Music and the Fictive Dream – “Go The Distance”

When I think back on some of the most influential and nostalgic films that I have ever seen, they all seem to possess a similar key attribute: the music is iconic. For example, one of my favorite films to watch as a kid was certainly The Lion King and one of the biggest reasons was because of how great the music in the film was. All the way from the iconic opening song, Circle of Life, to the ultra-catchy I Just Can’t Wait To Be King. The music was, and always will be, an absolute joy to listen to and bring back great memories. It is no secret that Disney almost has a sort of “monopoly” on the animated films that have great music, but it is because they are so great at it. Along with The Lion King, another one of my all-time favorite movies is Hercules, largely due to the wondrous music that is throughout the film. In this blog I want to talk about one song in particular within this movie that really captures the entire theme that the film is based around. That song is Go The Distance performed by Roger Bart, composed by Alan Menken, and lyricized by David Zippel.

Go The Distance performed by Roger Bart, USA, 1997

This song was written in 1997 and was part of the Hercules soundtrack. As mentioned before, it was composed by Alan Menken who had already been a part of several other Disney animated films in composing songs. Menken actually won an Oscar in 1989 for “Best Score” with his contributions to composing the score of The Little Mermaid as well as several other major awards for his achievements. Menken also composed the scores of several other Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted, and several others. In 2001, Menken was named as a “Disney Legend” for all of the astounding contributions that he made to their animated films. Go The Distance was actually nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. However the song was unable to win either of the awards.

First let me give a little bit of context on how this song fits so perfectly into the film. Before the character Hercules sings this song, he is seen to be a young teenager who seems to be somewhat of an outcast in society. He tries to fit in with others and be friendly, but everyone tries to stay away from him for some reason or another; no one really thinks that he belongs. It is then that we get to hear Hercules sing this incredible song in which he is beginning to realize that he doesn’t fit in where he currently is and he desperately wants to find that place where he truly belongs. Hercules then learns that he was the long-lost son of Zeus and must become a true hero in order to come back to Mount Olympus and live with the gods for eternity. The rest of the movie is essentially Hercules achieving this ultimate goal of becoming a true hero to once again live with the gods on Mount Olympus (although he decides to stay on earth and live with his newfound love, Meg, but that is another story). This song is an excellent example of how advancing the plot and developing characters through song is such an impactful and effective technique. Through this song, the audience learns that Hercules is so determined and passionate to find where he truly belongs that he is willing to leave his family at such a young age and pursue his destiny, no matter what it may be.

Musically, I believe that this song does an excellent job of portraying the different emotions that are felt by the different characters, and audience for that matter, throughout the scene. As Hercules is still talking to his adopted father, we begin to hear the intro of the song and how it benefits not only what the characters are saying, but also what they are feeling. We hear an orchestra with horns and also stringed instruments that help support what Hercules is saying and help the audience by creating this hopeful and almost mystical sound. I find it really interesting that Menken decided to use a brass horn (I believe it is the French horn, but I could be wrong) here because I almost feel like he is foreshadowing to the fact that Hercules was actually born of the gods. This intro sounds very angelic and almost royal with the inclusion of the horns and because of this fact, it does an excellent job of giving the audience a hint to where they are going next. As the song and scene progresses and Hercules leaves for the temple of Zeus, the song begins to pick up and become progressively louder to show that Hercules is moving on and seeking out his true destiny. This is an excellent example of how dynamics in music can alter the entire mood or feeling that it produces. It is even at this point that we hear a key change, which shows us even more that we are moving on from what was and discovering something new.

I believe that this song does an excellent job of speaking to society and delivering an important and motivational message to anyone who hears it. As mentioned earlier, this song was written in the late 1990s, when there was a lot of different types of popular music, but none like this. Some of the most popular styles at the time were those such as grunge or punk rock, rap, R&B, teen pop and other such similar styles. For the most part, these types of styles wouldn’t necessarily be characterized as “motivational” or even “up-lifting” but some would say even the opposite. According to Steve Pearson of The People History, “By late 1995, many young people were getting tired of the hopelessness that the grunge and alternative bands were inundating the airwaves with” (The People History). Even though this wasn’t the only type of music that was being produced at the time, there was a very significant amount that did have a sort of negative and solemn tone to it. I truly believe that songs like Go The Distance and others helped remind people that there are other ways to view the world than just through a negative lens; there are better things out there if you go out and search for them. Before a performance in 2015 when talking about how inspirational this song can be, Roger Bart actually said, “I just think that is so awesome that this song [Go The Distance] has inspired people while they are staying up late taking exams.” I realize that this was construed as somewhat of a comical instance, but I truly believe that it also has real merit. This is truly an inspirational song, no matter what circumstances an individual may be in. I believe that it also came during a crucial time when popular music of the time was not exactly conveying this inspirational message to people, especially young people. The message that this song conveys is so crucial for everyone to hear, and I think that Disney did a great job of incorporating such an important message into one of their most popular animated films of all time.

Sources:

AcademyMusicForBlind. “Shades of Broadway – Roger Bart Performs Go The Distance (Disney’s Hercules).” YouTube. YouTube, 29 Nov. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.

“Alan Menken.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Mar. 2017. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.

“Go the Distance.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Apr. 2017. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.

Morrell, Tayler. “Hercules | Disney Lessons.” The Morrell Tale. N.p. 07 Apr. 2016. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.

The People History – Steve Pearson. “Music Played in the 1990’s Popular Music From the 90s.” 1990’s Music Played in the 90’s Bands Groups Singers Memories from the People History Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2017.