Tag Archives: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

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Snow White “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

“The Silly Song” is immediately followed by Snow White’s final song in the film “Some Day My Prince will Come,” where she sings to the dwarfs about how she’ll be reunited with her Prince someday and all will live happily ever after. Apparently there was supposed to be a dream sequence to accompany the song but the production either ran out of money or it wasn’t coming up to Disney’s standards, so it was cut. Musically, the song is a gentle waltz (in 3/4 time).

Some day my prince will come
Some day we’ll meet again
And away to his castle we’ll go
To be happy forever, I know

Some day when spring is here
We’ll find a love anew
And the birds will sing,
And wedding bells will ring
Someday when my dreams come true

While “Some Day My Prince Will Come” is a beautiful song, I have a big problem with Snow White being in love with the Prince at all. Leaving aside the fact that Snow White is only 14 years old (yes, really, that’s how old she’s supposed to be), there’s no getting away from the reality that Snow White has seen the Prince once. And that wasn’t even a proper conversation, it consisted of one “Hello” and a brief love song. Even Aurora and Prince Philip spent more time together! Still, despite all that, it is a nice last song from Snow White.

Let me know what you think about “Some Day My Prince Will Come” in the comments below and have a great day!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “With a Smile and a Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

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While the Queen plots her revenge against Snow White (having discovered she’s still alive), we return to the dwarf’s cottage where a very “Silly Song” is taking place. Also known as the “Yodel song,” it features Snow White and all the dwarves dancing and singing with the animals watching. Bashful is playing an accordion, Doc is playing what looks like a cross between a bass and a dulcimer, Grumpy is playing the organ, Sleepy is occasionally playing a recorder (it’s shaped like a fish too), Sneezy is playing a small ukelele and Dopey is playing the drums while the others sing and dance. The entire song is a great example of a rustic folk melody, with two nonsensical verses (performed by Happy and Bashful respectively) in between.

Ho-la-la-ee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay-ee-la-ee-ay-ee-lee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay
Ho-la-la-ee-ay-ee-la-lee-ay-lee-o-lee-ay

I’d like to dance and tap my feet
But they won’t keep in rhythm
You see, I washed them both today
And I can’t do nothing with ’em

Ho hum, the tune is dumb
The words don’t mean a thing
Isn’t this a silly song
For anyone to sing?

When the time comes for Bashful to sing a verse, he’s quite reluctant to begin and it takes two false starts (plus a forceful nudge from Grumpy’s organ) to get him going:

I chased a polecat up a tree
Way out upon a limb
And when he got the best of me
I got the worst of him

As Snow White enjoys the song, Dopey (who is very smitten with the princess) and Sneezy work together to they can dance with her. Where they got a regular sized coat I don’t know, but to everyone’s amusement, Dopey comes out standing on Sneezy’s shoulders so that he looks like a regular-sized person. Snow White finds it funny, but also agrees to dance and everyone is having a grand time…until Sneezy feels a sneeze coming. Something you should know about Billy Gilbert (the voice of Sneezy) is that he was well-known for his comic sneeze routines (in fact that’s how he got the job, he called Walt Disney and performed his act over the telephone). And these sneezes are something else, the minute he starts hemming and hawwing as the sneeze builds up, everyone runs for cover until suddenly…Ah-CHOO!! The party dissolves into laughter as Dopey is blown clear up to the ceiling by the sneeze.

This scene is one of the most copied segments in Disney history, appearing most notably in Robin Hood (during “The Phony King of England” song). Also, you might be interested to know that Marge Champion, the dancing model for Snow White, is still alive as of March 2019 (and will turn 100 this September). Let me know what you think about “The Silly Song” in the comments below and have a great day!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “With a Smile and a Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum” (1937)

Of course, once the dwarfs get home, they quickly realize that something is amiss because their entire house is CLEAN!! (To which Grumpy retorts: “There’s dirty work afoot!!”) There follows a hilarious comedy of errors where the dwarfs become convinced that their house is inhabited by a multi-headed monster and the seven sneak inside to slay this “beast.”

Finally though, Snow White and the dwarfs formally meet and everyone takes to the princess at once (except Grumpy). The others are completely won over when Snow White promises to cook all of their favorite foods, especially gooseberry pie (“Gooseberry pie? Hooray! She stays!”) But orginally Grumpy wasn’t going to be won over that easily. If you pay close attention to the scene, you’ll notice that Grumpy is actually getting ready to say something when the scene cuts away to the pot boiling over. In a deleted scene (even Snow White had a few), Grumpy was going to go on a tirade about how ridiculous it was for them to let Snow White stay merely because of a gooseberry pie. That’s when the princess stops the argument by pretending she’s going to leave. Meanwhile, the other dwarfs remind Grumpy of how good gooseberry pie is, which leads Grumpy to allow that Snow White can stay at least until he gets the pie (this explains why Snow White is working on the pie for Grumpy after the dwarfs leave).

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Deleted Scene (1937)

The matter being settled, the dwarfs are ready to eat the soup Snow White has made. But before they can eat, the princess insists that everyone has to go wash up for dinner (since the dwarfs have only washed their hands “recently.” “The Dwarfs Washing Song” or “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Bum” is early Disney silly at its finest. The song (led by Doc) is juxtaposed against the stubborness of Grumpy (who notably refuses to sing and speaks his lines during this sequence). Actually, compared to the other songs in the movie, this almost isn’t a “song” at all, as the dwarfs aren’t actually “singing” so much as “speak-singing” the lyrics with musical accompaniment.

Step up to the tub
‘Tain’t no disgrace
Just pull up your sleeves
And get ’em in place
Then scoop up the water
And rub it on your face
And go brrr, brrr, brrr

Pick up the soap
Now don’t try to bluff
Work up a lather
An’ when ya got enough
Get your hands full of water
Ya snort and ya snuff
And go brrr, brrr, brrr

Ya douse and douse
Ya scrub and scrub
Ya sputter and splash all over the tub
You may be cold and wet when you’re done
But ya gotta admit it’s good clean fun
So splash all ya like
‘Tain’t any trick
As soon as you’re through
You’ll feel mighty slick

This has nothing to do with music, but one of my favorite scenes is when the other dwarfs ambush Grumpy after the main song ends and drag him to the wash tub. Be honest now, at some time or other you’ve fantasized about getting to do that to someone. Once Grumpy is in the midst of being forcibly cleaned, the rest of the dwarfs sing their one final verse.

Now scrub good and hard
It can’t be denied
That he’ll look mighty cute
As soon as he’s dried

But it’s good for the soul
And it’s good for the hide
To go brrr, brrr, brrr

Poor Grumpy, I almost feel bad watching him get forcibly cleaned (but it’s so much fun to watch!) Let me know what you think about “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum” in the comments below and have a great day!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “With a Smile and a Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

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Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Part 2

Appropriately enough, as we meet the dwarfs in their incredibly sparkly mine, they’re singing about….digging!!! This cute little ditty actually doesn’t have too much in the way of melody going on, as the notes are mostly in sync with their picks. What is cool though is the introduction before the song starts (the first four measures): it’s musically recreating the sound of the dwarfs mining!

We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
In our mine the whole day through
To dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
Is what we like to do

It ain’t no trick to get rich quick
If you dig dig dig with a shovel or a pick
In a mine! In a mine! In a mine! In a mine!
Where a million diamonds shine!

We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig
From early morn till night
We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig up
Everything in sight

We dig up diamonds by the score
A thousand rubies, sometimes more
Though we don’t know what we dig ’em for
We dig dig dig a-dig dig

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Through this song, we are visually introduced to all of the dwarfs and begin to get an idea of what they are like. In particular, we learn that Dopey isn’t all that bright, as he likes to mess around by putting diamonds in his eyes (much to Doc’s annoyance). I also find the scene where Dopey throws away “defective” jewels by tossing them over a cliff incredibly funny. There’s probably a fortune’s worth of jewels in that dust pan and he just tosses it away like it’s nothing (also, note how the jewels are coming out of the ground fully cut like finished gems). As the work continues, the clock announces it’s 5pm and time to go home, which announces the proper start of “Heigh Ho.”

“Heigh Ho” technically begins with a call and response as it is Doc who sings out the first “Heigh Ho!!” And all the dwarfs (minus Dopey who doesn’t talk) respond with their own “Heigh Ho!” which leads into the beginning of the song where they all sing and whistle in unison, basically singing the same verse over and over again (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Disney songs at this point are designed to be relatively simplistic in terms of melody and lyrics). Sound film had only existed for about ten years at this point so filmmakers and animators were still showing off how closely they could synchronize sound to movement.

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho
[Chorus]: Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It’s home from work we go
[Whistle]
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
[Chorus]: Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
[Whistle]
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho hum

“Heigh Ho” remains one of the most popular songs from this film and is considered one of the iconic Disney songs. Let me know what you think of “Heigh Ho” in the comments below and have a great day!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “With a Smile and a Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

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Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Previously, Snow White had just escaped to the forest and made friends with the animals therein. Now she needs a place to stay and the animals are more than happy to help out. Unbeknownst to everyone (including the animals apparently), this cottage is actually the home of the seven dwarfs: Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy and Dopey. Based on the evidence, that house was never cleaned a day in its life. Snow White, of course, has a plan to fix all that so she and the animals decide to clean the house for the “children” so that when they come back, maybe they’ll let her stay. This idea serves as the introduction for “Whistle While You Work.”

Just whistle while you work
And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place
So hum a merry tune
It won’t take long when there’s a song to help you set the pace

And as you sweep the room
Imagine that the broom is someone that you love
And soon you’ll find you’re dancing to the tune
(Spoken: Oh, no, no, no, no! Put them in the tub)
When hearts are high the time will fly so whistle while you work

dd7b7-snow-white

I can’t tell you how many times I sang this song to myself as a child while I cleaned my room or did a chore. It was funny because at the time I couldn’t whistle so I’d sing the verse and then blow air frantically to try and whistle the tune (but I digress…). Of course in the movie the song is accompanied by funny scenes of the animals (along with Snow White) cleaning the filthy cottage. My particular favorite is seeing the chipmunk winding up the spider’s web like a ball of yarn only to have the spider come down to object! This is where we leave Snow White for now, as it’s finally time to meet the seven dwarfs.

Let me know what you think of “Whistle While You Work” in the comments below and have a great day!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “With a Smile and a Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “With a Smile and a Song” (1937)

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Evolution of Disney : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Part 1

Of course for the Queen, seeing the Prince in love with Snow White is the last straw and she arranges to have the young Princess murdered out in the countryside. Fortunately for us, the Huntsman has a conscience and Snow White runs deep into the forest where she encounters a large group of forest animals (interesting how they can understand humans, isn’t it?) Now trying to cheer herself up, Snow White sings “With a Smile and a Song” to remind herself (and her new animal friends) about how being positive can help you get through tough times. As with the earlier songs, the vocal part is relatively simple.

With a smile and a song
Life is just a bright sunny day
Your cares fade away
And your heart is young

With a smile and a song
All the world seems to waken anew
Rejoicing with you
As the song is sung

There’s no use in grumbling
When raindrops come tumbling
Remember, you’re the one
Who can fill the world with sunshine

When you smile and you sing
Everything is in tune and it’s spring
And life flows along
With a smile and a song

I enjoy this song as much as the others, but something about it has always bothered me. Caselotti’s voice is so high-pitched in this song that, to my ears, some of the words come across as unintelligible. It still sounds beautiful but it would be nice to understand all of the lyrics. It’s also interesting to compare the animation of the animals in this film to their super-realistic appearance in Bambi. While it’s true that Disney wasn’t going for realism in Snow White, everything is still recognizable (deer look like deer, rabbits like rabbits, etc.)

“With a Smile and a Song” is a nice, peaceful interlude after Snow White’s terrifying run through the forest (which really needs to be covered in Disturbing Disney) and easily sets up a transition for the princess to travel to the cottage of the seven dwarfs. Let me know what you think about “With a Smile and a Song” in the comments below and have a great day!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “I’m Wishing/One Song” (1937)

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Evolution of Disney : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Part 1

Snow White “I’m Wishing/One Song” (1937)

It’s hard to imagine, but there was a time when Disney did not completely rule the world of animation and children’s movies. Back in the 1930s, Disney was seen as a small studio that created funny cartoons, but little else. Of course Walt Disney had bigger plans, including an idea for making a full-length film that was completely animated (something unheard of at the time). What was once known as “Disney’s Folly” became known to history as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Released in 1937, the titular character is voiced by the singer Adriana Caselotti. She sings several songs over the course of the film, the first of which is “I’m Wishing,” sung to her bird friends as she gets water from the well in the castle courtyard. The melody is relatively simplistic, with many leaps from the tonic to the dominant (D to A) and back again. Before the melody returns for a final reprise (just before the Prince interjects), there is a lovely interlude where Caselotti shows off her vocal prowess and sings a call and response with her “echo” in the well.

Evolution of Disney : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Part 1

The song serves as a good introduction for the character: she’s a young (at least teenage) girl who’s clearly done her best to be happy, but still dreams of finding true love (and probably getting away from her stepmother the Queen). The music for this song (and most of the others) was composed by Frank Churchill, who’s last work would prove to be the score for Bambi in 1942.

You wanna hear a secret?
Promise not to tell?
(sung)
We are standing by a wishing well
Make a wish into the well
That’s all you have to do
And if you hear it echoing
Your wish will soon come true

I’m wishing
(I’m wishing)
For the one I love
To find me
(To find me)
Today
(Today)

I’m hoping
(I’m hoping)
And I’m dreaming of
The nice things
(The nice things)
He’ll say
(He’ll say)

I’m wishing
(I’m wishing)
For the one I love
To find me
(To find me)
Today

It’s amazing how lifelike Snow White looks (and remember this was 1937, before computers, all of this was done BY HAND). By the way, look at the Prince below, doesn’t he remind you just a little of Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty? This charming song is immediately followed by “One Song” sung by the unnamed Prince (his role was supposed to be larger but Disney wasn’t entirely convinced that his animators could bring a male character to life convincingly so this is the first and last time we see him until the end of the movie, where he again sings “One Song”).

Evolution of Disney : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Part 1

Like “I’m Wishing,” “One Song” is a simple melody, well-suited for a tenor’s voice, that clearly sets out what the Prince is saying (i.e. I’ve fallen in love with you at first sight). The melody is again very simple, with a medium range of notes. Disney songs have a tendency to be very simple melodically (the idea was that this made them more appealing to children).

Now that I’ve found you
Here’s what I have to say

One Song
I have but one song
One song
Only for you

One heart
Tenderly beating
Ever entreating
Constant and true

One love
That has possessed me
One love
Thrilling me through

One song
My heart keeps singing
Of one love
Only for you

The only question I have is, if the Prince really loves Snow White that much, why didn’t he just take her away right then and there? Where did he go after this song ends? Nevertheless, it is a sweet moment (and the look on the Queen’s face when she sees the Prince wooing her stepdaughter is priceless!) Originally, there was going to be an idea that the Prince was supposed to be coming to court the Queen, which would also explain her outrage at seeing him woo Snow White, but the idea was ultimately dropped.

What do you think of “I’m Wishing” and “One Song”? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and have a great day! This is going to be the start of me re-formatting my earliest blog posts. When I first started, I wasn’t sure what the blog would look like, so I experimented with some different formats. Now I’m going to fix my early work to match what I do now. Hope you enjoy!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Whistle While You Work” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Heigh Ho” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum/The Washing Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “The Silly Song” (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs “Some Day My Prince Will Come” (1937)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook

Disturbing Disney #18: The Queen’s assignment for her Huntsman

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Evolution of Disney : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Part 1

In the time leading up to its release, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was derided as “Disney’s Folly.” It seemed ludicrous that anyone would be willing to sit through a full-length animated feature film, let alone enjoy it. But upon its release in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was acclaimed as a masterpiece, a title it rightly deserves to this very day.

Based on Grimm’s fairy tale Schneewittchen, the film tells the story of a beautiful princess named Snow White who must flee for her life when her wicked stepmother the Queen learns through her magic mirror that Snow White is now “the fairest in the land.” The princes is taken in by seven dwarfs and dreams of reuniting with a handsome prince, but the Queen is on the prowl to ensure that she, not Snow White, is the fairest one of all. And it is due to the Queen’s wicked plots that the film possesses its own share of disturbing moments.

While holding court on her peacock throne, the Queen informs her loyal huntsman that he is to take young Snow White deep into the forest to collect wildflowers. And once there, he is to kill her! Considering how calmly the Queen gives these orders, it is safe to presume that she’s had beautiful rivals murdered before, but the Huntsman objects in this case because Snow White is a royal princess, the Queen’s daughter by marriage! Not only will the Queen brook no argument, she even has a way to make sure that the Huntsman completes his mission. Once Snow White is dead, he must cut out her heart and bring it back to the Queen in a special box.

Just think about how sociopathic that request is: the Queen is so obsessed with being the most beautiful woman alive that she will have her own step-daughter murdered and have her heart brutally cut out just to satisfy her own vanity. Not only that, but she has a special chest made for the sole purpose of bringing back the heart so she can gloat. This is disturbing behavior coming from a Queen, and I believe that the vain monarch is so full of herself that she believes she can get away with this forever. Fortunately for our heroine, the Huntsman has a conscience and can’t go through with it, no matter the consequences.

This scene has become more disturbing for me the older I have become. Of course I was always scared because the Queen wanted to kill Snow White, but as the passage of time allowed me to better understand the motives behind what was happening, the more I became disturbed by the entire scene. However, the Huntsman’s mission is nothing compared to Snow White’s flight through the forest, which has terrified and disturbed children for the last eighty years.