Tangled (soundtrack)

This article is about the 2010 film soundtrack. For the 2018 TV soundtrack, see Tangled: The Series (season 1)#Soundtrack.

Tangled is the soundtrack album to the 2010 animated film Tangled produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film score and original songs were composed by Alan Menken, which marked his return to composition for an animated feature, as he previously worked on several of Disney's animated features till Home on the Range (2004).^[a] The original songs were created by blending 1960s medieval music with folk rock.^[4] Glenn Slater wrote lyrics for most of the tracks in the album, except for the closing credits song, "Something That I Want", which was written, composed and performed by Grace Potter from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals,^[5] with the score orchestrated by Kevin Kliesch and conducted by Menken's longtime collaborator Michael Kosarin.

Tangled
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	November 10, 2010
Recorded	2007–2010
Studio	Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros. Studios[1]
Genre	Folk rock medieval
Length	55:39
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Chris Montan Alan Menken Scott Cutler Anne Preven Frank Wolf Grace Potter Mike Daly Kevin Kliesch[2]
Walt Disney Animation Studios soundtrack chronology
The Princess and the Frog (2009) Tangled (2010) Winnie the Pooh (2011)
Tangled chronology
Tangled (2010) Tangled: The Series (2018)
Alan Menken chronology
Enchanted (2007) Tangled (2010) Mirror Mirror (2012)

The soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on November 10, 2010, followed by a vinyl edition that was released on March 21, 2014.^[6] Apart from being critically acclaimed, the soundtrack received several awards and nominations, including the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the track "I See the Light". Menken and Slater wrote three new songs for the series, apart from reusing the original tracks for the stage adaptation Tangled: The Musical.^[7]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Filmtracks	[8]

The soundtrack (particularly Menken's musical score) in general was technically praised, however the songs mostly received some mixed reactions for being too derivative to many of Menken's previous works (particularly the 1990s renaissance ones). Bill Graham from Collider praised them for their variations to the tempo and tone, memorable lyrics, and "blending old with new," However, he also stated that "the film’s constant mixture of tones can feel a bit off-putting for some."^[9] Roth Cornet from Screen Rant was positive towards them, saying that "Alan Menken’s music is as catchy, uplifting and effecting as one would expect."^[10] Scott of The New York Times positively reviewed the music, saying that it "takes you back to a charmed world of swoony longing and sprightly mischief," with a slick and efficient atmosphere and grace notes of self-conscious classicism.^[11] Corliss from Time was also positive to the songs, noting that though "don't sound on first hearing like top-drawer Menken," the songs still "smoothly fill their functions." He described the opener, "When Will My Life Begin?," as the "heroine's 'I wanna' song," a Disney tradition that stretches back to Snow White's "Some Day My Prince Will Come." "I See the Light" was described as "a generically tuneful love ballad, which is sure to be nominated for a Best Song Oscar."^[12]

James Berardinelli, on the other hand, negatively commented the songs as "neither catchy nor memorable."^[13] Tim Robey from The Daily Telegraph gave a negative review, saying that they were only "OK—there’s nothing you want to whistle on the way home."^[14] Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian, who gave the movie two out of five stars, described the songs as "sporting a laboured selection of Broadway-style show tunes," and hence are actually added for profit.^[15]

Track listing

Tangled (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing^[16]

No.	Title	Performers	Length
1.	"When Will My Life Begin?"	Mandy Moore	2:32
2.	"When Will My Life Begin?[b]" (Reprise 1)	Moore	1:03
3.	"Mother Knows Best[c]"	Donna Murphy	3:10
4.	"When Will My Life Begin?" (Reprise 2)	Moore	2:06
5.	"I've Got a Dream"	Brad Garrett Jeffrey Tambor Moore Zachary Levi Tangled ensemble	3:11
6.	"Mother Knows Best" (Reprise)	Murphy	1:38
7.	"I See the Light"	Moore Levi	3:44
8.	"Healing Incantation"	Moore	0:54
9.	"Flynn Wanted" (Score)	Alan Menken	2:51
10.	"Prologue" (Score and song)	Menken Murphy Delaney Rose Stein	2:02
11.	"Horse with No Rider" (Score)	Menken	1:57
12.	"Escape Route" (Score)	Menken	1:57
13.	"Campfire" (Score)	Menken	3:21
14.	"Kingdom Dance" (Score)	Menken	2:20
15.	"Waiting For the Lights" (Score)	Menken	2:47
16.	"Return to Mother" (Score)	Menken	2:06
17.	"Realization and Escape" (Score)	Menken	5:50
18.	"The Tear Heals" (Score and song)	Menken Moore	7:37
19.	"Kingdom Celebration" (Score)	Menken	1:50
20.	"Something That I Want"	Grace Potter	2:43
21.	"I See The Light" (Reprise)	Shannon Saunders	3:38

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[19]	44
US Billboard Soundtracks[20]	7
US Billboard Kids Albums[21]	3

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22]	Gold	100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[23]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Award[d]	Date of ceremony[e]	Category	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	February 27, 2011	Best Original Song	"I See the Light" – Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi	Nominated	[24]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	January 14, 2011	Best Song			[25]
Golden Globe Awards	January 16, 2011	Best Original Song			[26]
Golden Reel Awards	April 15, 2011	Best Sound Editing: Music in a Musical Feature Film	Tom MacDougall		[27]
Grammy Awards	February 12, 2012	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Tangled (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)		[28]
		Best Song Written For Visual Media	"I See the Light" – Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi	Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society	December 16, 2010	Best Song			[29]
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards	December 29, 2010	Best Original Song	"I've Got a Dream" – Brad Garrett, Jeffrey Tambor, Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and the Tangled Ensemble	Nominated	[30]

Notes

1. Though Menken had composed for the 2007 film Enchanted, it is a live-action-animation film, hence it cannot be considered as a full-fledged animation feature.^[3]
2. Not featured in film.^[17]
3. This is an extended version of the song.^[18]
4. Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
5. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.