Ranking the songs from Disney's "Frozen" (2013)

When I was first introduced to what would become an international sensation, I was scrolling through my Facebook page, meandering through SuperWhoLock memes and X-Men fanart when an acquaintance had shared a video titled “Disney’s Frozen ‘Let It Go’ Sequence Performed by Idina Menzel” on Youtube. I was curious as to the dark mountainous atmosphere so I stayed for the whole song and was enchanted. A few short days later and I began to notice Frozen slowly overtaking everything. Little did I know…
 

Now that it has been so long since that movie first came out, spawning countless animated shorts, a sequel, and all kinds of extras, I thought it would be fun to revisit the soundtrack to the musical that started it all. For this list, I will only be considering songs from the first film’s soundtrack, so songs from the shorts, stage musical, and sequel will all have to settle for lists of their own in the future. I will also only be ranking the songs with lyrics, so only tracks 1 – 10 will be considered. The wonderful scores by Christophe Beck will have to wait for yet another list.

I ranked these songs entirely based on my opinions. I am not trying to tell you which songs to enjoy and am not considering others opinions in my own decision making, though I would love to hear your own as well. It was interesting to me while I was making this list how much my opinions have changed since I was a freshman in college. I’d like to know if yours have as well!

If you forget what any of the songs sound like, they are available on almost all of the big music players and on Youtube for free.

#10 – “Let It Go” : Performed by Demi Lovato

 

The song taking the bottom spot of our list oddly hasn’t moved from its place on the track listing. Before any Lovatics come for my head, please know that I have nothing but love for Demi Lovato. I have nothing against her as a person, I’ve never met her, and I enjoy quite a few of her songs. This rendition of “Let It Go”, however, isn’t one of them.

Lovato uses a very breathy vocal and her signature runs while adding a more melancholy vibe to the song. This isn’t entirely her fault, as the instrumental didn’t do her any favors toward adding a lighter or more joyful edge, settling for a lower range and backing of strings. Changing the lyrics from the original was also an odd choice. They’re still beautiful, I would argue more beautiful and adult than the version used in the film, but because of it, it’s more heavy. An odd way to end the album.

For those reasons, the version of “Let It Go” performed by Lovato finds itself at the bottom of my list.

#9 – “Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People” : Performed by Jonathan Groff

 

The only song performed by Jonathan Groff in the film is a 50 second humorous “duet” introducing listeners to Kristoff’s strange friendship with his reindeer, Sven, who Kristoff gives a voice to. It’s a very cute song and is always guaranteed to put a smile on my face. Alas, it’s short length, while it definitely works as the song would have gotten very old very quickly had it been any longer, leads to me desperately craving more. When featured on a soundtrack with better duets (I use this word loosely to describe the back and forth of Kristoff’s two voices) and longer pieces with humor, this one finds itself near the bottom of the list.

#8 – “Fixer Upper” : Performed by Maia Wilson and the Cast of Frozen

 

This ensemble piece filled with wonderful voice work finds itself in the eighth slot of our list. Wilson’s Bulda provides the song’s moral lining when she croons that “people never really change” and “people make bad choices when their mad or scared or stressed”. A great lesson for the young-ins and a quiet realization for Anna as to why Elsa is acting the way she is.

The song itself is obviously aimed at the younger crowd, with silly jokes about using the woods as a toilet and the jabs at Kristoff’s character. However, those things, while silly, are completely in line with a movie for children. What isn’t necessarily noticeable but still slightly problematic is how, in a humorous way, the trolls keep trying to push Kristoff and Anna together. While not so bad and even cute at the start, it become an issue when Kristoff explains that Anna is engaged, exclaiming in frustration “ENOUGH! She’s engaged to someone else, okay?!” hoping they’ll get the message and back off. Despite his best efforts, it just serves pushes them in harder, even to the point that they’re being wed as the song ends. While this is, again, done in a funny way, it also isn’t a great thing to be showing kiddos in a song with other great lessons. For that reason, it falls so low despite being one of the catchier earworm songs on the album.

#7 – “Frozen Heart” : Performed by Cast of Frozen

 

When articles examining this soundtrack first came out, I remember reading repeatedly that this song was the one song that didn’t fit in with the rest, that it wasn’t necessary, it was the worst song, etc. etc. At the time, I can remember being flabbergasted and even a little offended given how much I loved this song. It wasn’t a smart song, it didn’t have the emotional depth of some of the others, and it definitely wasn’t a funny song. However, it was one of my favorites at the time.

Years later, the song has fallen slightly in my ranking, but I still hold a strong love for it. It serves to not only showcase the power and value of ice in the lives of the characters dedicating an entire song to it, but also foreshadows much of the movie to come. Lyrics like “beware the frozen heart” and “ice has a magic, can’t be controlled” make a lot more sense on the second viewing. It’s upbeat workman’s tempo make it a fun song to sing along to as well. A song that has more recently started to garner some love as being the underrated song from Frozen, a far cry from the critics of 2013, it will safely sit in the seventh spot on my list.

#6 – “In Summer” : Performed by Josh Gad

 

In this silly and lively performance from Gad’s Olaf, the recently created snowman laments to his desire to see summer, despite only having been alive for a matter of hours and a warm climate usually spelling the doom for beings of his...constitution. 

 

I’ll confess, I truly didn’t like Olaf’s character back when this film was popular. I found him annoying and grating. However, after letting the film sit for years, I came back to watch it in preparation of going to see the sequel in theaters and found the love for Olaf that everyone else had found when the film came out. This song would have easily found it’s way to the bottom of old me’s list, but now that I can appreciate the song. Belting Olaf’s final note is one of the highlights of my mother and I singing along to this tune and the words “I’ll be a…happy snowman!” have found their way into our daily vernacular. She adores Olaf and now I can see why.

#5 – “Love Is An Open Door” : Performed by Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana

 

The song that sparked countless duets by couples around the world, and the song that catapulted Sam and Nia into the mainstream for a moment in time, “Love Is An Open Door” is an adorably romantic song for any couple to sing. The song itself, despite its apparent malicious intentions on a second viewing after seeing the film, still rings through for any couple in the honeymoon stage of a relationship. It’s cute, it’s quirky, and it’s firmly staying halfway through this list.

#4 – “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” : Performed by Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, and Katie Lopez

 

A song covered and parodied almost as much as “Let It Go” after the film’s release, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” was a smart way for the movie to show how lonely Anna is while also showing how much she loves her sister, not giving up on asking Elsa until she’s much older and has heard “no” who knows how many times. A song that takes us from the confusion and dejection of baby Anna not understanding why Elsa won’t come out and play to preteen Anna pretty much singing to herself and resigning herself to play on her own. The song has a dramatic instrumental solo in the middle and finally ends with a grieving and devastated Anna begging her sister to come out as she truly feels how alone she is in that moment, quietly whispering with no hope of an answer the question she had been asking for years before dissolving into her loss.

This song really hits home for anyone who has ever been ignored or felt left out (anyone ever). It also touches, if you’ve ever seen the film to go with it, on losing family and how isolated that can make you feel. It’s a beautiful number and neatly introduces the film’s protagonist with one go.

#3 – “For the First Time in Forever” : Performed by Bell and Idina Menzel

 

This song picks after the previous entry (though three years in the future if the movie is seen), this song shows Anna as a lively young woman who isn’t held down by the sadness we saw in the last number. Excited by what the coronation is bringing to their castle, Anna eagerly fantasizes about what the ball could mean for her, up to and including a romance. Featured in the bridge of the song is a beautiful contrast of the aloof and fearful Elsa against the bright and cheerful Anna as both sisters lament through different meaning “It’s only for today, it’s agony to wait”.

 

Bell’s incredible vocals and the lyrics catchy thirst for adventure (that Disney want for more?) make this an absolute must for any Disney karaoke night. The foreshadowing of “Let It Go” with Elsa whispering to herself “conceal, don’t feel” really assists this movie in maintaining a continuity throughout not just the film but the music as well.

#2 – “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)” : Performed by Bell and Menzel

The back and forth between Anna and Elsa make this song one of the most memorable of the film. Anna’s struggle to stay connected to her sister as her sister loses herself to her fear again as the song builds with Elsa’s rampaging emotions shows listeners for the first time what Elsa truly thinks of herself.

 

When Elsa exclaims “I can’t control the curse!” she shows that she thinks of it as a curse despite at the beginning of the movie, the writers specifying that she was born with the powers and NOT cursed, showing that we’re supposed to think of it as a gift of sorts. Elsa herself thinks of it as a curse. Anna staying throughout Elsa’s meltdown is a clear showing of love for her long separated sister, but Elsa also shows this love for Anna as she desperately cries to her “You’re not safe here!”

 

The emotions flying high as well as the wonderful duet between the two are why this song is my second favorite on the album.

And the winner is…

#1 - “Let It Go” : Performed by Menzel

 

It was very close and took many listenings to decide which of these two songs would pull out on top. However relatable any of the previous songs may have been, they all seem to pale in comparison to this instant Disney classic.

 

“Let It Go” is the anthem of people everywhere who feel like they’ve been shoved into a mold they don’t belong in, a mold they would love to break but can’t for various reasons. “Let It Go” is the fantasy all people in those situations have had about breaking that mold and becoming the person you’re meant to be, the person not limited by situational anxieties and fears. It was used for anti-bullying campaigns and LGBTQ+ outreaches and will continue to be used for many other purposes.

 

Some of the lyrics of the song clearly relate back to having magic and ice, but are easily ignored over the greater themes of the song. It doesn’t hurt that it’s addictive as all hell and will surely have you humming the chorus for hours. Menzel’s brilliant vocal belts carry the song to places the heights of which the melody and lyrics could never reach on their own. It’s a brilliant piece and one the sequel was always going to have a hard time repeating. It’s the only song on the tracklist that, every single time it plays, I have to not only sing along, but scream it at the top of my lungs (as long as no one else is around, of course).

So that’s it for the ranking of all of the songs from Frozen. If you have any suggestions of things I could rank, feel free to send them in and let me know. I’m always interested in expanding my horizons, and while stuck in quarantine, there’s no time like the present. Stay safe everyone!