As the release date for Disney's Moana approaches, I think I'd underestimated how nervous I was about Lin-Manuel Miranda's contributions to the soundtrack. After all, Hamilton is such a momentous work that Miranda was named a literal genius because of it. How do you follow that up? Well, apparently pretty easily. The newest Lin-Manuel Miranda song from Moana was released Monday, and, after just a preview clip, it will be stuck in your head all week. The "You're Welcome" lyrics are yet another triumph from Miranda. He had this from the beginning, and there was never any need for me to waste even a moment worrying about it.
The clip was released on Oct. 24 and features the first look at the song written by Miranda and sung by the demigod Maui, who is of course played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, to Moana herself. And I gotta say, everyone is looking pretty good here. Miranda's signature is all over it: the lyrics are witty, the melody is catchy AF, the phrasing is delightful, and, as the icing on the cake, Johnson's voice sounds pretty great. It's just a great collaboration from these two overall.
What has two thumbs and pulled up the sky When you were waddling yay high?This guy
When the nights got cold, who stole you fire from down below?You're looking at him, yo
Oh, also I lasso'd the sun(You're welcome)To stretch your days and bring you fun
Also I harness the breeze(You're welcome)To fill your sails and shake your trees
The song tells the story of all the things that Maui has done for mankind that he's looking for a "thank you" for, from bringing the sun closer to lengthen the days to creating the breezes to literally pulling the island up out of the depths of the sea. It's an accessible history lesson on Polynesian lore wrapped up in beautiful graphics with a unstoppable melody.
So what can I say except you're welcome?For the islands I pulled from the seaThere's no need to pray, it's OK, you're welcomeI guess it's just my way of being meYou're welcome, you're welcome...
Just look at all this gloriousness coming together.
In short, this sneak peek suggests that Moana is everything that we've come to expect from both a Disney movie and Lin-Manuel Miranda. In one short month, we can soak it all in in its entirety, up on the big screen. At this point, Nov. 23 can't come soon enough.
Image: WaltDisneyAnimationStudios/YouTube
