In case the audience had any doubts about Belle’s feelings following Gaston’s ill-fated marriage proposal, the reprise to “Belle” (which I’ve also heard called “Madame Gaston”) sets the record completely straight.
Once Gaston leaves (a furious, mud-soaked mess), Belle flies into a tirade as she sets about her chores feeding the farm animals, mocking the “cozy life” Gaston had propositioned her with only moments ago:
Can you imagine, he asked me to MARRY him/ME, the wife of that boorish, BRAINLESS…
Madame Gaston! Can’t you just see it? Madame, Gaston, his “little wife”!
No sir, not me, I guarantee it, I want much more than this provincial life!!!
I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell…
And for once it might be grand, to have someone, understand…
I want so much more than they’ve got planned…
I can completely empathize with how Belle feels at this moment (and I know many others can too). It is downright maddening to have your dreams and aspirations be ignored (or worse, derided) by everybody you know, and the pressure to “be normal” can be overwhelming. But Belle isn’t going to give in, she’s going to have her adventure, whether the townspeople like it or not (you go Belle!)
This moment is really as close as Belle comes to making a wish about meeting her Prince Charming and getting out of the small village, and it seems this wish is granted too, because no sooner does the song end than a terrified Philippe (the family horse) comes running up to her without her father, which leads Belle to ride Philippe to look for him, which leads her to…the castle!!!
Next time: “Be Our Guest” (and I’ll tell you a secret, Belle wasn’t always the “guest” in question, but that’s for later. Until then!!!)
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
Events in Beauty and the Beast begin to come to a head with “The Mob Song.” To recap, Belle has been allowed to leave the castle to rescue her father who has gotten lost trying to find her (Belle) and is now dangerously ill. Belle’s return is exactly what Gaston has been waiting for: unless Belle agrees to marry him, he’ll have her father taken away to the insane asylum. I’m not sure that Gaston is thinking rationally at this point: no girl in her right mind would agree to that kind of proposal, and even if she did, it wouldn’t be a happy marriage. Belle unwittingly makes things worse when she fetches the magic mirror to prove that everything her father has been saying is true. Gaston is visibly shocked to see that Maurice WAS telling the truth, but is almost as quickly filled with jealousy because it’s crystal clear to him (if not to Belle) that she has feelings for this “monster.” Belle finally snaps and tells Gaston the cold truth:
“He’s no monster Gaston, YOU are!”
The truth hurts, doesn’t it? Enraged at this final rejection, Gaston decides that “if I can’t have her, no one can” and begins to paint a picture of the Beast as this terrible monster that MUST be destroyed. This pack of lies that Gaston feeds to the townspeople is the basis of “The Mob Song” and is a perfect illustration of how mob mentality works. Keep in mind that up until five minutes ago, no one in the town believed that the Beast even existed, and they certainly didn’t consider it a real threat. But now, with Gaston painting a picture of their darkest fears, it doesn’t take much to turn the crowd into a ranting mob bent on one thing: killing the Beast!!
The Beast will make off with your children! He’ll come after them in the night! We’re not safe ’til his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the Beast!
We’re not safe until he’s dead He’ll come stalking us at night Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite! He’ll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free So it’s time to take some action, boys It’s time to follow me!
Through the mist, through the woods Through the darkness and the shadows It’s a nightmare, but it’s one exciting ride Say a prayer, then we’re there At the drawbridge of a castle And there’s something truly terrible inside It’s a beast! He’s got fangs, razor sharp ones! Massive paws, killer claws for the feast Hear him roar! See him foam! But we’re not coming home ’til he’s dead Good and dead! Kill the Beast!
Belle, to her credit, tries to intervene, but Gaston is way ahead of her this time. He locks both Belle and her father in the cellar and gathers the crowd to head to the castle. And thanks to the magic mirror, he’ll have no trouble finding it. At this point, the song becomes a choral number, with the townspeople carrying the melody. Meanwhile, back in town, Belle is trying to break out, but she can’t do it. Thankfully, little Chip stowed away with her and is still outside the house. He sees the invention that Belle’s father made still sitting on the hill and notes that it has a very sharp axe in front. To make a long story short, Chip uses the device to break the door down, freeing Belle to race to the castle.
But at the same time, the townspeople have nearly reached the castle, still singing of death and vengeance, while the Beast broods upstairs, deep in depression. There’s one verse the townspeople sing that basically sums up how these people think:
We don’t like what we don’t understand/in fact it scares us/and this monster is mysterious at least
All of this really boils down to fearing what you don’t understand, and now Gaston is going to use that fear to destroy the Beast and the castle (though the enchanted occupants aren’t about to make it easy for him).
“The Mob Song” really is a great Disney song because it serves to drive the story forward toward its climax. Gaston is firmly in place as the story’s true villain (reinforced by riding a black horse), and the stage is set for the final battle.
You would have a very hard time convincing me that there is a Disney character more narcissistic and conceited than Gaston. I mean seriously, this guy is convinced that he is absolute perfection, God’s gift to women, etc. The other townspeople certainly don’t need any convincing of this “fact.” Therefore, Gaston can probably (maybe) be forgiven for presuming that Belle would agree to marry him without any argument whatsoever.
Yes, I said marry. Gaston has decided to completely skip courting Belle and is just going to ask her to marry him (and then hold the ceremony immediately afterward), what could POSSIBLY go wrong?
What Gaston can’t fathom is that the idea of being a housewife, raising a large brood of kids and doing whatever a boorish husband demands is the LAST thing Belle wants to do with her life. So needless to say, the proposal goes badly (Gaston ends up face first in a mud hole). But rather than accept this rejection, Gaston won’t take no for an answer, he MUST have Belle, it doesn’t matter what she thinks!
Despite this proclamation, Gaston is depressed that Belle said “no” to him, and while Belle is adjusting to life in the castle, Gaston is brooding in the tavern while Le Fou tries to cheer him up. This is the setting for “Gaston”, one of the crazier songs of the Disney Renaissance.
Gosh, it disturbs me to see you, Gaston Looking so down in the dumps Every guy here’d love to be you, Gaston Even when taking your lumps There’s no man in town as admired as you You’re everyone’s favorite guy Everyone’s awed and inspired by you And it’s not very hard to see why!
No one’s slick as Gaston No one’s quick as Gaston No one’s neck’s as incredibly thick as Gaston For there’s no man in town half as manly! Perfect, a pure paragon! You can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley And they’ll tell you whose team they prefer to be on!
From beginning to end, the entire song is an homage to Gaston, how amazing he is, how perfect he is, and how everyone wishes they could be him!
No one’s been like Gaston A king pin like Gaston No one’s got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston As a specimen, yes, I’m intimidating! My what a guy, that Gaston! Give five “hurrahs!” Give twelve “hip-hips!” Gaston is the best and the rest is all drips!
No one fights like Gaston Douses lights like Gaston In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston! For there’s no one as burly and brawny As you see, I’ve got biceps to spare Not a bit of him’s scraggly or scrawny. That’s right! And every last inch of me’s covered with hair!
There’s actually a funny story as to how this song came together (I referenced it in Film Music 101: “Test” Lyrics ). What happened is, when the writers were putting the songs for this film together, they created fake lyrics to accompany the melody to serve as a placeholder. However, the fake lyrics for “Gaston” proved to be so catchy that the writers made the decision to keep them!
No one hits like Gaston Matches wits like Gaston In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston I’m especially good at expectorating! Ptoooie! Ten points for Gaston!
When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs Ev’ry morning to help me get large And now that I’m grown I eat five dozen eggs So I’m roughly the size of a barge
No one shoots like Gaston Makes those beauts like Gaston Then goes tromping around Wearing boots like Gaston! I use antlers in all of my decorating!
My what a guy, Gaston!
As it is, the song gives an enlightening view of how Gaston’s mind works. He receives constant praise from all the townspeople, which in turn feeds his massive ego. It’s amazing what the townspeople have put up with from him: Gaston knocks over the chess board when he’s about to lose; Gaston cheats in a brawl; Gaston is a bully but everyone seems to be okay with that! The song also reveals that Gaston is a hunter par excellence (this includes mounting a rabbit head and a frog head on his wall).
Except for his ego, Gaston otherwise fits the bill of a traditional Disney hero, even his singing voice is excellent. This was all planned by the Disney animators, they wanted Gaston to appear as this perfect specimen in the beginning, to contrast him with the terrible behavior of the Beast. However, as the story develops, the Beast and Gaston gradually switch roles: with the Beast becoming more “human” and Gaston becoming more and more “Beast-like.”
That’s all for Gaston for the moment (we’ll get back to him after while), next time, I’m not sure which song I’ll pick next (they’re all so good), but I’ll be back with more tomorrow! Have a great day!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
The year was 1991. It had been two years since Disney successfully launched the Disney Renaissance with The Little Mermaid (1989), and now the time for their next animated classic had come: Beauty and the Beast (1991). The movie adapts the French fairy tale of a beautiful girl named Belle (which is French for “Beauty”) who slowly falls in love with a terrifying Beast, not knowing that he is actually a prince trapped in an enchantment. The score for this film was composed by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Ashman, suffering from AIDS, did not want to work on the film but was eventually persuaded to do so. His health took a turn for the worst during production and he died not long after work was completed on the film (though a few of his songs did appear in Aladdin.)
“Belle” is the opening number of the film and serves as our introduction to the book loving Belle, who is considered “a funny girl” by almost everyone in town. The exceptions to this are her father Maurice, the book-seller, and Gaston. The song begins with Belle walking into town, singing about how every day is the same (a fact that bores her immensely). As the townspeople sing “Bonjour!” (Good morning/Good day), Belle lists off all the familiar sights that she has memorized by heart. But Belle is dissatisfied and sings her refrain of “there must be more than this provincial life.” Having read all of these stories of adventure and romance, Belle dreams of finding her Prince Charming and being swept away to lands unknown.
Little town, it’s a quiet village Every day like the one before Little town, full of little people Waking up to say
Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!
There goes the baker with his tray, like always The same old bread and rolls to sell Every morning just the same Since the morning that we came To this poor provincial town
Now, before I continue, there’s something that should be pointed out. The Disney animators wanted to emphasize how Belle is different from everyone else in the village. To that end, they color-coded her outfit to stand out. Look at the scene of “Belle.” See the blue pinafore she’s wearing? No one else in town is wearing blue! Automatically Belle stands out to the eye (and it’s very effective). But I digress, back to the music…
Unfortunately (for Belle), there is a “Prince Charming” who is very interested in her, the town hero Gaston. When you first meet him, Gaston appears to be the stereotypical Disney hero: perfect good looks and a great singing voice (though this was by design to serve as a contrast to what comes later).
Right from the moment when I met her, saw her I said she’s gorgeous and I fell Here in town there’s only she Who is as beautiful as me So I’m making plans to woo and marry Belle
For all his gifts, Gaston is a narcissist, who thinks that he (Gaston) can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, BECAUSE he is Gaston! This includes marrying Belle, “the most beautiful girl in town” because he “deserves the best” (the fact that Belle might not WANT to marry him doesn’t seem to make a difference). Gaston attempts to sing his own verse about how he fell in love with Belle at first sight, but it’s interspersed with lines praising his own handsomeness (you just know this “romance” is not going to end well).
As Belle prepares to leave town to head back home, the entire community begins to sing about her and this last verse sums up how much the town doesn’t “get” Belle:
Look there she goes, the girl is strange but special, a most peculiar mademoiselle/
It’s a pity and a sin, she doesn’t quite fit in/but she really is a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl, she really is a funny girl, that Belle!
Belle has always been my favorite Disney Princess ever since I first saw the film, because, like me, Belle is a bookworm, and she feels isolated because of this. Belle also dreams of adventure in far off places (and what young person doesn’t?) Interestingly, we never learn how old Belle is, or anything about her mother (we can presume she’s deceased, but when or how long ago is never broached). This is also one of my favorite Disney songs because, unlike Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, where the singer is a high soprano, Belle is a mezzo-soprano (which is my vocal range).
I admit, when I was younger (a lot younger) I used to wish that real life included people singing as they went about their daily lives, so sometimes I would pretend (as I was walking around) that people were singing the “Belle” song about me (ah, the power of imagination). That’s all for “Belle”, next time, as predicted, Gaston’s courting of Belle doesn’t exactly go as planned, and for that he’ll want revenge!!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
When a film needs to have a song written for it, the composer (or group of composers) will create what are known as “test” lyrics while the melody is being put together.
As a general rule, test lyrics bear little to no resemblance to the final version, they’re really intended as a tool to help guide the song writers in putting the verses together (in a sense, test lyrics are similar to the temp track created for a film, see The Temp Track for details).
Once the final lyrics are completed, the test lyrics are thrown out and never seen by the public…not usually. There is one notable exception, where the test lyrics became so popular that the writers kept them as the final version.
I’m talking about the song “Gaston” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991)
There’s a reason those lyrics are particularly silly…
It turns out that when the writers for this movie were putting the songs together, the song that turned out to be “Gaston” was originally planned to be completely different. What it was supposed to be we will never know, because the writers became so attached to the test lyrics, that they decided to just keep them and thus, “Gaston” was born.
Please enjoy the wonderful silliness that is this song. It’ll be interesting to see if the live remake contains a song like this one (or if it will have any songs at all!). Enjoy! Thank you for all of the likes and comments, you guys are awesome!
Film Music Central 