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.^[3] 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,^[4] with the score orchestrated and conducted by Kevin Kliesch.

Tangled
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	November 10, 2010
Recorded	2007–2010
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[1]
Walt Disney Animation Studios 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.^[5] 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.^[6]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Filmtracks	[7]

The soundtrack (particularly Menken's musical score) in general was technically praised, however the songs mostly received some mixed reactions for being quite derivative to most 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."^[8] 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."^[9] 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.^[10] 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."^[11]

James Berardinelli, on the other hand, negatively commented the songs as "neither catchy nor memorable."^[12] 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."^[13] 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.^[14]

Track listing

Tangled (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing^[15]

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[18]	44
US Billboard Soundtracks[19]	7
US Billboard Kids Albums[20]	3

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22]	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	[23]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	January 14, 2011	Best Song			[24]
Golden Globe Awards	January 16, 2011	Best Original Song			[25]
Golden Reel Awards	April 15, 2011	Best Sound Editing: Music in a Musical Feature Film	Tom MacDougall		[26]
Grammy Awards	February 12, 2012	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Tangled (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)		[27]
		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			[28]
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	[29]

Notes

1. Though Menken had composed for the 2007 film Enchanted, it is a live-action-cum-animation film, hence it cannot be considered as a full-fledged animation feature.^[2]
2. Not featured in film.^[16]
3. This is an extended version of the song.^[17]
4. Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
5. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References

1. Tangled (CD). Various Artists. Walt Disney Records. 2010. D000650802.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. "Alan Menken Talks 'Tangled', 'Sister Act', 'Leap of Faith', 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', 'Aladdin' & More". BroadwayWorld.com. November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
3. Hammond, Pete (September 9, 2010). "Oscar's Animation Race Just Got 'Tangled'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
4. Graham, Bill (September 27, 2010). "Alan Menken Exclusive Interview Tangled". Collider.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
5. Various Artists (2017), Songs From Tangled Picture, Walt Disney Records, retrieved April 22, 2022
6. "'Tangled: The Musical' Fact Sheet". Disney Cruise Line. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
7. "Tangled (Alan Menken)". Filmtracks. November 16, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
8. "TANGLED Review". Collider. November 23, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2014. (Mother Knows Best) Catchy and dark, there are a number of variations to the tempo and tone throughout the film while the lyrics, nailed by Murphy, will stay with you. One can easily see the parallels that Menken and the directors went for in blending old with new, and there is an interesting result. Mother Gothel's songs feel as ancient as she is, while Rapunzel's songs have a truly youthful exuberance and feel.
9. "'Tangled' Review". Screen Rant. December 19, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
10. Scott, A.O. (November 23, 2010). "Back to the Castle, Where It's All About the Hair". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
11. Corliss, Richard (November 26, 2010). "'Tangled': Disney's Ripping Rapunzel". Time. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
12. Berardinelli, James (November 22, 2010). "Tangled: A movie review by James Berardinelli". Retrieved November 26, 2010.
13. Robey, Tim (December 25, 2013). "Tangled, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 29, 2014. and the serviceable songs, by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, are only OK – there's nothing you want to whistle on the way home.
14. Bradshaw, Peter (January 27, 2011). "Tangled – review". The Guardian. Retrieved June 30, 2014. and sporting a laboured selection of Broadway-style showtunes – signalling that someone, somewhere clearly wants to turn this into a lucrative global franchise on stage
15. "Tangled (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) by Alan Menken". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
16. "When Will My Life Begin (Reprise 1)" was cut from the film but not the soundtrack.
17. Second verse featured on the soundtrack was not featured in the film.
18. "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
19. "Soundtracks". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
20. "Kids Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
21. "British album certifications – Alan Menken – Tangled Ost". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
22. "American album certifications – Various – Tangled". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
23. "Academy Awards nomination list". TheState.com. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
24. "'Black Swan' leads Critics' Choice nominations". insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
25. Reynolds, Simon (December 14, 2010). "In Full: Golden Globes — Movie Nominees". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
26. "2011 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
27. Gans, Andrew (February 13, 2012). "Alan Menken and Glenn Slater Win Grammy Award". Playbill. Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
28. King, Susan (December 16, 2010). "Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
29. "Phoenix Film Critics Name THE KINGS SPEECH Best Film of 2010". Phoenix Film Critics Society. December 29, 2010. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010.