Disney is known for memorable characters and impossibly catchy tunes.  Everyone gets in on the act.  From princesses (“Part of Your World,” “Colors of the Wind,” “Almost There”), to sidekicks (“In Summer,” “Be Our Guest,” “Little Dressmaker/The Work Song”), and princes/heroes (“One Song,” “One Jump Ahead,” “I Can Go the Distance”), everyone gets in on the action.  I won’t even start on the prince/princess duets.  You get it.  Lots of songs by lots of characters.  Of course the villains won’t be denied!  And some of the villain songs are among the absolute BEST of Disney songs, so what could be better than a countdown of disney villain songs? Plus, I LOVE a good countdown!

I went through all of the Disney villain songs from motion pictures to come up with what I believe are the top 10…ish jams.  There are nearly a hundred Disney villain songs, maybe more, so I had to set parameters.  Otherwise, such a small list would have been almost impossible.  As it stands, I couldn’t quite narrow it to 10 and I still have to add some honorable mentions that I think really deserve to be included.

The songs have to be:

–Sung by the actual villain (at least in part)

–From a Disney film. 

–Actually IN the movie

And with that, here ya go!

10)  Love is an Open Door, Hans (and Anna), Frozen

If you don’t think that this is a villain song, then you need to rewatch Frozen.  This jerk literally manipulates poor Anna (who has been bopping along, pretty much by herself, for YEARS) into believing that they are soulmates.  He pounces on her naivety and plots to kill everyone that she loves in order to rule Arendelle.  Poor Anna.  Yeah, he’s definitely a villain.  It’s not higher on the list because the lyrics themselves aren’t obviously villainous.  Although anyone who finishes my sandwich had better watch their back.  Joey doesn’t share food.

 

9) Mad Madam Mim, Madam Mim, Sword in the Stone/ Mine Mine Mine, Governor Ratcliffe, Pocahontas 

I know, I KNOW.  I just couldn’t decide! This is HARD.  There are so many good villain songs.

I have always loved Madam Mim. I know she isn’t the movie’s true villain, but she is definitely a villain.  She’s totally off her rocker and hilarious. Apparently, I had a darker sense of humor even as a child because I vividly remember laughing at “Sounds like someone is sick.  How lovely.  I do hope it is serious. Something DREADful.”  Madam Mim prides herself in her abilities (she does call herself magnificent and marvelous) and is comfortable in her own skin y, as she yells (sings?), “i’m an ugly old creep” as just jumps around, pulling her own hair. (Which ALWAYS makes me laugh.) She also gets bonus points for turning herself into a cat.

Governor Ratcliffe, along with John Smith and the English settlers, belts out some great (though deceptively cheerful) harmonies and the governor’s delusions about the treasures he expects to find in the new world are so humorous, “My rivals back home, it’s not that I’m bitter, but think how they’ll squirm when they see how I glitter.” I live in Virginia and I don’t know anyone who has a solid gold coat.  And “the ladies of court will be all atwitter?” Unlikely, pal. 

8). Oogie Boogie’s Song, Oogie Boogie, Nightmare Before Christmas 

This tune is oddly catchy for a scene that is pretty scary. Check that.  A lot scary.  I still can’t look when the worms from Oogie Boogie crawl into Santa’s beard.  Gross! Also, who kidnaps Santa? SANTA!  “It’s hopeless.  You’re finished.  You haven’t got a prayer! ‘Cause I’m Mr. Oogie Boogie and you ain’t going nowhere.” Santa getting kidnapped is such a year 2020 thing to happen.

7)  Hellfire, Claude Frollo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

In stark contrast to Quasimodo’s sweet, hopeful “Heaven’s Light” is “Hellfire.” This one makes my skin crawl. “It’s not my fault. I’m not to blame.” This one is DARK, especially for Disney. If you didn’t realize before Claude Frollo’s song just how vile he is, he pretty much leaves it all on the table.  If the devil temptress, Esmerelda, will love him, then Claude can save her soul. Otherwise, she burns.  BURNS! “Be mine or you will burn.”  Yikes.  Someone doesn’t take unrequited love in stride…

6)  Friends on the Other Side, Dr. Facilier, The Princess and the Frog

Before this song, not much is revealed about Dr. Facilier.  It is another villain number that catapults the story.  You assume that he’s the villain (it is a Disney movie and he’s wearing black and purple with a skull on his hat…duh) after you see him swindle the bald man and you see his sinister shadow friend,  but this song pretty much lays out who he is and what he is all about.  He tricks Prince Naveen into essentially selling his soul. Poor dumb, handsome Prince Naveen.  If someone hands you a business card that says “potions,” I think it is safe to say that you shouldn’t put your trust in them.  This guy doesn’t stand behind his work. “I hope you’re satisfied, but if you ain’t don’t blame meYou can blame my friends on the other side.”

5) Mother Knows Best, Mother Gothel, Tangled

This villain song is a bop.  The Broadway-style vocal gymnastics are so fun.  And it is a good thing because is pretty much shows how little Mother Gothel actually “loves” Rapunzel.  The ONLY purpose she serves is as a private fountain of youth. MG pulls out all the stops in trying to scare Rapunzel into staying locked away in her tower prison. As awful as she is, Mother Gothel comes up with some doozies.  I can’t be the only one who laughs at “men with pointy teeth.” 

4) Shiny, Tamatoa, Moana

“I was a drab little crab once.” Full disclosure, this is another villain song that I love to belt out in my car.  And it is a spectacular “getting ready” song.  Give it a whirl. it’s sassy and vain and very Bowie-eque. Let’s be honest. A song that rhymes decapod and demigod is nothing short of genius.  Being a braggart isn’t becoming, but it is hardly a crime. The catchy lyrics and the tropical jazz sound make this song, well, shiny!

3)  Be Prepared, Scar, The Lion King

“So prepare for the coup” of the century.” Scar, basically, issues a call to arms to his hyena minions and lays out his ambitions to take out his own brother and sweet little lion cub nephew to take his place as king.  Sinister, for sure. And this villain song is as wicked, haughty, and witty as you’d expect from Scar.  It grows in intensity and viciousness as the song builds.  End result? Status: iconic.  

2) Gaston, LeFou + Gaston, Beauty and the Beast

As far as villain songs go, this is probably the least evil.  It’s four minutes of LeFou stoking Gaston’s ego and our brawny man-child friend eating it up, but I love it.  “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”. Athough his toxic masculinity is a little off-putting, it’s hard to really hate Gaston.  Even when he wanted to kill the Beast, you have to take into account that, to use antlers in all of his decorating, he must have an affinity for hunting large game and the Beast was, well, a BEAST. 

1) Poor Unfortunate Souls, Ursula, The Little Mermaid

I don’t care what anyone says.  If the villain song is, arguably, as much of a hit as the princess song in a Disney movie, you’ve got a winner.  And this song is a BANGER.  And it helps to drive the story.  Howard Ashman, who wrote the tune, said ,”at the beginning of the song, uh, Ariel doesn’t even know who Ursula is, practically, and by the end of that song, she’s a human.” Boom.  A lot happens in those 4 or so minutes! Though Ursula’s intentions were nefarious, Ariel DID sign a contract that she clearly didn’t read.  I mean, she didn’t even look when she signed it.  ,

Honorable Mention:

I just couldn’t bring myself to leave the following three songs out of the mix, so I created an Honorable Mention category for songs that didn’t fit the criteria I set.

Cruella de Vil, Roger, 101 Dalmatians

Honorable Mention 1: Not sung, at least in part, by the actual villain

One of the first really GREAT villain songs.  It’s jazzy, catchy, and memorable.  Watch the movie again and let me know if you AREN’T humming it in your head for days.  A deliciously evil ear worm. And thank goodness because, aside from the score, it’s pretty much the only song IN the movie.  Dalmatian Plantation doesn’t count. I simply couldn’t do a countdown of disney villain songs and not include this one.

“This vampire bat, this inhuman beast, she ought to be locked up and never released.

The world was such a wholesome place until Cruella, Cruella De Vil.”

I disagree that Cruella is the root of all evil, but murdering puppies in the name of fashion is pretty vile.  Only a true sociopath is willing to go to such lengths for a coat.

Side-note: Can we take a second to acknowledge what a hero Sergeant Tibs is?

Snuff out the Light, Yzma, The Emperor’s New Groove

Honorable Mention 2: Not in the actual movie

Eartha Kitt kills it.  It’s such a shame that this song was cut from the movie.  It’s a good one.  It has such a catchy chorus and contagious beat.  Another about vanity and wanting to remain youthful. I would be lying if I did not seriously relate to this song.  “Every little ray of sunshine robs me of my youth.”  Ugh, YES!  Preach, Yzma!!

Evil Like Me, Maleficent and Mal, The Descendants

Honorable Mention 3: Made for Television Movie

When you have a Broadway superstar like Kristen Chenoweth, it would be criminal (Bahaha.  I’m hilarious.) not to ask her to do a big theatrical number.  And she delivers.  This song is a showstopper.  And that note at the end?  Wowza! Maleficent is trying to convince Mal to follow in her momma’s footsteps, “Don’t you wanna be nasty and brutal and cool?”  Sign me up!

And there you have it!! the closest I could come to a Top 10. Sure, there are some classics that were omitted, but you have to admit that this is a pretty comprehensive list! Was your favorite left out? What would YOUR top 10 look like?