MUSICALITY
Hercules’ strongest element is its musicality. It stands in the pantheon of 80s-90s Disney classics (Lion King, Little Mermaid, etcetera etcetera) that represent, to many, the greatest animated musicals of all time. Hercules, not unlike the other Disney classics, employs a variety of elements to create such renown, including the variety of musical styles, strong wordplay, and plot-driving songs.
Disney’s tendency to take bits from other musical styles and genres is made evident immediately with “The Gospel Truth”--I mean, it’s in the title! Most of the tracks with the Muses take inspiration from gospel music (with the dominant vocals, powerful harmonies, and frequent call-and-response) on top of Motown-style soul. While Motown soul is an incredibly varying style due to the range of its backgrounds (including jazz and blues), tracks like “The Gospel Truth” retain the similar clean, strong, and danceable rhythm and powerful hooks that defined a great deal of Motown soul. This all, of course, fuses with the film’s primary inspiration of musical theater to make a much more dynamic, interesting musical experience. Taking bits of various styles is something you see quite a bit in Disney’s musicals; another strong example would be The Lion King, which employs choral hymns, a massive variety of world instruments, and Elton John’s pop prowess to create a soundtrack like no other. This genre fusion elevates Hercules just the same; especially when you consider how much storytelling is in the forefront of gospel music, as well as the Muses’ role as the primary storytellers.
There’s also the endearing wordplay that any good musical strives to use. Hercules perfectly represents the mastery Disney has in this field with its smooth rhyming conventions (the Muses’ background vocals in “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) stand out to me in that regard), and clever use of meaning in repetition (lines like “I’ve been around the block before with blockheads just like you!”). Another strength that makes Hercules such a classic is the massive, all ages-appeal. It has plenty of comic relief that children will love, but plenty of clever jokes for others, too: when the Muses sing “the guy was too type A to just relax”, it’s something that will just go over children’s heads but those older than them can appreciate the wittiness of. Hercules seems to do this even more than other classic Disney films, even, with lots of small references to ancient Greek myth and knowledge from that era (things like the “IX-I-I” line). So, as we’ve grown older and watched Hercules again, it’s not just a kid’s movie--it’s evolved as we’ve understood more.
The final element Hercules’ musicality succeeds at so strongly is the plot and purpose behind its songs. This was something Jaylah was quite passionate about when we discussed A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, so I actually got her permission to quote her here: “In musical theatre, there is a stereotypical category of song called an ‘I Want’ song...These songs are very important for the contextualization of a show’s characters, and for revealing their motivations, which drive plot.” Jaylah is, of course, an absolute genius when it comes to musical theater, so she knows what she’s talking about when she says musicals have to have plot-driving “I Want” songs. This came up in our discussion of A Funny Thing due to the massive lack of plot importance in the tracks from that film; something Hercules does not shy away from. The very first song from our hero is an “I Want” song, and a perfect example of it, too. “Go the Distance” represents the longing, the wishing that Hercules has experienced his entire life, and makes his motivations crystal clear for the rest of the film; it’s all him wanting to feel like he belongs. Phil and Meg have “I Want” songs, too, with “One Last Hope” and “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” respectively. I can’t think of a track from Hercules that isn’t, in some way, a Jaylah-approved “I Want” or plot-driving song. Compared to A Funny Thing, the only other musical we’ve watched (if you can even call it that), it’s absolute night and day. Hercules feels vastly more cohesive and consistent due to this nature of its music, and it solidifies its musicality as its greatest strength.
