Musical Analysis #2

 

Musical Analysis #2

Let It Go

Idina Menzel

Link to Let It Go in Frozen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

In January 2014, I travelled to China to visit family with my two young daughters, one was 5, the other just turned 3. It was my first trip back to China since we moved to Alaska from North Carolina. My father passed away right before my second daughter was born, and I missed his funeral due to the upcoming delivery and long travel. That was one of my darkest times. I left China to marry my husband. The marriage interrupted my graduate study, stopped my career, and became a homemaker with two kids. Multiple cultural shocks (American and Egyptian), marital adjustment and parenting challenges, financial difficulties, and isolation from my people and culture…life was overwhelming. Growing up in a collective culture in China, I was trained to have self-discipline and self-control, and I got used to suppress my own desires to cater to others’ wishes. Finally, we were able to make the family trip to China after 5 years. Back to my hometown in North China, my sister invited us for a newly released 3D Disney movie in a fancy cinema. I went because of my kids but got so absorbed into it. The song Let It Go brought up my pains and struggles in the US, “Heaven knows I tried...Let it go, let it go, can’t hold it back anymore…” I was in tears…

 


Image source: https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/msid-52412307,width-800,height-600,resizemode-75,imgsize-66894,pt-32,y_pad-40/52412307.jpg

Let It Go remains my favorite with years passing by. It is a song from Disney movie Frozen. A songwriting couple Mr. & Mrs. Robert and Kristen Lopez composed the lyrics and music. The genre is show-tune. This song was originally performed by American actress and singer Idina Menzel in her vocal role as Queen Elsa in Frozen. Let It Go won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014 and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2015. In this post, I would like to explore some of its musical elements, including lyrics, beat, meter, forms, timbre, and dynamics.

 


Idina Menzel Performs 'Let It Go' at Disneyland 60th Anniversary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QVJZ_LVDIw

 

Lyrics

Good music is always able to elicit deep emotions, with or without lyrics. However, powerful lyrics and visual aids could help music be more influential. Let It Go is a perfect union of lyrics, sound, and vision. One popular opinion is that this song is liberating for those who have been in bondage, and it is empowering for us to take off our heavy persona and come into our true identities. Meanwhile, there is power of tragedy under the appealing freedom and glory… massive destruction, more isolation, and deepest despair, which reveals such a truth in our day-to-day life. This song was able to push the movie to its climax: the union of freedom and deeper bondage, the combination of release and greater devastation. Luckily, at the end of the movie true love is presented as the key to true freedom and happiness.

According to Dr. Vasco Hexel, “an effective pop song has to feel familiar the first time you hear it”, Let It Go was able to achieve this goal by its simple and rhyming structure and its immediate accessibility. Even for young children or ones unfamiliar with English language, they can feel strong emotions and remember the three words “let it go”. That is probably why it was one of the most popular songs around the world.

“Let it go, let it go,

can’t hold it back anymore

Let it go, let it go,

turn away and slam the door!”…

“Let it go, let it go,

I am one with the wind and sky.

Let it go, let it go,

you’ll never see me cry!”…

“Let it go, let it go,

and I’ll rise like the break of dawn.

Let it go, let it go,

That perfect girl is gone!”

“Here I stand, and here I’ll stay…

the cold never bothers me anyway!”

Please click here for the full lyrics.

Beat & Meter

            Let It Go is allegro at 137 bpm as a whole song. This is very fast pace for a power ballad. The meter is common times 4/4, also called quadruple meter. On the second and fourth beats of the bar, the percussion joins after the first chorus and the energy suddenly picks up. The quadruple meter does not make the song like a ballad anymore.

Image source: https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/frozen/let-it-go-movie-version/MN0127731

Forms

            The over-arching organization of Let It Go is AB form with a third section C. It starts with soft piano intro and ends with a strong final chorus. It has verses, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge. One of my most favorite sections is the bridge mostly played with string instrument violins. The main refrain has only three words “let it go” with close intervals, which makes the tune impressive and easy to remember.

Timbre

            The vocalist of Let It Go is Idina Menzel, who is well-known for her powerful mezzo-soprano (i.e., half soprano) voice. Her vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The vocal range of mezzo-soprano extends from the A below middle C to the A two octaves higher. The opening of the song was at the bottom of Menzel’s two-octave range. During chorus and some part of verses, Menzel used her belting technique or “high chest voice”, and she carries her chest voice above her break. Her voice is bright, shrilling, and rich. She stretched some ending words with vibrato, a pulse of modulating pitch and a curving effect to enhance the timbre variety.

Musical instruments used in the original recording include piano, keyboard, chimes, string orchestra, drum set, trumpet, and triangle. The song started with soft piano solo before the vocalist chimed in softly like a typical ballad. With other instruments adding in, the climax achieved together with the lyrics and high pitch of the vocalist. Again, I enjoy the rhythmic string orchestra (violins) for the bridge especially.

Dynamics

The dynamics of Let It Go is diversified, ranging from piano (soft) and forte (strong) and accompanying the development of Elsa’s emotions perfectly. At the beginning, both the music and vocalist were low and soft, sounding lonely and mournful with internal conflicts going on. Starting from the second verse, the pitch rose higher as Elsa did not care to please others any longer. She cried out a long triumphant high note. The melody went up together with Elsa’s confidence. During the chorus, the volume of voice and instruments went up to a constant climax, then moved down to show her firm and careless attitude. To conclude, the dynamics of this song perfectly matched the emotional journey of the key character Elsa.

To conclude, this is an amazing song with perfect instrumental and singing. Can we truly let it go? I guess it is a “yes” for some cases and a “no” for others. The paradox makes life charming and worth living. Thank you for reading the exploration on my favorite song!

 

Sources:

“Let It Go.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Feb. 2021. Web. 12 Feb. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Go

“An analysis of ‘Let It Go’ in Disney’s ‘Frozen.’” Naclhv.com, Blogger, Web. 6 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2021. http://www.naclhv.com/2014/01/an-analysis-of-let-it-go-in-disneys.html

“What makes ‘Let it Go’ so catchy?” Disney.Pixar & Lucasfilm LTD. https://frozenthemusical.co.uk/let-it-go/

Roberts, Maddy S. “Here’s precisely why ‘Let It Go’ has been stuck in your head for five years.” Global 2021. 8 Jan. 2019. Web. 13 Feb. 2021. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/let-it-go-analysis/

“Evolution of Disney Music.” Web. 13 Feb. 2021. https://evolutionofdisneymusicpersonalproject.weebly.com/frozen.html 

Comments

  1. AylaFebruary 14, 2021 at 12:24 PM

    The first time I heard this song I really enjoyed it, regardless of it being from a kid movie. I particularly enjoy the beginning when the piano music is played quietly, and the singing is really soft and sad sounding. I agree, the simple three-word phrase that makes up most of the chorus makes this song really easy to remember and relate to. Most people would love to just let all their worries go and enjoy their lives. I enjoy the way that this song starts off slow and gradually rises as the singer, and character in the movie, start to feel empowered and their emotions change. You summed this up really well in the Dynamics part of your blog. I was surprised by the number of different instruments used in this song. Knowing that it was from a popular kid movie made me think that it would involve mostly electronic sounds. I found an interesting article that explained how the writers came up with the song and some of the reactions that followed it on the set. Their process was so effective in portraying how the movie character’s emotions because they actually sat down and just discussed how the character would be feeling at that time. By the end of it, they had a very emotional and powerful song that many people responded to, regardless of whether or not they had seen the movie. It also included a video of a popular remake of the song. Here is the link to the article in case you’re interested: https://americansongwriter.com/let-it-go-frozen-behind-the-song/

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