lullaby, Mowgli’s lured into sleep, being rocked in a hammock made of Kaa’s own coils.

The Jungle Book’s soundtrack is one of the best ones out there, with a lot of enjoyable songs and only one real stinker (I never cared for the vultures’ song at the end). It even has two villain songs: this one and King Louie’s “I Wanna Be Like You.” The latter is a real fun song, but the former is easily more villainous.  Being sung by Winnie the Pooh’s Sterling Holloway is just icing on the cake.

3. The Mob Song – Gaston – Beauty and the Beast

After learning about the Beast from Belle’s magic mirror, Gaston riles the townspeople up into a frenzy, singing about the threat he could pose to their children and homes. The mob holds up their pitchforks and lights their torches before marching to the castle. As they bash the door down and sing about storming the castle, the refrain goes up, “Kill the Beast!”

This song has the same back-and-forth energy of “Savages”, but I do enjoy this one a little more because of how manipulative Gaston is without knowing anything about the enemy. There’s something crazy about how manipulative he can be, turning their fear into a fervor strong enough to storm the castle. While Gaston’s song in the beginning could be called a better song, the inherent evil quality of this one with the Kill the Beast refrain tops it for me.

2. Poor Unfortunate Souls – Ursula – The Little Mermaid

When Ariel seeks help from Ursula to marry Prince Eric, she’s told there’s a simple price for the Sea Witch’s assistance – her voice! Ursula extols her generous virtue, how she’s helped mermaids and mermen alike - these “Poor, Unfortunate Souls” - using her magic to make their dreams come true. Over the course of her song, as she pressures Ariel to accept the terms, Ursula knows she’s got her when she brags to her eels that she’s “on a roll!”

Who didn’t expect this song to show up on here? It’s been one of the most popular villain songs ever and on everyone’s favorites list online. Do I even have to explain why this song rocks? The way the energy of the song ramps up until Ursula’s basically screaming at Ariel to sign the contract? Her “body language” crack?  Everything about this song is just the best.

1. Friends from the Other Side – Dr. Facilier – The Princess and the Frog

Seeing his opportunity to take control of New Orleans when a handsome prince visits, Dr. Facilier lures him in with a card reading while his shadow trips up and kicks the prince’s servant, Lawrence. The Shadow Man discerns Prince Naveen’s financial situation with the use of tarot and concocts a plan:  turn him into a frog and replace him with his puppet, Lawrence. After shaking both of their hands together, the transformation is complete thanks to help from his friends on the other side.

I love everything about this song – the high and lows as he reads the cards, Facilier’s comments during it, the huge tonal shift after the handshake.  But most of all, I love Keith David’s smooth voice. I’ve been a huge fan of his work since Gargoyles, so for him to finally make his way into Disney’s theatrical works - and as a villain, no less - made me extremely happy.  I never expected him to have a song of his own, but I was so satisfied that he sang it himself instead of a stand-in.

So what are your favorite villain songs?  What villain do you wish got a song of their own?