So You Can't Stand The Small World Song, Eh?

Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
because-thinks-s-cute-like-small-world-because-air-conditioning-quality-disney-memes-are-not-same
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Hot take: People say they hate the It's a Small World song because saying you hate it is a thing that people say and have said for years. People are saying it to fit in, not because they actually have a deep seething hatred of it.

The other misconception is that during the ride and in line you are hearing the entire song and vocals blaring at you the whole time, but this isn't true. You don't hear it in the queue, and throughout the ride it has enough variations to not be repetitive. Unless you get stuck before unload.
 
Brer Oswald

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
Hot take: People say they hate the It's a Small World song because saying you hate it is a thing that people say and have said for years. People are saying it to fit in, not because they actually have a deep seething hatred of it.

The other misconception is that during the ride and in line you are hearing the entire song and vocals blaring at you the whole time, but this isn't true. You don't hear it in the queue, and throughout the ride it has enough variations to not be repetitive. Unless you get stuck before unload.
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This is true. For the longest time I was one of those people.
 
donaldtoo

donaldtoo

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
I never quite understand why the IASW music would be disliked, much less why disliking it is carried around as some sort of insider badge of honour.

'I'm too cool for Disney'?
A remnant of 90s Disney - 'I do Disney ironically'?
Genuine dislike?

Either way, I could sit in that boat and listen to the music all day long.
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I have a fondness for the song based in nostalgia. IaSW is the first attraction we ever rode at Disneyland, when we first visited in the summer of 1968. I was a few months shy of 6 years old.
Our mother used to sing the song to us, and she still loves it at age 86.
Good memories, actually…!!! :)
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
The Empress Lilly said:
I never quite understand why the IASW music would be disliked, much less why disliking it is carried around as some sort of insider badge of honour.
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It's way too repetitive. It could stand to have a second motif alternating with the current verses.

The vocals are 'thin'... because it's a children's choir. They don't produce a more full-bodied sound.

The instrumental orchestration is clunky and percussive. Since it's appealing to children, it hammers the score with a pounding rhythm. Almost like trying to replicate a calliope. What's wrong with a calliope? Nothing if it can do more than one song.

If you're on MK's IASW, pay attention to the Pacific Islands room. The main melody doesn't work in that room, and so, all you hear are the 'local' music. That is, the tune of IASW but performed by Pacific Island orchestration. What a relief it is to get to that room.

The other rooms also have varied instrumentation and orchestration, but the main soundtrack mostly drowns it out.

Without getting rid of the song, it is in desperate need of updating to turn it from playground music to all-ages music.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
It's way too repetitive. It could stand to have a second motif alternating with the current verses.

The vocals are 'thin'... because it's a children's choir. They don't produce a more full-bodied sound.

The instrumental orchestration is clunky and percussive. Since it's appealing to children, it hammers the score with a pounding rhythm. Almost like trying to replicate a calliope. What's wrong with a calliope? Nothing if it can do more than one song.

If you're on MK's IASW, pay attention to the Pacific Islands room. The main melody doesn't work in that room, and so, all you hear are the 'local' music. That is, the tune of IASW but performed by Pacific Island orchestration. What a relief it is to get to that room.

The other rooms also have varied instrumentation and orchestration, but the main soundtrack mostly drowns it out.

Without getting rid of the song, it is in desperate need of updating to turn it from playground music to all-ages music.
Click to expand...

Interesting points I had never thought of before.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
It's way too repetitive. It could stand to have a second motif alternating with the current verses.

The vocals are 'thin'... because it's a children's choir. They don't produce a more full-bodied sound.

The instrumental orchestration is clunky and percussive. Since it's appealing to children, it hammers the score with a pounding rhythm. Almost like trying to replicate a calliope. What's wrong with a calliope? Nothing if it can do more than one song.

If you're on MK's IASW, pay attention to the Pacific Islands room. The main melody doesn't work in that room, and so, all you hear are the 'local' music. That is, the tune of IASW but performed by Pacific Island orchestration. What a relief it is to get to that room.

The other rooms also have varied instrumentation and orchestration, but the main soundtrack mostly drowns it out.

Without getting rid of the song, it is in desperate need of updating to turn it from playground music to all-ages music.
Click to expand...
I don't even know whether I should be annoyed or impressed by the length of your musical critique... 🤔😀
 
Brer Oswald

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
MisterPenguin said:
It's way too repetitive. It could stand to have a second motif alternating with the current verses.

The vocals are 'thin'... because it's a children's choir. They don't produce a more full-bodied sound.

The instrumental orchestration is clunky and percussive. Since it's appealing to children, it hammers the score with a pounding rhythm. Almost like trying to replicate a calliope. What's wrong with a calliope? Nothing if it can do more than one song.

If you're on MK's IASW, pay attention to the Pacific Islands room. The main melody doesn't work in that room, and so, all you hear are the 'local' music. That is, the tune of IASW but performed by Pacific Island orchestration. What a relief it is to get to that room.

The other rooms also have varied instrumentation and orchestration, but the main soundtrack mostly drowns it out.

Without getting rid of the song, it is in desperate need of updating to turn it from playground music to all-ages music.
Click to expand...
The original Hammack score is as brilliant as it is influential. The amount of effort that went into the different musical styles of the song is jaw dropping. The soundtrack does not need updating, but the audio mixing needs to be better. It’s terrible in Florida. Go to Disneyland and it’s 10x better. Listen on YouTube and it’s 20x better. There isn’t anything clunky about it. Unless you’re listening to the Paris score.
 
larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
donaldtoo said:
If you want to have some fun with the song, just sing it as “It’s a Smell World” like we did one year after we sat behind a guy that probably hadn’t had even a sponge bath in the previous 3 weeks…!!!!! :depressed::hilarious:
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My family replaced the lyrics themed to "It's A Long Ride (in a boat)"
 

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