Encanto‘s single “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is now the first song from a Disney movie to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts since “A Whole New World” from Aladdin in 1993. That means this is the first Disney song to reach this milestone in 29 years, surpassing such classics as “Let It Go” from Frozen and The Lion King‘s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” This song dethroned “Easy On Me” by the powerhouse Adele.
Let’s Talk About Bruno
What’s unusual for a Disney hit is that this is the same version of the song that is sung in the movie with vocals by Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, and Stephanie Beatriz. Usually, the version of a song that charts is a pop cover, such as “A Whole New World” by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, or “Colors of the Wind” by Vanessa Williams. Of course, that wasn’t the case with “Let It Go.” The pop cover by Demi Lovato barely registered, while the film version by Idina Menzel was the hit.
What’s weird is that not even Disney saw this coming. The studio singled out the Encanto song “Dos Oruguitas” to submit to the awards circuit “for your consideration.”
Not only did Disney not predict that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” would be the success that it is, but neither did the song’s composer, Lin-Manuel Miranda. As he told People magazine:
“I’m surprised it’s ‘Bruno. I feel like this is my ‘Send in the Clowns,’ which was the late Stephen Sondheim’s biggest hit and probably the most random of an incredible career and life-making music. But I’ll take it!”
Indeed, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is just one of several catchy ditties that Miranda penned for this hit movie. He previously wrote songs for Moana, and is, of course, the mastermind behind Broadway smashes Hamilton and In The Heights. He recently made his directorial debut with the acclaimed picture tick… tick… BOOM! on Netflix. Any of the catchy songs from Encanto could have been a hit, but for whatever reason, it’s this one that has captured the ears of listeners.
Glen Weldon, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, called the song “insanely catchy” but further stated that the song taps into a universal theme — family gossip.
“Every family has that thing that we all agree not to gossip about until you get one of your aunts alone away from the rest of the family, and then it all comes spilling out. People recognize that. I mean, the song starts with, ‘We don’t talk about Bruno, no, no, no,’ and then immediately, very first verse, you get, ‘But it was my wedding day’ … That is doing a lot of very familiar work.”
In addition to the singular success of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the Encanto soundtrack has been sitting at #1 on the album chart for three weeks.
Has this song been stuck in your head? And is that a good or bad thing?
