“I'm mad at Disney, Disney They tricked me, tricked me: Had me wishing on a shooting star
But now I'm twenty-something, I still know nothing about who I am or what I'm not”
"Mad at Disney" by Salem Ilese
This Time It All Started With…
a TikTok video using this song as the background sound. I’d be lying to you if I tried to remember the exact video, but I do remember the sound only consisting of the first verse and chorus. That was enough to catch my attention.
Enter: a catchy song addressing a topic I feel very passionate about (shocker!).
Anyone who knows me well, knows I am obsessed with anything Disney. A Disney movie – I’ll watch. Disney World or Disney Land theme parks – sure, I’ll go. A Disney on Ice show – yeah, why not!
So you can imagine why a song “Mad at Disney” would catch my attention…
How can someone be mad at Disney?
I’ll tell you.
Now don’t get me wrong…even though I love the idea of a Disney movie and the idea of everything being wonderful and full of happy endings, I know that is not the case.
I have a small problem with the ideals and the way of living Disney promotes to young children especially in the movies I grew up with (e.g. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White etc).
The idea of always having a happy ending, the idea of finding Prince Charming or actually more the idea of a Prince Charming saving the day every single time is not and should not be realistic. The idea of how a Princess cannot be the hero without the help of a male character cannot be what we teach our children.
Yes, Disney has improved in this section. Take Frozen and Frozen 2 as an example. There are male characters involved but Elsa and Anna always finds a way to save the day by themselves. #GRLPWR!
Apologies for my small rant. Back to the song…
Salem Ilese addresses these ideas and more in her song.
She’s mad at Disney for making her think that everyone will find their prince charming. That everyone can wish upon a star and get what they asked for.
She’s mad at Disney for portraying these perfect male characters that can do nothing wrong (and female characters that can do nothing wrong) when the truth is the complete opposite.
Even the song’s album cover hints at why she is mad at Disney!
One of the lines that gets me every time is the following:
“The prince ain't sleeping when he Takes his sleeping beauty To the motel on his snow-white horse”
This line addresses something in today’s culture that’s being normalised: having one-night stands or hook ups. I personally do not feel comfortable with this lifestyle, and that might just be because of my religion but no judgment if you live like that. You do you, boo.
Yes, this is a fun song. Yes, it makes me want to sing along and dance. Yes, it addresses something way more serious.
If you want to hear Salem Ilsese’s thoughts on how Disney tricked her, grab your headphones and give it a listen!
To listen to this song, click here.
Lyrics
I'm mad at Disney, Disney They tricked me, tricked me Had me wishing on a shooting star But now I'm twenty-something I still know nothing About who I am or what I'm not
So call me a pessimist But I don't believe in it Finding a true love's kiss is bullsh-
'Cause I felt sad love I felt bad love Sometimes happy love (happy love) Turns into giving up (giving up) I felt hurt love About the word love What the hell is love supposed to feel like? What the hell is love? What the hell is love? What the hell is love supposed to feel like?
My fairy grandma warned me Cinderella's story Only ended in a bad divorce The prince ain't sleeping when he Takes his sleeping beauty To the motel on his snow-white horse
So call me a pessimist But I don't believe in it Finding a true love's kiss is bullsh-
'Cause I felt sad love I felt bad love Sometimes happy love (happy love) Turns into giving up (giving up) I felt hurt love About the word love (word love) What the hell is love supposed to feel like? What the hell is love? What the hell is love? What the hell is love supposed to feel like? What the hell is love? What the hell is love? What the hell is love supposed to feel like?
I'm mad at Disney, Disney They tricked me, tricked me No more wishing on a shooting star
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