This week’s song is titled Keep Em Guessing, which is a deleted song from Mulan. The song takes place when Mushu first interacts with Mulan, and is supposed to be his grand entrance in the film, kind of like the Genie’s song A Friend Like Me. I am going to outright say that I do not like this song whatsoever, and am thrilled that this song was deleted from the film.
Lyrically, the song starts with these first two sentences, “You’re headin’ for disaster, but I’m your one best chance. Though, miss, you are miscast, I’ll show you how to show, who wears the pants.” I think this easily conveys my issue with the song. Too cocky, too over the top, too urban, and it sounds like one of those songs where the character is trying to be cool. In the middle of the song, he sings, “You think that you don’t need me, but doll, you’re in a jam. I’ll train you to mislead, to walk the walk, we’ll both pull off this scam.” Like, I just cannot with the corniness and the oddly jazzy lyrics. Mushu just goes on and on using some similes and metaphors to sing that he is going to be a good coach, and how they will pull of the scam. Anything that is identified or commonly known as cool was someway implicated in the song. This is Ancient China…. why is there a jazz song, and an annoying one that just drags things along? At least with the Genie, it makes sense because genies always rambles on and on to get people to wish on their lamp.
Now it is time to focus on why the song was deleted. Despite the directors wanting a big song to establish who Mushu was as a large personality, Eddie Murphy could do that with a few words, and that is fair enough. This song was probably included when the script was supposed to be a bit more….. light and poppy, like Hercules, so this might have been taken out due to the more serious tone in the film. If you compare it with the three other songs in the film, it does not fit whatsoever. It is a filler song that takes up unneeded time, there is no Chinese score or any meaning behind it.
So you all get the picture that I hardly like anything about the song; from the score to the lyrics, and the overdramatics. I think it is my least favourite of the ones I reviewed yet. So, that is another deleted song out of the way. If you want to reccomend a deleted song to me, put it in the comments, and I will try to get it done by next week. Worst come to shove, I will just choose a deleted song if I have no reccomendations.
animatedkid 
Didn’t know about this one either.
Have you done Music in Your Soup already?
Is that the song from Snow White? Either way, I have not done it yet.
Yeah, it’s that one.
Wow. I didn’t think you’d hate the song THAT much. But on the bright side, at least it’s done and out of the way now.
I see where you’re coming from regarding the cockiness Mushu displays, but I personally wasn’t bothered with it. What did bother me the more I watched it, though, was the jazz music. It really does not fit the rest of the movie. That’s one of the problems I had with Tangled’s music as well. A character like Genie could get away with something like that because he’s an omnipotent being and he breaks the fourth wall. Mushu doesn’t have that luxury. So while I personally think the song is catchy, it does not fit the movie at all and I am glad it was removed as well. The final product is better and lets Eddie Murphy do his thing without having his character need to sing about it.
As for other deleted Disney songs I’ve listened to, I don’t think “Human Again” from Beauty and the Beast qualifies because they actually included it a DVD release and actually animated it into the movie. Another one is “Snuff Out The Light” from what The Emperor’s New Groove was originally intended to be, The Kingdom of the Sun, but, again, it was intended for a completely different story and movie, so I think that one is out as well. So one that I think you should look at when you get the chance is “Why Me” from Aladdin. It was replaced by the Prince Ali Reprise, and features a much more gleeful Jafar then the one in the final product. It was preceded (or maybe was another alternative) by another deleted song called “Humiliate The Boy”, which I think is entertaining, but also a little too cruel. Check them out, but I would only do an analysis on “Why Me”, as that is a little closer to the final product. But you do what you want. Here are the links:
I think what bothered me about it was how the lyrics were orchestrated, and filled with 90s terms. The jazz theme bothered me more than anything else though, since it has absolutely no place to be in the film other than to be hip.
I don’t really count When We’re Human Again either, especially beacuse I believe I included it in the review of the film. All of those options are good. Thanks.