Songs 9-11: Vivo

*Spoilers.*

And we’re onto our final grouping of songs for Vivo! Even though I’d say this score wouldn’t unseat any of the others in the Lin-Manuel Miranda rankings, it still has plenty of catchy rhythm, clever lyrics, and the patented LMM trick of getting you to tear up simply because the melody hits you so hard. Another fine score from one of my favorite composer/lyricists!

“Running Out of Time” – The climactic song of the movie. It’s crunch time—Vivo and Gabi are on the last leg of their journey, but with obstacles arising every which way, they might not make it in time to get the song to Marta. The frenzied tempo and overlapping melodies add to this sense of urgency. I really like the electronic “M-I-A-M-I— / Running out of time” motif, the brief callback to “Keep the Beat” is a nice touch, and the song pairs beautifully with the candy-colored neon lights of Miami.

Best lyric: “When I thought we were done for, / My new friend gave us an encore.”

“Inside Your Heart” – It can be tricky when a musical builds up to a culminating diegetic song—it’s no secret that “One Song Glory” is way better than “Your Eyes.” In the case of Vivo and “Inside Your Heart,” I think it goes all right. It’s far from my favorite song in the film, but it resonates due to the feeling behind it. The song Andrés wrote for Marta before she left Cuba but was too afraid to share with her—it’s a big moment for Marta to finally receive the song and perform it. I love the 2-D animation on the dream sequence as Vivo watches, imagining both Andrés and Marta young again and dancing together.

Best lyric: “And this fear that keeps me by the door / Shouldn't interfere with you wanting more. / I am here, just on another shore, / Always in your corner watching you soar.”

“Grand Finale” – An updated reprise of “One of Kind,” this time with Vivo, Gabi, and friends in Miami. Vivo’s rap sequence is terrific, and I like how pretty much everyone gets their moment in the finale. It’s a homey, celebratory way to bring things to a close.

Best lyric: “Y'all don't understand my singing. / I'm running rings around / This riveting rhythm and swinging. / Somebody gimme the rhythm and gimme a minute / And gimme a limit so I can exceed it – / A brand-new song's just what we needed.”

Songs 5-8: Vivo

*Spoilers.*

The middle section of songs from Vivo is a little mixed, just because half of them are so short that it’s hard to consider them “songs” in their own right. However, we also have a fantastic anthem and an adorable love song performed by a goofy pair of sappy spoonbills. What’s not to like about that?

“Keep the Beat” – Probably my favorite song in the film. I like how it’s written in such a way that it can follow the progression of the story—Vivo starts out frightened and uncertain, but he ends up feeling confident and adventurous as he and Gabi start to connect. Without really changing the lyrics, it works in both scenarios. The chorus is beautiful, with those soaring vocals and the way the pace sort of dances, and I really like Gabi breaking in with a motif from “My Own Drum” during the second chorus.

Best lyric: “All I can do when the road bends / Is lean into the curve. / And all I can do when the tank's run dry / Is see what's in reserve.”

“Love’s Gonna Pick You Up” – Super cute, Dancarino and Valentina’s spoonbill love ditty, swooning at each other through the sky while Vivo is freaking out riding on Dancarino’s back. Brian Tyree Henry’s singing is fab, and I love the enthusiastic schmoopiness of the main melody juxtaposed with Vivo’s panic.

Best lyric: “That one set of footprints / Was love dragging you around.”

“Tough Crowd” – Super, super quick little ditty, a fast-paced rap as Vivo tries to outsmart a hungry python. It shares some motifs from “One of a Kind,” but it really cranks up the tempo and the driving force of the rhythm, which fits in well with the scene.

Best lyric: “It's tough to play when you're a prey facing a predator. / No time to pray, find a way to slay your competitor.”

“One More Song (Reprise)” – Another short one, literally just one stanza. It hits well emotionally, an apt reprise within the story. I’m glad it’s included on the soundtrack, though—I like when musicals just dip their toe back into a song we’ve already heard. The familiar melody does all the heavy lifting, and we don’t need a drawn-out performance in order for the stanza/verse/whatever to do exactly what it needs to do.

Best lyric: “You spent your life making music. / I thought the song would never end. / Now it's so quiet – / All I wanna do is play again with you, my friend.”

Songs 1-4: Vivo

*Spoilers.*

I reviewed Vivo a while back, but now it’s time for a rundown of each of the songs in this Lin-Manuel Miranda score. We’re covering the music from the first section of the film today.

“One of a Kind” – This is the lively “let me introduce myself” opening number. Vivo bears more than a passing resemblance to Usnavi, enthusiastically rapping about his friendship/partnership with Andrés and the music they make on their corner of the plaza. It’s fast without being frantic, and I like the interludes of Vivo and Andrés singing together. Even if there are much better songs later in the film, this one kicks off the movie effectively.

Best lyric: “We are a part of a time-honored tradition / Of timing and precision. / Your finest two musicians are top-notch / As we hopscotch the competition.”

“Mambo Cabana” – Here, Andrés insists to a worried Vivo that they’re going to the Mambo Cabana in Miami, where Andrés will bring Marta the song he wrote for her years ago. This song has a really nice groove, and I like Andrés’ refrain of, “It’s not too late.” I also like how much heavier and steadier the beat gets during Vivo’s interlude, contrasted with Andrés’ lighter, more playful rhythm. And from a filmmaking standpoint, the animation beautifully complements the music, with guitar strings and piano keys lighting up the screen with their own magic.

Best lyric: “There is a place / Many miles away, / Where the rhythm digs in deep / And won't let go, that's how you know / You've reached the Mambo Cabana.”

“One More Song” – First of all, I want to say that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s singing has definitely improved since his Hamilton days. He was never a bad singer, but it was lower down on the list of his many talents. Here, as Vivo laments Andrés’ untimely death and wishes for “one more song” from his old friend, Miranda’s voice sounds great. This is a beautiful number. I love the way the chorus flows and how the bridge rises with Vivo’s realization that he can go to Miami on his own and deliver Andrés’ song to Marta.

Best lyric: “Time to be strong for / The journey ahead, sing through the doubt. / Sing through the dread, with a scream and a shout. / Break through the fear like the sun through the clouds, / Like you're still here, no crying allowed.”

“My Own Drum” – What a fun number. In this exuberant dance-beat song, complete with an autotuned bridge, Gabi is gloriously herself. She tells Vivo all about how she makes no apologies for who she is, preferring her own company over changing herself to fit in. The beat and Gabi’s enthusiasm are both infectious, and it’s easy to get swept up in her over-the-top anthem of self-love.

Best lyric: “Extra, extra! Read all about it. / I'm extra, extra, / The kid that the other kids / Can't get next to. / I got my own seat on the bus. / I've always been a me, not an us.”

 

Vivo (2021, PG)

*Premise spoilers.*

I put off seeing this movie for a while. Even though Lin-Manuel Miranda knocked it out of the park in 2021 with both Encanto and tick, tick…BOOM!, I wasn’t sure about this one. It kind of had the look of being more of a kids’ movie than a family movie, and when I sat down to watch it, I approached it with just a little hesitancy. But while Vivo doesn’t reach the heights of Miranda’s other two films from last year, it’s still a fun, charming movie with a terrific score.

Vivo is a kinkajou who loves playing music down in the plaza with his human, Andrés. When Andrés receives an invitation to play with an unrequited flame he hasn’t seen in decades, Vivo is nervous about the prospect of leaving Havana for Miami. But when tragedy strikes and Andrés is unable to reunite with his beloved Marta, it’s up to Vivo to travel to Miami, bringing the song Andrés wrote for her. Along the way, he acquires some very unlikely help in the form of Gabby, an eccentric Cuban American girl who gives “extra” a whole new meaning.

This is a strong movie, okay? It’s got a lot of slapsticky comedy, some sly jokes for the grownups, some type of female scout troop hell bent on saving the planet from humanity, and a wild adventure through the Everglades. The baseline animation is cute but ramps up to gorgeous in pivotal scenes, and the story has more than a few touching moments.

Chalk up another fine score from Miranda. As of this writing, I haven’t checked out the cast recording yet, so I’ve only heard the music once, but I really like a lot of the songs in this film. I especially like the beautiful “One More Song,” the energetic “My Own Drum,” and the uplifting “Keep the Beat.” Miranda has always had a talent for blending genres, and here, the different locales means he gets to play with traditional Cuban rhythms and Miami dance-music vibes, sometimes layering them over one another.

While Miranda’s other big efforts last year happened offscreen, here, he takes the starring role as Vivo himself. In some ways, Vivo is a classic excitable-Miranda-motormouth with a slightly higher-pitched voice, but he stands out as distinct too. I like that Vivo is jittery and methodical, that he’s freaked out by this adventure and constantly panicking but still manages to keep going. Young Ynairaly Simo is a hoot as Gabby, brimming with kookiness and verve, and she and Miranda pair really well together. The film also features Gloria Estefan as Marta, Zoe Saldana doing a nice, nuanced turn as Gabby’s mom, Michael Rooker (Yondu!) as a villainous snake, and Brian Tyree Henry and Nicole Byer as a hilarious pair of spoonbills.

Warnings

Scary moments for kids, plenty of “don’t try this at home,” and thematic elements.