Monday, February 28, 2011

The Sound of (Park) Music

Let the music begin
Have you ever entered the Park and just stood in awe at how detailed it is? From the Cast Members' costumes to the buildings surrounding you, everything is planned to fit together.  Even the background music fits in perfectly.  Just one of the many surprises that the Park has in store for you.

Almost every time we head over to the Park, we listen to Disneyland Resort Discography.  It hit me the other day that some of the songs on the CD I wasn't readily familiar with, and there were plenty of songs playing in the Park that weren't on our CDs.  So where did they come from?  Well, we found the solution (it wasn't hard to find, but it still made us feel good about ourselves) while making our way through the famous entrance tunnels into Main Street, U.S.A.  We heard some very familiar sounds from the CD, and it hit us, there's always more to the Park than meets the eye (quite literally sometimes).


We love hearing the song "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly! (and Wall-E, of course) playing in the background throughout Main Street.  Making our way down to the castle and into Fantasyland, the tone of the music changes entirely.  King Arthur Carousel might as well be one giant calliope boom box.  You can hear famous Disney Princess music played, such as "Once Upon A Dream" from Sleeping Beauty (and many others) as it goes around and around.  Even heading towards the Matterhorn you can hear music coming from the Mad Tea Party; Alice In Wonderland tinged, of course.

Since we're heading towards the Matterhorn, let's keep going into Tomorrowland, where the sounds of space and science fiction movies can be heard.  They love music so much here they even have a stage for it where bands can be seen and heard on any given weekend.  While we're here, let's grab a Rocket Rod (couldn't resist) and shoot on over to the other side of the Park.

Where John Williams and Rock-a-billy collide
"How Do Ya Do?" can be heard over at Critter Country, evoking images of Brer Rabbit and his laughing place (and giving us an insane desire to climb on that blasted Splash Mountain just one more time), along with the many tunes of Winnie the Pooh ("Heffalumps and Woozles," anyone?) coming in every once in a while.  As you make your way down to New Orleans Square, you'll notice some of that 'good ole Jazz' music being played to set the mood while you stroll through the shops; it just makes you want to snap your fingers!

What about one of the wildest portions of the Park, Adventureland?  Music from the infamous Tarzan's Treehouse (infamous to us; let's not get into that tree too much, our legs hurt just thinking about it), Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, and the "Garden Show" from The Enchanted Tiki Room all vie for space inside your eardrums.

My name is Rongo...
Let's take a detour and say, "Howdy!" to Frontierland.  Classic western music is, of course, the theme here, and every once in a while you may get a real treat and hear the theme song from Blazing Saddles, as well as music from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and from The Golden Horseshoe Revue.  Had enough?  Head on around the "wildest ride in the wilderness" and you'll find yourself on your way back to Fantasyland; we've already been here so just keep going until you hit Mickey's Toontown, where the many whacky and zany sounds of Disney cartoons like Steamboat Willie and Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin can be heard all around.

"This here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!"
We've said before (this week in fact!) that's it all in the little details, but we love our Park music and sounds.  We can't help but smile when our cell phones go off in the Park (featuring Park ringtones, of course) and we see people looking around to see where the sound is coming from.  We're so infatuated with the sounds of the Park even our phones play Park tunes! 

Sometimes we get so caught up in the visual magic of the Park that we let the audible kind pass us by.  So, the next time you're visiting, take a minute to close your eyes and give a listen.  We didn't list every 'Sound Hot Spot' because we want you to find some of the Park magic for yourself. You never know what you might discover.


6 comments:

Jen Tucker said...

I've never really payed much attention to the music at the Park. Maybe I should huh?

However the only place the music feels like an outright assault is at DCA. The music in Sunshine Plaza annoys the heck out of me. And it's way WAY too loud. While waiting for the Electrical Parade one night I think I counted 15 songs on infinite, loud loop.

Unknown said...

You DEFINITELY should, Jen. It really is a fantastic addition to almost any Land, and it really pulls the entire thing together.

We think a lot of times we're hearing it, but not really paying attention to it, so it's kind of a subconscious thing. But if you really stop and listen, you'll hear some pretty cool stuff.

And yes, we've heard that about Sunshine Plaza before. We're not as opposed to it as some, but we can understand the sentiment. We're anxious to see how it will change with the other changes in DCA real soon. :) It definitely needs that "Park feel".

Magical Days with the Mouse said...

Nice post Chad. I too love hearing the music. Sometimes it does get lost in the background if I'm having way too much fun, but I do notice it quite often. I really love the music they play on Main Street at Christmas. I even have the whole loop on a CD, and come Nov 1st it's played regularly in the house and in my car.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Sarah. Mark was responsible for the idea of the post and did much of the writing. I chimed in with the pictures and some of the more detailed stuff, but between us we were pretty proud of what we came up with. Lots of posts are collaborations of ours like that. :)

Glad you liked it! Did you get that loop on a CD in The Park, or just one of the lucky ones to have it? :)

Unknown said...

I'm a huge fan of the music at Epcot's World showcase and I think it adds to the overall feel by creating a worldly atmosphere. I just wish they'd make more CD's with the parks music on it. Having never been to Disney Land, are the CD's you have only sold in the park or are they available online?

Unknown said...

Hi Guss,

Definitely in agreement that in general the music makes the atmostphere and is so important.

We primarily have two CD sets we keep in constant rotation -
The first is 'A Musical History of Disneyland' (a 6 CD set) which I've not seen in The Parks, but you can find on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Musical-History-Disneyland-W-Book/dp/B000AA4MHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1299361315&sr=8-1

The second is the 'Disneyland Resort Official Album' which you CAN find in The Parks, but seems to be perpetually sold out online; at least on the official store, but here it is:
http://www.disneystore.com/disneyland-resort-official-album-2-cd-set/mp/1267930/311000/

Prolly more information than you needed but I couldn't resist. :)