*Spoilers*
The new Little Mermaid very much remains an iconic Alan Menken score, with Howard Ashman’s indelible lyrics on the classic songs. But it’s also a Lin-Manuel Miranda score, as Miranda teamed up with Menken for the movie’s new songs and a few slight changes to the old songs. I know for sure that Miranda wrote the new lyrics, since Menken is specifically a composer, but I believe he had a hand in the new melodies as well—the new songs are credited as being by rather of both, rather than specifying that Menken wrote the music and Miranda the lyrics. At any rate, in typical me fashion, let’s break down this new work from Miranda, looking at each of the songs he had a part in.
“Wild Uncharted Waters” – Okay, I love “Her Voice” from the stage adaptation, but this is an even better song for Eric! (Alan Menken, the man that you are….) The urgent melody rises and falls like waves, beautifully complemented by Miranda’s lyrics as Eric is haunted by the memories of the girl who saved him from the shipwreck. Even though he only heard her voice, he is 100% captivated. I love the desperation in this song, hopeful and unyielding but a little bit lost too—Jonah Hauer-King performs that wonderfully. And I like that, even as Eric vows to look for Ariel, he also entreats her to come find him.
Best lyric: “Time may change the shoreline, / But time will not change me.”
“Poor Unfortunate Souls” – Before I get into Miranda’s contribution to this version of the song, I want to mention that I enjoy Melissa McCarthy’s performance here. She doesn’t quite go full vamp, mixing the theatricality with a more subdued menace. When it comes to Miranda, he didn’t have too much to do here. The “the men up there don’t like a lot of blather” stanza is gone altogether, and as for updated lyrics, only one line is actually changed. We no longer have, “Take a gulp and take a breath / And go ahead and sign the scroll,” because Ariel doesn’t actually sign a literal contract (makes sense—underwater and all that.) Instead, she shows her agreement by providing the final ingredient to Ursula’s spell.
Best (only) lyric: “Pluck a scale from off your tale, / A drop of blood inside the bowl.”
“For the First Time” – This song is so well done. It’s 100% a “proper” song, melodious as it rises and falls in all the best places. But it also communicates so much story. This is a song that takes Ariel on a journey through a lot of different emotions. All sung in her inner monologue as she explores the human world with her new legs, her excitement and curiosity are utterly adorable. Then a few less than wonderful things are mixed in with Ariel’s delight as she realizes that maybe the human world isn’t everything she dreamed of. Then soaring elation as Eric approaches, cut down in an instant when she realizes that, without her voice, he can’t recognize her as the girl who saved him from the shipwreck. The lyrics float through the song, carefully winding through all these twists and turns as Ariel experiences everything all at once. Halle Bailey does a fantastic job with both the song and the acting.
Best lyric: “Realize the price that you paid with your voice / As he turns from you. / Those sacrifices you made were a choice / That you can’t undo.”
“Kiss the Girl” – Another classic song that Miranda contributed a few new lyrics to. First, though, Daveed Diggs is a great Sebastian, and he does a really nice job with this number. I enjoy the use of non-diegetic nature sounds to provide the initial accompaniment, and adding in Flounder and Scuttle works here. As for Miranda, he again only really changes one bit in the song. In the original, Sebastian tells Eric that kissing Ariel is the “one way to ask her” if she’s into him, adding, “It don’t take a word, / Not a single word.” The new version swaps these lines out for ones that gently affirm consent.
Best (only) lyric: “Possible she want you too. / Use your words, boy, and ask her. / If the time is right and the time is tonight, / Go on and kiss the girl.”
“The Scuttlebutt” – While I can feel Miranda’s fingerprints in all the new songs, this is the one that most undeniably reflects his involvement, and unfortunately, it’s the most maligned. Just a goofy number for Awkwafina’s Scuttle to burst in and share the “scuttlebutt” around the palace, the rumors that Eric is getting ready to propose. Very rhyme- and personality-driven, with some rap. It doesn’t really fit with the flow of the rest of the film, and it doesn’t entirely work for me, but I’m sure it’s fun for kids. And far be it for me to complain about a Disney movie catering too much to kids!
Best lyric: “Well, ever since, / The what’s-his-name, / The guy with the hair and the shirt—“ “The prince?” “Yeah, the prince! Has been droppin’ hints.”
“Part of Your World (Reprise II)” – I love this new reprise, sung when Ariel’s hopes are dashed by the realization that Eric wants to marry someone else. She took an enormous swing in making a deal with Ursula to come to the surface, and now, it looks like everything is falling apart. Even though the song is super short, the heartbreak in Halle Bailey’s voice is so real, and every line of Miranda’s lyrics sears with emotion.
Best lyric: “What did I give to live where you are? / Where do I go with nowhere to turn to?”
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