That comes from Zippel, not the Chinese story the film was based on.Īnd Mulan herself is not a queer character: her gender identity is female throughout even when her gender expression is not (she crossdresses to join the army to save her father). Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself And, in fact, it does seem to have a queer subtext: It is the song near the beginning where the main character tells us what she wants, setting up the main conflict in the story.Īlthough the song was sung for an Asian character (Mulan, Chinese) by an Asian singer (Lea Salonga, Filipina), it was written by a gay Jewish American man, David Zippel.
Long standard in Broadway musicals, “I Want” songs became a standard part of Disney Princess films too with “Part of Your World” in “The Little Mermaid” (1989).
REFLECTION MULAN LEA SALONGA MOVIE
So here is the scene in which this song takes place: Movie ClipĪnd yes, there is a Christina Aguilera version, which is great, but I prefer to listen to the classics from the movies if possible.This was the “I Want” song in “Mulan” (1998). We need to realize that we are the most beautiful when we are our true selves :) Just another way to show that we shouldn’t care about what we look like, or try with all our might to be someone that we aren’t. This is where her father comes in and tells her that she is beautiful as she is now and wins the dad award :)Īnd we all know that Mulan ends up proving everyone wrong and shows that the best self she could be was her true self and not the person society wanted her to be. Then she goes and sits under the prettiest tree outside, looking as her normal self. She walks into the gazebo and as she sings about wanting to be the same inside and out, she removes the makeup representing the superficial beauty. This outside beauty correlates with the superficial beauty that Mulan has to attempt to uphold in order to blend into society. The colors of the trees, water, and flowers creates a beauty. Then comes the beautiful scenery that comes with the chorus. As she sings about being herself, she hops along the rail of the bridge, defying the norm of walking across the bridge. She walks by her parents, who look sad and glum. It begins with Mulan looking into the water trough for the horse and seeing herself. The movie scene is also really interesting to follow. She slows down after that power note and finishes out quietly the piano accompanies her here, along with the winds. There are string parts that carry underneath to build intensity. The instrumentals leading up the 2 minute mark area also gorgeous. The second half of the chorus is even more powerful, especially with the note at 1:58. The notes she hits at 1:18 in the chorus are so pure. She sings about how she doesn’t even recognize her own self, and how who she is on the outside is a different person from the one on the inside. And she would break everyone’s hearts if she were to attempt to step out of the norms.
Mulan begins with how she’ll never fit the roles society wants her to play. The voice control is impeccable and her vibrato always hits perfectly. She’s been in many other roles, but her works go to show that her voice is incredible.
Also, important to this blog, she was the singing voice of Jasmine, from Aladdin, in A Whole New World. She began her musical career at the age of seven! She was in shows including Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Oliver, Into the Woods, and more. I could rant about her talent for pages upon pages, so I’ll try to hold back. The piano and other instruments fill in the background. The song melody kicks in a 32 seconds with the flutes. Powered by strings and what I believe to be a classical guitar. The song begins with an instrumental that is slow, deep, and dark.
After being told that she was a failure and would bring nothing but dishonor on her family, Mulan goes out into the garden and realizes that she doesn’t even know herself any more. One of the most heart-wrenching songs of self doubt in a Disney movie.
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