The Little Mermaid (2023 soundtrack)

The Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	May 19, 2023
Studio	Air Studios
Genre	Soundtrack, musical theatre, reggae
Length	40:00
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Alan Menken Howard Ashman Lin-Manuel Miranda
Singles from The Little Mermaid
"Part of Your World" Released: April 26, 2023 "Impossible Child" Released: September 8, 2023

The Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2023 live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated film of the same name. The soundtrack features songs from the original film, three new songs written by the original film's composer Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a score composed by Menken. The soundtrack was released digitally on May 19, 2023, and on physical CD and vinyl on May 26, 2023, by Walt Disney Records.^[1][2] A deluxe edition of the album was released on the same date, featuring the complete original score.^[3]

Background

On March 17, 2017, it was announced that Alan Menken, who previously scored and co-wrote songs for the original film, would return as the film's composer and to write new songs alongside producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Three months later, Menken stated that his work on the film's music had been put on hold due to Miranda and Marc Platt's schedules with Mary Poppins Returns.^[4] On May 20, 2019, Menken stated that The Little Mermaid would be his next project, following the release of the live-action adaptation of Aladdin,^[5] and on July 9, he and Miranda started working on new songs for the film.^[6] On replacing the original film's lyricist, the late Howard Ashman, Miranda felt that "[he] will definitely fall short" to Ashman's work, arguing that "no one can write like him".^[7] On January 16, 2020, Halle Bailey confirmed that the song "Part of Your World", from the original film, will appear in the remake. On February 10, 2020, Miranda revealed that he and Menken wrote four new songs for the film. On February 19, 2021, Menken said that the new songs would be a "blend" of his and Miranda's styles. He elaborated that the songs would feature "some rapping" in the vein of Miranda's previous works, as well as a closer style to his usual work.^[8]

On September 22, 2021, Menken sat down with Disney's For Scores podcast and confirmed that the film will feature four new songs. He also recalled that Miranda was "daunted" by the prospect of following in the footsteps of the late Howard Ashman, the lyricist who worked with Menken to write the original film's songs.^[9] On November 24, 2021, in a recent interview with Collider, Miranda talked about his admiration for The Little Mermaid and how Ashman and Menken helped shape his childhood. He said:

"Oh, man. So much of my work on The Little Mermaid was that wish fulfillment. I actually didn't write any new songs for Sebastian the Crab because I love his songs so much. I was like, 'I can't. Nope, not me. I can't do it.' I did get to write for some of the other characters in that movie. Every song you love in The Little Mermaid is still in The Little Mermaid, we just found some new moments to musicalize. That's really tricky."

— Lin-Manuel Miranda^[10]

On January 20, 2022, Halle spoke with Stylecater, saying that she was so emotional while filming "Part of Your World".^[11] She said:

"It was really surreal to film. It was really emotional for me. It was three days of intense being all over the place. I was crying the whole time because I was just like, 'What the heck?' We're all connected to that song and it means a lot to each of us."

— Halle Bailey

On February 17, 2022, during a podcast interview with Variety, Miranda revealed that one of the new songs for the live-action film, "For the First Time", will take place when Ariel is on land in her human form. He also revealed that star Daveed Diggs might rap in the film. This was confirmed later on March 31, 2023, by Menken, revealing the title of the new rap song as "The Scuttlebutt". He described it as a "harebrained" song for Scuttle and Sebastian "...trying to figure out what's going on because they hear rumors that the prince has decided to marry. They think it must be Ariel but of course, it's Ursula in the form of Vanessa. It's all this delicious imagination. Lin's lyrics are to die for."^{[12][13][14][15]}

Menken then provided more details on the new songs, revealing that the first of the four that was written during the film's development was a solo for Prince Eric, "Wild Unchartered Waters", resulting from Marshall wanting "...a new song for this moment of waves and all the wildness of what's out there in the ocean...[Ariel] represented that to [Prince Eric]; she is the girl who saved his life. Live action films are really a director's medium." He then revealed that the fourth song did not make the final cut and was supposed to be a new song for King Triton entitled "Impossible Child", as he and the filmmakers felt that it "dramaturgically" was not needed, but did say that the song would be released to the public at a later date, possibly on the film's home media release. The song was featured as an additional track on a physical version of the soundtrack released as a HSN exclusive.^[16] Some of the lyrics for "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Kiss the Girl" were updated as well, with Menken explaining that for "Kiss the Girl", it was because "people have gotten very sensitive about the idea that [Prince Eric] would, in any way, force himself on [Ariel]," while that for "Poor Unfortunate Souls", it was because of "...lines that might make young girls somehow feel that they shouldn't speak out of turn, even though Ursula is clearly manipulating Ariel to give up her voice."^[17][15]

In a first for the live-action remakes of Disney's animated musical films, two songs from the original film were cut: "Daughters of Triton," sung by Ariel's sisters and "Les Poissons," sung by the character of Eric's French cook Chef Louis, who also was cut from the film. Menken explained the reasons for cutting the former, saying that it felt "not needed" given the new approach the filmmakers gave to the sisters, and that they wanted the film to begin "with a much more of a live-action feel of the ocean and meeting Ariel, and then we wait a little bit, make you wait until we get to 'Part of Your World.' And I think that was, you know, it was an amazing choice because it just builds the power and anticipation."^[18]

Release

The soundtrack album was made available to pre-save and pre-order on March 13, 2023. and will be released digitally on May 19, 2023, and on physical CD and vinyl on May 26, 2023, by Walt Disney Records.^[1][2] The deluxe edition of the soundtrack featuring Menken's complete original score was also released on the same date.^[19] Bailey's version of "Part of Your World" was released a digital download single on April 26, 2023, one week before the film's release,^[20] along with its Korean version by Danielle Marsh of NewJeans. Bailey performed the song live under non-competition performance, at the "Disney Night" episode of the 21st season of American Idol on May 14, 2023.^[21] An outtake of "Impossible Child", performed by Javier Bardem, was released as a digital single on September 8, 2023.^[22]

Track listing

All music is composed by Alan Menken

The Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Triton's Kingdom"			2:32
2.	"Part of Your World"	Howard Ashman	Halle Bailey	3:34
3.	"Fathoms Below"	Ashman	Jonah Hauer-King, John Dagleish, Christopher Fairbank and Ensemble	1:28
4.	"Part of Your World (Reprise)"	Ashman	Bailey	2:37
5.	"Under the Sea"	Ashman	Daveed Diggs and Cast	3:04
6.	"Wild Uncharted Waters"	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Hauer-King	2:59
7.	"Poor Unfortunate Souls"	Ashman; Miranda	Melissa McCarthy	4:42
8.	"For the First Time"	Miranda	Bailey	4:08
9.	"Kiss the Girl"	Ashman; Miranda	Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay and Ensemble	3:16
10.	"The Scuttlebutt"	Miranda	Awkwafina and Diggs	2:01
11.	"Eric's Decision"			2:21
12.	"Vanessa's Trick"		Bailey	1:03
13.	"Part of Your World (Reprise II)"	Miranda	Bailey	1:33
14.	"Kiss the Girl (Island Band Reprise)"			2:17
15.	"Finale"			2:25
Total length:				40:00

The Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – deluxe edition

No.	Title	Lyrics	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Triton's Kingdom"			2:32
2.	"Part of Your World"	Howard Ashman	Halle Bailey	3:34
3.	"Fathoms Below"	Ashman	Jonah Hauer-King, John Dagleish, Christopher Fairbank and Ensemble	1:28
4.	"Part of Your World (Reprise)"	Ashman	Bailey	2:37
5.	"Under the Sea"	Ashman	Daveed Diggs and Cast	3:04
6.	"Wild Uncharted Waters"	Lin-Manuel Miranda	Hauer-King	2:59
7.	"Poor Unfortunate Souls"	Ashman; Miranda	Melissa McCarthy	4:42
8.	"For the First Time"	Miranda	Bailey	4:08
9.	"Kiss the Girl"	Ashman; Miranda	Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay and Ensemble	3:16
10.	"The Scuttlebutt"	Miranda	Awkwafina and Diggs	2:01
11.	"Eric's Decision"			2:21
12.	"Vanessa's Trick"		Bailey	1:03
13.	"Part of Your World (Reprise II)"	Miranda	Bailey	1:33
14.	"Kiss the Girl (Island Band Reprise)"			2:17
15.	"Finale"			2:25
16.	"Opening Title"			1:00
17.	"Eric's Ship"			1:31
18.	"Shipwreck Graveyard"			1:53
19.	"Shark Attack"			1:33
20.	"Dinglehopper"			1:37
21.	"Ursula's Reveal"			1:30
22.	"Ariel's Grotto"			0:45
23.	"Shipwreck"			3:31
24.	"The Rescue"			1:07
25.	"Triton's Fury"			2:31
26.	"Journey to Ursula"			1:54
27.	"Ursula's Lair"			1:52
28.	"Eric's Library"			1:24
29.	"Carriage Ride"			2:36
30.	"Marketplace"			1:42
31.	"Ursula's Potion"			1:32
32.	"Ariel Regains Her Voice"		Bailey (Uncredited)	1:39
33.	"The Sun Sets"			1:14
34.	"Ursula Battle"			4:28
35.	"Metamorphosis"			1:02
36.	"The Kiss"			0:53
37.	"Ariel's Goodbye"			1:23
Total length:				1:18:00

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Chart (2023) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 54 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 32 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[25] 94 UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[26] 4 UK Album Downloads (OCC)[27] 15 UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[28] 3 US Billboard 200[29] 21 US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[30] 1

Year-end charts 2023 year-end chart performance for The Little Mermaid (2023 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Chart (2023) Position US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[31] 17

See also

• The Little Mermaid (1989 soundtrack)

References

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2. Major, Michael (March 13, 2023). "THE LITTLE MERMAID Soundtrack to Be Released in May Featuring New Songs By Lin-Manuel Miranda & Alan Menken". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
3. Heine, Bernd-Helmut. "'The Little Mermaid' Deluxe Edition Soundtrack to Be Released". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
4. Applefeld Olson, Cathy (June 12, 2017). "Alan Menken Talks Working With Guy Ritchie on Live-Action 'Aladdin,' Progress of 'Little Mermaid'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
5. April May, Rebecca (May 20, 2019). "Disney legend Alan Menken talks about updating Aladdin and the movie he thinks won't get remade". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
6. Criscitiello, Alexa (July 9, 2019). "Photo: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Alan Menken Get To Work On A New Song For THE LITTLE MERMAID". Broadway World. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
7. "Lin-Manuel Miranda on Writing Lyrics for New 'The Little Mermaid': 'I Will Definitely Fall Short'". Billboard. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
8. "LISTEN: Alan Menken Talks THE LITTLE MERMAID, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM Musical, New Upcoming Animated Film, and More!". Broadway World. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
9. Tangcay, Jazz (September 23, 2021). "'The Little Mermaid' Live-Action Film Will Feature Four New Songs, Alan Menken Reveals on 'For Scores' Podcast". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
10. Radish, Christina (November 24, 2021). "Lin-Manuel Miranda on Writing the Songs in 'Encanto' and Working With One of His Musical Heroes on 'The Little Mermaid'". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
11. Pham, Jason (January 20, 2022). "Halle Bailey Cried the 'Whole Time' Filming This 'Surreal' Song For 'The Little Mermaid'". StyleCaster. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
12. Davis, Clayton (February 17, 2022). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Defends Not Submitting 'Bruno' for Oscars, Teases New 'Little Mermaid' Songs". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
13. Labonte, Rachel (February 18, 2022). "Sebastian Might Rap In Disney's Little Mermaid Live-Action Movie". ScreenRant. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
14. "'The Little Mermaid's New Original Song Will Celebrate Ariel's First Time on Land". Collider. March 13, 2023.
15. Scheps, Leigh (March 31, 2023). "How Alan Menken, Disney's Most Prolific Composer, Inspired a Generation of Songwriters". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
16. "Disney's The Little Mermaid CD Exclusive Bonus Track with Poster". HSN. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
17. Major, Michael (March 31, 2023). "Alan Menken Reveals Details on New LITTLE MERMAID Songs Written With Lin-Manuel Miranda". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
18. Perine, Aaron (May 13, 2023). "The Little Mermaid: Alan Menken Explains Why "Daughters of Triton" Song Was Cut (Exclusive)". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
19. Schube, Will (May 31, 2023). "Listen To The Deluxe Edition Of 'The Little Mermaid Soundtrack'". uDiscover Music. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
20. Blistein, Jon (April 26, 2023). "Halle Bailey Dreams Whozits and Whatzits Galore on New Version of 'Part of Your World'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
21. Denton Davidson (May 14, 2023). "American Idol 21 episode 18 recap: Top 5 perform for 'Disney Night'; who was eliminated? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]". Gold Derby. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
22. "Unused Song 'Impossible Child' from Rob Marshall's 'The Little Mermaid' Released". Film Music Reporter. September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
23. "Soundtrack - The Little Mermaid [2023]". Ultratop. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
24. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – The Little Mermaid OST (2023)". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
25. "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
26. "Official Compilation Albums Chart Top 100 - 2 to 8 June". Official Charts Company. June 2, 2023. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
27. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100 - 2 to 8 June". Official Charts Company. June 2, 2023. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
28. "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 - 26 May to 1 June". Official Charts Company. May 26, 2023. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
29. "Billboard 200: Week of June 3, 2023". Billboard. May 29, 2023. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
30. "Soundtracks: Week of June 3, 2023". Billboard. June 3, 2023. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
31. "Soundtracks – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2024.