"This Wish," The Most Awkward "I Want" Song

the process was new because I'd be like Oh I'm done and then they call me two days later and be like oh we have a new song and we need it done in like three weeks for as long as there's been Disney movies there's been I want songs as the name implies these are songs where the protagonist of the film sings about what their desires are these songs are important for two reasons first they create a turning point in the story I want songs happen when a character is too emotional to talk they've hit their breaking point and need to tell the world how they really feel after the I want song the story into gear second they establish true character motivations without part of your world for example Ariel would seem more like her goal was finding a man as opposed to wanting to be part of a society that accepts her that's why the creators of Little Mermaid fought so hard to keep it in the movie they knew how pivotal the song was to the entire story unlike villain songs which I discussed in my last video I can't think of a major Disney musical that lacked an I want song in recent years Frozen had one Moana had one Encanto had one even the Tangled spin-off series had one please check out waiting in the Wings by the way so naturally for Disney's 100th anniversary film they were going to include another entry into the category of I want songs this wish is apply named to say the least like yeah that's certainly what an I want song is about it plays when Asha becomes so frustrated by the situation with her grandfather's wish that she runs off and bursts into songs so she can wish upon a star because you know 100th anniversary movie it's being played when the character is so emotional they can't talk anymore so far so good isn't truth supposed to set you free ah you kind of tripped out of the gate there bear with me this is going to sound incredibly pedantic but it's an important lesson in songw writing this is Disney we're talking about my standards are through the roof so you might be wondering why that line sounds awkward it's because isn't starts with a stress syllable but the rest of the phrase is more a Amic meaning it's an unstressed syllable followed by a stress syllable try singing it out loud you'll see what I mean it's kind of hard to place the notes if you think that's nitpicky go back to older songs and try locating the stresses in each line you'll notice more solid rhythms behind Stone even in this song the third line sounds more solid than the first because it's 10 Amic syllables if I could show them everything I've seen if I could show them everything I've seen it flows more naturally you might be wondering why I care so much about a single myth syllable and it's because this is the type of thing that would be smoothed out after the first draft meter is the type of thing that should be second nature to an experienced songwriter for any of you a spiring songwriters Wondering Why your lyrics might sound awkward consider learning more about meter back to this wish I also don't think the singer is landing fully on Rhythm which can be okay in a dramatic performance but she sounds rushed here like the melody is being thought of as she sings it there's no repeating musical phrases this random high note only makes me feel more confident in that theory why do I feel so weigh down by it on to the next line stop you are not Linn Manuel Miranda it's annoying when he does it it's not less annoying when you do it just because you can rhyme multiple words in a line doesn't always mean you should it can mess with meter by adding emphasis on different beats switching rhythms can be done effectively but you have to be careful with it and this isn't careful speaking of Rhymes the next couplet lacks one entirely but when I speak they tell me sit down but how can I when I've already the rhyme scheme for this whole verse is unusual that can be a good things sometimes but the lyrics lack the poetic qualities that can excuse breaking the rules usually to skirt around rhyme schemes or to not rhyme at all you need each line to hold enough meaning to make them stand out on their own or within the context of a few other strong lines some famous examples from the pop world would be Stairway to Heaven and chasing cars this wish uses very plain and vague language so the lines don't hold much weight on their own they're not profound concise or quotable so the M rhyme between sit down and running feels more like a lazy Choice than an artistic one it's a especially noticeable because the delivery of that line feels so awkward almost random but how can I when I've already started also has this instrumentation sounded familiar to anyone yet it sounds a lot like how far I'll go in 68 time doesn't it for those of you who don't know 68 time is when there's 68 notes per measure like a faster Waltz anyway I know that how far I'll go doesn't own the acoustic guitar and strings combination but this instrumentation is so generic that it's hard to distinguish the two even the first chuses are similar they both focus on single strums of the guitar with the percussion coming [Music] in WoW as I'm editing this and adding in the clips the difference in animation quality woof the song also sounds similar to waiting on a miracle from Encanto because that's another guitar driven song that used 68 time and that was the most recent I want song before this wish so it feels even more [Music] derivative [Music] night that being said I don't hate the instrumentation I think it sounds nice it's just that I've heard it before and that's not good in a franchise where every other song is able to be distinguished by the first few notes the first two lines of the chorus also struggle with meter are you starting to see a pattern here you can tell by how the singer has to extend this particular note on the word throw to make the line work the Beats of the lyrics aren't even in line with the strums of the guitar sign it creates a break in the Rhythm that takes you out of the song 68 is a time signature that relies heavily on hitting those strong beats to drive the Rhythm throughout the song so missing out on a chance to emphasize those beats with lyrics will hurt the effort for an example of this done correctly refer to waiting on a [Music] miracle [Music] brenen I can't believe how much wish is making me praise en kto I think Disney should get rid of Miranda and the monkey paw curls in terms of the meaning of the lyrics I have bigger issues something more than what in the first verse of the song It Doesn't establish anything so without the broader context of the movie I have no idea what she's talking about even with the broader context of the movie The People are overall pretty happy so what more does she want the first part of the first verse is about being weighed down by some Revelation but then it transitions more into being about refusing to keep quiet when told no then the chorus is about looking up to the stars for guidance and throwing caution to the wind or rather to throw caution to every warning sign even though throwing caution towards a warning sign means to be careful which is the opposite of what that line is going for man I don't know the chorus as a whole sounds okay it's vague and repetitive sure but I actually do like the way it sounds like instrumentally it's a good hook as a pop songwriter Julia Michael is well versed in creating hooks so I'm not surprised that this chorus has a part to it that sounds catchy it's actually been stuck in my head the instrumental pickup is quite lovely and Ariana deos gives a nice performance I could see it working well in a song with Better lyrics but it's all very poppy isn't it the hay the Y the repetition and the vocal [Music] run those wouldn't sound out of place in a song on the radio neither would the vocal production with all its layers that's probably what Disney was going for they wanted another number one hit and they thought this was going to get them that they built this song for Tik Tok in the radio so it's digestible by a large consumer base moving on to the second verse the first couplet is okay but I have issues with the seconded my got the L on so it doesn't overflow those words have never been put together like that ever it's a forced slime and a clunky metaphor I understand the idea it's trying to get across that she's not fully ready to commit but I'm confused by the phrase so it doesn't overflow what's overflowing Freedom that doesn't make sense if the word was something like passion it would work better because that's a concept that can feel individually overwhelming throughout the song the theme keeps switching the next line refers to having reservations even though the chorus seems to be trying to say she has none begin oh yeah wow there's a time signature change in this song If you're wondering why that bridge sounds so out of place it's because it's in 44 time it's not the worst time signature change I've ever heard but that's really weird because the song has been presenting itself as a safe pop song up to this point it's a strange choice to say the least but then I listen to it again and you know what I realized I'm my but I'm not no I'm I it's the same exact trick with the strings I wonder if they just showed Julia Michaels the last two I want songs and told her do that then gay for 3 weeks it's nice like I said but completely unimaginative that doesn't mean you're not allowed to like this song if you do more power to you but as a piece and a musical it just didn't work for me oh also she Rhymes in with in my but I'm not I'm not the song then transitions into a grand chorus in again the same way how far I'll go did [Music] I the guitar strums loudly the strings swell and it's all very lovely but also very generic then it ends on a soft version of the hook because of course it does so I remember listening to this song for the first time before the the movie came out and looking at the lyrics and thinking to myself what's this song even about when you compare this wish to other I want songs you'll notice the lack of specific language out there mentions the sen River waiting on a miracle mentions the maal family name and For The First Time in Forever is entirely dependent on its context even Beyond using specific words every I want song has a goal in mind Go the Distance doesn't use any context specific language either but it's clearly about wanting to be a hero I can't glean anything from this wish what is it really about if you ask Julia Michaels she doesn't really seem to know this either told that the protagonist in this film was sort of a young activist basically there was a lot of corruption in her town and she basically wanted to fight for things that she found immoral they didn't give her any real context I wonder if they let her write this song super early in development and then didn't let her update it they were like yeah that's good that's okay we can put it in our finished product songwriter should be involved in the entire process from beginning to end they should be able to work through development and with the finished story I think that goes without saying Olivia Rodrigo and Billy iish had full contexts when they wrote the songs last year for the Hunger Games and the Barbie movie respectively I was so excited to get to watch the movie before anyone else had seen it so I was like sign me up so why not give the same privilege to Julia Michaels when the songs are supposed to be so integral to the story my theory is that they wanted to keep it vague they didn't want a song to be too dependent on context because it's easier to Market that way they wanted a radio hit the thing is Can't Catch Me Now by Olivia Rodrigo and what was I made for by Billy eish were ridden with contexts and were still commercially successful especially what was I made for they're commercially successful not just because they're better songs but because they also remind people of their respective movies this wish Doesn't Remind Me of anything except how far I'll go apparently it's not hitting any real character beats and it keeps switching themes so it's totally out of focus it doesn't help that many people who watched wish found Asha to be something of a spoiled brat so she's not coming off as that stubborn activist the song wants you to think she is this song sounds like it was written in one draft when I think about I want songs I always think back to the shine in Ariel's eyes as she says I want to be where the people are I think about Quasimoto shouting from the rooftops that he'll spend one day out there I think about Mulan sitting in front of the reflective Stones wondering when her reflection will show who she is inside I even think about Aurora dancing about a prince she saw once upon a dream there's magic in making a wish you'd think Disney would know this better than anyone it's basically their calling card before their 100th anniversary they fell far short of capturing that same magic because they were too concerned with making their next radio hit between this song and wish's villain song it's clear to me that Disney cares more about appealing to the broadest possible consumer base than taking any risks that create memorable storytelling wish as a whole hits the Beats of a Disney movie without doing anything specific with those beats it really is like an AI it knows what it's supposed to do but it can't put any heart or Soul into it even then I've seen AI do some impressive of things so I could only assume IG and Company went out of their way to stomp out anything that may have made wish less marketable to the lowest common denominator because it makes their shareholders happy I hope you have a great new year for more Disney content check out my other videos subscribe if you like and have a wonderful day

Channel: Astor Rhymemaster

Views: 498,193

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Id: 7E2SJp1XmTc

Length: 13min 20sec (800 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 04 2024