from the album The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released
December 13, 1989
Recorded
1988
Genre
Pop
calypso[1]
show tune
reggae[2]
Length
3:16
Label
Walt Disney
Composer(s)
Alan Menken
Lyricist(s)
Howard Ashman
Producer(s)
Menken
Ashman
Licensed audio
"Under the Sea" on YouTube
"Under the Sea" is a song from Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman.[3] It is influenced by the calypso style of the Caribbean which originated in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as reggae, which originated in Jamaica.[citation needed] The song was performed in the film by Samuel E. Wright. The track won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989,[3] the first for a Disney film since "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins in 1964.[4] Additionally, the song won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 1991.[5]
The song is a plea by the crab Sebastian convincing Ariel to remain sea-bound, and resist her desire to become a human in order to spend her life with Prince Eric, with whom she has fallen in love. Sebastian warns of the struggles of human life, while at the same time expounding the benefits of a care-free life underwater. However, his plea falls on deaf ears, as Ariel leaves before the end of the song.
The song is present throughout all the Walt Disney parks and resorts and the Disney Cruise Line.
The song was later performed by Daveed Diggs in the 2023 remake.
^"A brief guide to Calypso music". Reader's Digest. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
^David Mansour (June 2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 422. ISBN 978-0-7407-5118-9.
^ abRoberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 136. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^Rizzi, Sofia. "Which Disney songs have won an Oscar?". Classic FM. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
^Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media#1980s
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