[12][22][35] Acknowledging the song's "extremely dark undertone", Anthony Falco of Film Class Junkies wrote, "This song rues in the fact that a child is impressionable; Rapunzel believes that Mother Gothel has the best intentions, but obviously, the evil witch is using the princess for her own gains. Follies in 2007. [72], "Mother Knows Best" has garnered universal acclaim from both film and music critics, several of whom admitted to enjoying the song despite being unimpressed with the majority of Tangled's music. [29], A writer for Disney.com observed, "The creepiness of this song lies in the fact that the very untrustworthy Mother Gothel is positioning herself as a helpful figure to Rapunzel. Musically, "Mother Knows Best" directly contrasts with the more pop-oriented singer-songwriter style of Rapunzel's songs, which are performed by pop singer Mandy Moore. Primarily a Broadway actress, Donna Murphy had never voiced an animated character prior to Tangled, and decided to audition for the role spontaneously. [5] Menken was "very pleased" with "Mother Knows Best. "[89] William Goss of Moviefone said, "Mother Knows Best" is "belted out perfectly" by Murphy. production of Sondheim and James Goldman's Follies: Tony winner Donna Murphy singing "Could I Leave You?" "[22] Musically, "Mother Knows Best" is an "insidious show-stopper"[49] that uses a "cautionary" melody,[50] with one critic identifying it as a "drag–anthem. [92], Άλκηστις Πρωτοψάλτη (Alkistis Protopsalti), Айнұр Бермұхамбетова (Aynur Bermukhambetova), "Alan Menken Exclusive Interview Tangled", "BWW Exclusive: Alan Menken Talks Tangled, Sister Act, Leap of Faith, Hunchback & More", "BWW Exclusive: Tangled Directors Nathan Greno & Byron Howard", "BWW EXCLUSIVE: Donna Murphy Talks Disney's TANGLED", "Stage Left: "Mother Knows Best": on Abusive Parenting in TANGLED", "Tangled – Susan Granger's review of "Tangled" (Walt Disney Studios)", "Best 5 Dark Songs In Colourful Disney Movies", "Tangled: The roots of animated tradition, with 3-D highlights", "Disney Villain Signature Songs On A Scale From 1 to Fabulous", "Into the Woods rises above the glut of revisionist fairy tales", "Counting Down The 12 Greatest Disney Villain Songs", "Tangled Up In New: Disney's New Feature Braids Together Classical and Contemporary to Winning Effect", "Top 5 Disney Songs Sung By (or About) Female Villains", "INTERVIEW: 'Tangled' composer Alan Menken", "Mother Knows Best By Donna Murphy – Digital Sheet Music", "Tangled (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)", "The 36 Greatest Supervillain Musical Numbers of All Time", "Alan Menken / Glenn Slater Tangled [Original Score]", "Film reviews: Biutiful | Barney's Version | Tangled | How Do You Know | The Mechanic", "Tangled Looks and Feels Great, So Why Is Disney Selling It Short? [3] Menken said that Murphy, with whom the composer himself had previously worked on his musical Little Shop of Horrors, "brought musical theater expertise" to the song. Are we a pair? "[54] Michael Smith, writing for the Tulsa World, felt that the song's darkness "remind[s] of the nasty bits of the original Grimm's fairy tale and give[s] Tangled a bitter balance for the sugar and spice moments. Great people live here, as do villains and thieves, hippies, heiresses, and political grifters, and a remarkable number of them keep falling in love. The limited series, inspired by a millennial con artist, also features Julia Garner, Anna Chlumsky, Laverne Cox, Katie Lowes, and Alexis Floyd. [40] Acknowledging that "The songs ... don't sound on first hearing like top-drawer Menken", Richard Corliss of Time described "Mother Knows Best" as "a pot of poisoned honey. Watch the performance below: The Encores! production of Pal Joey, Rebecca Luker, Debbie Gravitte, and Sarah Uriarte Berry in The Boys From Syracuse, Christopher Fitzgerald and Jessica Stone in Babes in Arms, Judy Blazer and Steven Sutcliffe in A Connecticut Yankee, Shonn Wiley and Irina Dvorovenko in On Your Toes, and Mark Evans in I Married an Angel. Elliott was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and grew up in New York City's East Harlem area.. Singing career. Falco also concluded that Gothel's "sinister reprise at the end of Tangled allows for these horrifying undertones to emerge, which makes 'Mother Knows Best' one of the most sinister villain songs in the Disney library. The 1994 studio recording, also featuring Julia McKenzie and John Barrowman, is (finally) being released on the Jay Records label. Often cited as Tangled's best song, "Mother Knows Best" has garnered widespread acclaim from both film and music critics alike, who identified it as a notable standout by complimenting its melody, humor and darkness. and Tony winner Victoria Clark singing "Losing My Mind." The week kicked off with Tony nominee Kate Baldwin singing "When Did I Fall in Love?" Donna Murphy (born March 7, 1958) is an American stage, film, television actress and singer.Murphy dropped out of the New York University drama program in her sophomore year when she was cast to understudy the three backup singers in the 1979 Broadway musical They're Playing Our Song. "[66] Opining that "Mother Knows Best" is "belted out wonderfully by Murphy", Linda Cook of the Quad-City Times concluded that the actress "makes the purchase of the soundtrack worthwhile by itself. "[61] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media wrote that Murphy's vocals are "on fabulous display in the amazing number 'Mother Knows Best'. "[55] On the song's subtle darkness, Filmtracks.com wrote that its "lovely romantic melody and instrumentation is betrayed by its absolutely evil lyrics. [76] Likewise, Lindsey Ward of Canoe.ca wrote, "the musical numbers aren't the best things in Tangled – the exception being 'Mother Knows Best', a brash track that scene-stealing Tony-winner Murphy alone turns into a giant spectacle with her voice". Votes: 398,627 | Gross: $200.82M. "[37] Glen Chapman of Den of Geek wrote that the scene "strikes a balance between melodic and narrative sophistication, as well as being equal parts sweet and sinister. "[67] Tom Charity of CNN complimented the actress for "seiz[ing] Menken's grand, theatrical number 'Mother Knows Best' for the showstopper it deserves to be. Playbill Virtual Theatre Festival Kicks Off October 23, Antonio Banderas to Direct and Star in Spanish-Language, Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, and Jenifer Lewis Sing Out in Trailer for Netflix Musical, Celebrate Aaron Tveit With a Look Back at His Career Highlights, Exclusive: Listen to Maria Friedman Sing 'There Won't Be Trumpets' From 1st Complete Recording of Stephen Sondheim's, Jennifer Hudson, Darren Criss, Karen Olivo, More Perform in Starry, Kate Baldwin singing "When Did I Fall in Love?" The hour-long video featuring songs and short monologues aims to get out the vote. "[30] Brian Galindo of BuzzFeed wrote that the song, its purpose having been summarized by Curt Holman of Creative Loafing as "simply to manipulate Rapunzel into staying at home,"[31] "perfectly disguises Mother Gothel's true motives.
[23] "cementing [the] character's ruthlessness,"[24] Gothel ultimately orders Rapunzel to promise never to ask permission to leave the tower again.
Incorporating a series of passive-aggressive insults into its lyrics, the song serves as Gothel's attempt to frighten Rapunzel into remaining in their secluded tower despite her constant requests to see the floating lanterns so that she can continue exploiting her hair's regenerating abilities to remain youthful. Click Here for Playbill’s Theatre Coverage. [68] Meanwhile, Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph likened Murphy's performance to actress and singer Julie Andrews,[69] describing it jokingly as "Julie-Andrews-on-stimulants. Menken and Slater wrote "Mother Knows Best" as a musical theater-inspired song at the behest of directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno,[1] who specifically asked the songwriters to provide Tangled with "a musical theatre moment". "[32] According to Simon Miraudo of Quickflix, Gothel craftily uses the song to guilt trip Rapunzel "into staying in the tower ... frightened into imagining the horrors that lay outside her door. [20] At one point during the scene, Gothel actually contradicts herself; Teena Elizabeth of BookMyShow observed, "Gothel has no intentions of letting her go.