"Under the Sea" is a very popular song from Disney's 1989 feature film, The Little Mermaid. The song was composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It is known to be influenced by the Calypso style of the Caribbean. The song won Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989, one of Disney's original scores to win Oscar. The song was also nominated for AFI's 100 years...100 songs, as one of 15 songs from Disney and one of 17 songs from an animated movie to be nominated.
Plot[]
The song is performed by Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright) who tries to convince Ariel the ocean life is better than the surface, explaining the struggles of human life and compares the benefits of a care-free life underwater. However, Ariel doesn't listen to him, and still keeps her dream to become human.
Lyrics[]
Sebastian: Ariel, listen to me!!
The human world... it's a mess.
Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there!
The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake!
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?
Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me!
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full-time to floatin'
Under the sea
Ah-ha-ha-ha!
Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry
Big Fish: Guess who's gon' be on the plate?
Sebastian: Uh-oh!
Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles!
(with Undersea Chorus)
Under the sea (Under the sea)
Under the sea (Under the sea)
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here naturally (Ooh, ooh, naturally-y-y)
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea!
Sebastian: The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp!
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul (Fluke: Yeah!)
The ray - he can play
The ling's on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh, that blowfish blow!
(with Undersea Chorus)
YEAH!
Under the sea (Under the sea)
Under the sea (Under the sea)
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me! (Music is to me!)
What do they got? A lot of sand!
We got a hot crustacean band!
Each little clam here
know how to jam here
Under the sea!
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea!
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Yah, we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea!
Trivia[]
- This song was also sung in the Kingdom Hearts II video game. In this version of the song, Sebastian is joined by Ariel and Sora.
- This song was parodied in The Simpsons episode "Homer Badman", and the Tiny Toon Adventures movie How I Spent My Vacation.