Most were fairly recent songs when the Country Bears originally opened. Also, I doubt they would've bothered getting Tex Ritter to do Blood on the Saddle in the show itself if you weren't supposed to recognize it as a Tex Ritter song.
Also, for those not already familiar with the material, it was fun as kids to see older relatives relate to the songs. Later as adults, it was just as much fun to decipher the lyrics and their meanings. "Did he really just sing 'Every time I looked cross-eyed, she'd hit me with a shovel?!'" I still remember my wife cracking up when she figured that one out.
What if they went down the unknown rabbit hole of Disney songs?
I agree up to this point. The Country Bears were not updated in a timely manner, plain and simple. As a result, the references no longer came across as originally intended, and the entire affair relied on nostalgia for the attraction itself, not external cultural familiarity with the music. Now, I can agree with the last point that Disney film music may not be the most desirable path forward and contributes to homogenization of the parks, but keeping something way past its sell-by date such that it no longer lives up to its original promise does not magically transfigure it into a timelessly “Disney” experience.
Id have much preferred this. It's IP but it showcases the lesser known songs. Would it put butts in seats? Doubtful but it'd satisfy the mandate.
Age of Not Believing and Feed the Birds are sacred and should not be used in any comical fashion.
But what makes one experience timeless (Small World? Pirates?) and another stale? Simply by the fact that the music for those attractions was written by Disney composers/artists and did not come from somewhere else?
I can say very confidently the songs used in Country Bear Jamboree, with the exception of the last three, were never popular songs ("Davy Crockett" and "Ole Slew Foot" were definitely bigger songs and Tex Ritter was a known name, although "Blood on the Saddle" wasn't particularly huge). A few may have been somewhat familiar, but by no means were they charting Billboard Top 100. If they were going for recognizable songs from the 1950's and 60's, they would have been pulling from the likes of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Patsy Cline (Trixie singing "Hungry for Love" would have been rather humorous).
Tomorrow morning!
It depends on whether or not an attraction is still achieving its goal. Pirates of the Caribbean is meant to be an exciting journey through ship battles, port towns, and caverns inhabited by corsairs with some unexpected drops along the way. That's still what you get. Country Bears is meant to be a musical revue of recognizable country songs reimagined in a humorous way. The "recognizable" piece is missing and was part of the original draw to better connect with the older members of the audience.
This is nostalgia based on when the Country Bears actually were more relevant. Tex Ritter as Big Al singing "Blood on the Saddle" is only quintessentially Disney to a seasoned parks fan. When I go with people who have never been to WDW before, they don't really know what to make of it, don't particularly enjoy it, and definitely don't equate it with Disney as they understand it. If it included songs they could potentially identify (even just contemporary country), there would be a higher chance of them connecting to it in some way.
Subjective and agree to disagree. The fusion of Marc Davis' brilliant character design with the song make it more than the sum of its parts, and as timeless and "Disney" as the pirate skeletons playing chess or the dog with the keys. But tastes vary and at the end of the day it's all a matter of opinion and perhaps perspective as well.
Pleeeeasssseee be good
Me too I don’t want to be negative I hate the negativity I’m so cautiously optimistic on this. Sorry @Drew the Disney Dude Tiana’s is horrible but I appreciate your coverage of it.
They performed established songs but they were not a random assortment of pop hits rearranged to match genre styling. The songs were already of a particular genre and history that tied to the attraction. You can dress anything to imitate a genre but that just ultimately negates the concept of theme.
I tell ya, sometimes I feel like some people here just want to be angry."I don't want to be negative I hate the negativity" "Tiana's is horrible"
