Disney’s 2013 film Frozen was a runaway success, overtaking Toy Story 3 to grow to be the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. An enormous a part of that success was all the way down to “Let It Go,” the film’s lead track and an immediate traditional. “Let It Go” is an anthem of self-acceptance, the story of someone studying to embrace the factor that makes them totally different. The common energy ballad resonated worldwide and throughout generations – almost a decade after its launch, youngsters in all places nonetheless sing the stirring refrain melody earlier than they communicate their first phrases. It hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, received the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014, and there are official recordings in 44 languages. “Let It Go” is greater than a track, it’s a world phenomenon.
Married songwriting duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez had each tasted success earlier than – Robert wrote music and lyrics for 2 of the largest musicals of latest a long time, Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, and Kristen was the co-creator of the critically acclaimed musical, In Transit – however nothing might have ready both of them for “Let It Go.”
Listen to “Let It Go” from the Frozen soundtrack now.
In Frozen, “Let It Go” is sung by Queen Elsa of Arendelle. For a few years Elsa has been hiding her magical skill to regulate and create snow and ice after by chance hurting her youthful sister Princess Anna. The two sisters are remoted from each other, and a rift is created, regardless of Elsa’s love for Anna. Tragically, the sisters’ mother and father are killed at sea throughout a storm once they’re each nonetheless youngsters. Elsa is topped queen of Arendelle after her twenty first birthday, however on the day of her coronation, a battle with Anna causes Elsa to by chance unleash her powers, and the brand new Queen turns her kingdom to ice. Elsa sings “Let It Go” from her place of isolation. She’s annoyed on the method she’s been compelled to cover what she is able to and, over the course of the track, resolves to just accept her powers slightly than stay in worry of them.
Originally, Disney bosses had a completely totally different type of track in thoughts. Frozen administrators and co-writers Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee had initially envisioned Elsa because the villain of the film, however that every one modified once they heard “Let It Go.” Anderson-Lopez defined the method in a Billboard interview, “We had known for months that Elsa was not going to sing like other princesses – that was her sister’s territory. And prior to writing ‘Let It Go,’ we had written a song for Elsa called ‘Cool With Me’ that had a Sara Bareilles, anti-love-song vibe. That was when Elsa was the villain of the movie, with spiky blue hair and a team of angry snow monsters. We did a major overhaul of the characters and story and ended up with an outline that included a moment we called ‘Elsa’s Bad-Ass Song,’ where she transformed into the Snow Queen. At this point, Elsa was still hovering in villain territory. In a later meeting with the creative team, we all agreed the hook ‘Let it go’ seemed right for a song about leaving it all behind, while also letting your secret powers out.”
With the conceptual hook in place, the writers received engaged on the track that may change the course of the film. “Bobby and I took a walk in Prospect Park and put ourselves in Elsa’s shoes,” Anderson-Lopez defined to Billboard, “That’s when we realized the song had to be about what it would feel like to carry that secret and shame and finally feel free of that weight. At one point, I jumped up on a picnic table on a hill and started singing ‘Let it go,’ pretending to let my repressed imaginary snow powers out. We spent some hours scribbling stream-of-conscious Elsa thoughts and a few more hours noodling and putting those lyrics to melody. And I belted out the demo 24 hours later. I worried a bit about the neighbors – especially when I screeched out those last ‘storm rage OOOOONNNNN!!!’ notes.”
The songs of Frozen had been integral each to its plot and its character improvement. “We worked with the team every day, really,” Lopez advised Entertainment Weekly in 2013. “We figured out not just the placements of the songs within the story but also what the story would be.” ‘Let It Go’ modified all the things, as Jennifer Lee revealed to the New York Times in 2014, “The minute we heard the song the first time, I knew that I had to rewrite the whole movie.” Elsa was now not a villain and – crucially – retained her powers. Now Frozen was now not the archetypal story of excellent versus unhealthy, it was a story of acceptance versus worry.
Broadway veteran Idina Menzel sang “Let It Go” with astonishing dynamism, starting with a tangible sense of vulnerability earlier than investing it with a cathartic energy when the big refrain kicks in. Disney additionally launched a model of the track with pop star Demi Lovato on vocals, which performs over the film’s finish credit.
“Let It Go” was not solely pivotal to the success of Frozen, it genuinely helped folks the world over. Marginalized teams have adopted it as an anthem – in 2019, Anderson-Lopez advised NPR that she nonetheless hears from those that determine with the message and have benefitted from the track. “I think anyone who’s carrying a secret shame,” she stated, “that gets so heavy that they really can’t carry it anymore, is identifying with this idea of just shedding that and starting anew. Letting it out, letting it all explode, and trying to find your way forward.”
Listen to “Let It Go” from the Frozen soundtrack now.