the heady Let It Go from Frozen is no longer Disney’s number one song.
Let’s not talk about Bruno, from the movie Encanto, released last November, has just taken this title, held since 2013, by becoming the most listened to film song of the 21st century. It ranks fourth on the Billboard 100 in the United States, first on the Billboard 200, and number 1 in music videos on YouTube.
A success that its composer says he did not see coming. At 42, Lin-Manuel Miranda is nevertheless a specialist in hits of the musical comedy type. He has been writing for twenty years now, and six that he has worked for Disney.
After having signed all the songs of the cartoon Moana in 2016, he had to tackle those ofEncanto in 2020. Except that the Covid has arrived, and with it confinement. Lin-Manuel Miranda therefore composed everything at home, alone, without any real perspective on what he is doing. He explains to the magazine People having lingered on other key songs of the film, but… not on this one, since it was not supposed to become a hit.
On the other hand, he soon noticed that the tune stuck in his head, so much so that his stepfather whistled at it for a week after hearing it only once.
The soundtrack to the Walt Disney animated musical film “Encanto” surges to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. https://t.co/uYEo8PjgWh
— billboard (@billboard) January 9, 2022
To explain the success, there is therefore the rhythm, and then there is the substance of the song: the story of this famous Bruno, a medium who predicts things, sees the future and reveals secrets.
To the great aunt, Bruno announces – rightly – that it will rain at his wedding, to his niece, he predicts a great future, to another a possible baldness, to a last a certain belly… In short, we understand throughout the song that Bruno’s visions are quite simple. Or how to ask questions about what one believes, or what one wants to believe. A subtle theme that the composer didn’t see becoming Disney’s biggest hit in 26 years,”but here it is, it makes you humble”, concludes Lin-Manuel Miranda.
He says he is very happy that his song appeals so much and perhaps inspires the youngest, as he was overwhelmed as a child by Under the ocean, the song of The little Mermaid.