SO, on the topic of the song…
I like it. It’s cute. I wish I could like it more, though.
The melody is nice. It’s catchy. I can vibe to it.
But the lyrics aren’t very good. Obviously this is all subjective. But I feel that they are repetitive and not very inspiring. Like, yay, another Disney song about how I’m special. The reason that I like PatF’s songs so much is because they are all lyrically unique and so, so clever. The wit in these songs is super underrated, with the exception of Gonna Take You There, which is my least favorite song in the movie. Down in New Orleans is a perfect example: it introduces the entire plot of the movie, and all of its central themes, as well as hinting at future lyrics. “Magic, both good and bad, make you happy or make you real sad. Get everything you want but lose what you had, get it down in New Orleans” foreshadows the entire movie perfectly, and the last line is echoed in Friends and Dig. The movie is really Randy Newman’s greatest work, in my opinion.
So that’s what I was really hoping for here. Special Spice is catchy. It’s serviceable. But the lyrics really leave something to be desired. And I know that it’s not a fair comparison, nor 100% relevant, but Zip was, in my opinion, the embodiment of joy. This ride is not its predecessor, nor should it be, but when it’s the same scene it’s hard not to compare them. And I really think, with better lyrics, this could have been a top tier Disney song. But, in my opinion, it is just good. And this ride kind of has a lot riding on it. I don’t think it can afford to just be good, and while I’ve loved everything else I’ve scene, Zip ended splash on a super high note. This seems like it will end on a pretty good note. Hopefully riding it changes my mind, but ah well.
TLDR, I like special spice but not as much as other PatF songs or Zip.