The Best Disney Songs You’ll Ever Hear

Disney movies have always been known for having great music, but which of that great music is the greatest? Here is how I rank the top ten Disney songs of all time (with a few extras thrown in for good taste):

10. “Belle” (Beauty and the Beast) – This opening song to Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful introduction to the quirky and unusual character that is Belle. Some might claim that the extensive use of dialogue throughout the tune should keep it off this list, but I think that the extracurriculars make it that much more special. In addition, this song includes probably the most perfectly foreshadowing line in any song ever when Belle sings, “Here’s where she meets Prince Charming / But she won’t discover that it’s him ’til Chapter 3.” It introduces many of the main characters to the audience (Belle, Gaston, LeFou, etc.) and does so in an amusing and catchy way.

9. “Circle of Life” (The Lion King) – Undoubtedly the best opening song in a Disney movie with undoubtedly the best opening to any song in a Disney movie. Three seconds into the movie you’re watching the sun rise over the horizon, you’ve been hit by a huge musical beginning, and you have absolutely no idea what in the world that guy is singing. One thing is for sure, though: you’ve entered Africa. The Lion King does a great job throughout of holding onto African culture and music, and this song starts it off in an energetic way. Personally, I’ve always thought that the background chant sounds like “Pink pajamas, penguins on the bottom”, but that’s one of the best parts about the song. You can dance around your house singing whatever words you want, and you just might be right.

8. Be Prepared” (The Lion King) – In my mind, the top Disney villain song ever written. The writers and animators decided to take the morbid route with this movie (killing off Mufasa and all), and the darkness is only enhanced with the performance of this tune by Scar and his hyena cronies. The high point for me is the xylophone/marimba/glockenspiel/whatever keyboard instrument you think it is solo played on the bones. It’s classic.

7. Kiss the Girl” (The Little Mermaid) – I’ll admit it. I love this song. It’s just so much fun. The way Sebastian sets the mood, cueing the animal instrumentalists in one by one, is just phenomenal. This is one of my personal favorites, but the thing keeping it from being closer to the top is the ending. It doesn’t really have one. The eels come in, there’s splashing, and then once your mind has gotten past the “oh man, they didn’t kiss”, you’re wondering where the song went. It’s too bad, but I guess keeping the story line going is important or something.

6. “Hakuna Matata” (The Lion King) – “It means ‘no worries’ “. In case you were wondering. I’d say it’s the perfect coming of age song, but it really isn’t. Sure, Simba does come of age during the course of the song, but anyone who’s seen the movie knows that seemingly perfect philosophy is actually the thing that keeps the main character from saving the world, getting the girl, and all that good stuff. Plus, this song also marks the end of the voice of Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the film. It’s a sad thing for sure. What makes this song so good then? It’s just so darn catchy. You throw together a meerkat, a warthog, and a fun Swahili phrase, and you have a hit. Case closed.

5. Beauty and the Beast” (Beauty and the Beast) – The “title track” to the movie is a truly beautiful song. This love ballad portrays the budding romance of Belle and the Beast in a picturesque manner, and the use of Mrs. Potts as the vocalist gives it that lovable, motherly nature. I’ve always been a sucker for storytelling songs, and this tune tells a great story. If you’re not sitting there feeling all mushy by the end, I’d say there’s probably something wrong with you. It’s short, sweet, and lovely. Plus, it won a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and two Grammys. That’s not too bad for a “Disney song”.

4. “A Whole New World” (Aladdin) – I know some people that will hate me if they ever find out that I ranked this higher than “Beauty and the Beast”, but I really do like this one better. They’re both beautiful love ballads with wonderful melodies and heart-warming lyrics, but the topper for “A Whole New World” is that it’s a duet. The beautiful exchange between Aladdin and Jasmin is so romantic that you forget for a moment that he’s living a lie as Prince Ali to try and get the girl. As far as Disney love goes, this is the tops for me.

3. “Zero to Hero” (Hercules) – If there’s a sleeper on the list, a dark horse if you will, it’s this song. You’re probably not going to find this one toward the top of many Top (Put Your Favorite Number Here) Disney Songs lists, but in my mind, that’s crazy. This song is musical gold. It starts with a crazy fast, lyrics-flying-by-you groove that can’t help but put a smile on your face. Then it jumps into a tambourine-smacking-your-hip gospel feel that both gets your toe tapping and subtly pokes a bit of fun at the gods vs God religious debate. My favorite line? “Hercie, he comes, he sees, he conquers / Honey the crowds were going bonkers”. Honestly, where else but in a Disney song could you get away with using the word “bonkers” in your lyrics?

2. “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” (The Lion King) – The red-billed hornbill known as Zazu in The Lion King is the perfect foil for Simba. The young lion wants to run free and have fun, but Zazu is always there with his rules to stop him. This song is basically all about Simba and his friend/love interest/whatever you want to call her, Nala, making fun of Zazu for that as much as they possibly can in two and a half minutes. Sounds like a perfect song formula to me. In general, this tune is an on screen explosion of sound, color, animals, and craziness. It’s a ton of fun to watch and sing along to. For whatever reason, a lot of Disney songs end with a big unruly explosion of sound to be dramatic and intense, and I’d said that the BOOM! at the end of this one is the best of all.

And number one…………

1. Under the Sea” (The Little Mermaid) – Sebastian is basically The Little Mermaid’s version of Zazu (though it might be the other way around since The Little Mermaid came out first). He’s all about living a simple life and keeping the status quo. That’s what this tune is all about. It has a super groovy Calypso beat and some fantastic lyrics. My personal favorite part: “We’ve got no troubles / Life is the bubbles / Under the sea!” The best part of the song, though, is probably that Ariel, who Sebastian is singing too, is paying absolutely no attention at all to anything that he’s saying. He also goes through his “break it down” section in the middle where he rhymes fish with instruments, and it’s pretty much the coolest thing ever. This one ends with the classic Disney BOOM! too, and I simply have to ask you this: how can you possibly beat a sea full of fish jamming Caribbean-style on the ocean floor led by a Rastafarian crab named Sebastian? My answer: you can’t, and that’s why it’s number one.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, Disney pumps out a lot of great songs. It was pretty much impossible to pick the ten best, but I tried my hardest and that’s what I came up with. For good measure, here’s a few more. These are pretty good too, and you should give them a listen if you get the chance:

Honorary Mentions (aka The Next Ten)

11. “Be Our Guest” (Beauty and the Beast) – This movie gave you a great song a minute, and this tune was certainly one of them. It’s just one of those show-stopping kind of hits that grows and grows and grows throughout until it ends all big and huge. It’s very French, very tasty, and very enjoyable.

12. “Winnie the Pooh” (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) – There’s probably a little bit (and by a little, I mean a lot) of bias with this pick, as Winnie the Pooh is my favorite Disney character of all time. This theme song, however, does the perfect job of being simple, light, and fluffy, just like Pooh.

13. “When You Wish Upon a Star” (Pinocchio) – This song is just classic. You simply cannot listen to it and feel anything but good about things. There hasn’t been a whole lot of old school Disney on this list, but I think Pooh and Pinocchio do a good job of bringing it back.

14. The Ballad of Davy Crockett” (Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier) – There are a lot of great Disney songs that I could put on this list, but I think that Davy Crockett is fitting because it, unlike many others, transcends the title of “Disney song. This country tune was released three times by different artists and reached the top ten on its respective weekly Billboard chart each time. This was truly a successful song with and without the “Disney”.

15. “Gaston” (Beauty and the Beast) – A lot of villainous musical numbers are dark and spooky, but this song is devious and plotting while also being catchy and fun. The interplay between LeFou and Gaston is perfect, and it’s just another great song to come out of Beauty and the Beast.

16. “Friend Like Me” (Aladdin) – Robin Williams did an incredible job in his portrayal of the Genie in Aladdin, and this song demonstrates that fact perfectly. The combination of impressions, voices, witty lyrics, and a catchy tune make it one of the best.

17. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (Mulan) – With apologies to Christina Aguilera, this is by far the best song in Mulan. That being said, it’s fierce, humorous, and a real coming of age song. It’s pretty good.

18. You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (Toy Story) – As far as meaningful songs go in Disney movies, this is one of the best. It’s the intro song in Toy Story and sets up the movie, and Woody’s quest for understanding friendship, perfectly.

19. “Cruella De Vil” (101 Dalmatians) – Cruella is possibly the nastiest Disney villain ever put on the screen, and I think this tune does her perfect justice. It’s as straightforward as a song gets (“Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil / If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will”) and plays it off quite well.

20. “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (Mary Poppins) – No one can spell it, but everyone knows the tune. It’s ridiculous and crazy, but that’s exactly what makes it so Disney and so fun.