Punk Goes Disney is Happening but not how we expected…
For the longest time, everyone has been asking for a Punk Goes Disney compilation to happen. We’ve wanted to see bands like Mayday Parade or even Ice Nine Kills in it cover the songs of our childhood. Well you won’t have to look any further because it is finally happening! Just definitely now how we expected it in anyway shape or form. The Walt Disney Company themselves have decided to take it upon themselves to make the album happen with a pop-punk cover compilation featuring some of the most iconic Disney songs reimagined with an edgy, alternative sound.
The album, titled A Whole New Sound, is set to drop later this year, and promises to be a wild ride for fans of both Disney and pop-punk. To give us a bit of a taste of the upcoming album, the first single has already been released: Simple Plan's cover of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King. The track is a perfect blend of the classic ballad's heartfelt lyrics originally written by Elton John and Simple Plan's signature pop-punk sound, creating a fresh and exciting take on the beloved Disney anthem. Here’s what Simple Plan had to say about their cover and how it came to be with their interview with Billboard.
Simple Plan with Mickey and the Gang
““When Disney reached out to us to be a part of this project, it was a bit overwhelming because there are so many amazing Disney songs. But it became obvious pretty quickly that The Lion King song book, and especially ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight,’ stood out from the rest,” Simple Plan tells Billboard. “The song just has such a classic feel, and the melodies are so memorable and timeless. We also felt like it would lend itself really well to our style and would sound awesome as a pop-punk version.
It’s also one of those songs and movies that has been such an important part of people’s lives. Lots of our fans grew up watching it and listening to the soundtrack and we also played them for our own kids,” the band continues. “So, it holds a special place in our hearts and felt like the rare song that could connect to a very wide range of listeners across many generations. Finally, the fact that the movie celebrates its 30th anniversary this year was just the icing on the cake! It’s such an honor to offer our own version of this song and to cover such an iconic artist like Sir Elton John. We’re not sure if he heard the song or not, but we hope he will enjoy this new version and feel like we did it justice.””
According to the blog post written by Disney, “Mickey and his Friends brought together some of their favorite alternative, rock, and pop-punk bands to reimagine popular Disney songs for A Whole New Sound, and the full album and vinyl will be available later this year.” So we’re definitely curious ourselves on which of these bands are going to be included, as well as to which iconic Disney songs are going to be apart of this upcoming album as well.
What are your thoughts on this exciting new project? Which Disney songs do you hope to hear? Let us know in the comments below!