Proud of Your Boy

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Within the context of the original version of Aladdin, the title character dwells on his unsavory past, how he has disappointed his mother, and goes out to seek a better life to make his parents proud. This is an excerpt of the "Proud of Your Boy" storyboard.

"Proud of Your Boy" is a song written by Howard Ashman and composed by Alan Menken that was cut from the original 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin, only to be brought back for the film's stage musical adaption in 2011.

Production[edit]

The lyrics to "Proud of Your Boy" were written by Howard Ashman, before his death in 1991, and was cut by composer Alan Menken when the storyline was changed. This song ended up being replaced in the film by "One Jump Ahead". The demo by Alan Menken is available on the Special Edition Aladdin CD. Within the context of the musical, the song takes place just after "One Jump Ahead". Songwriter Howard Ashman was attached to the character of Aladdin's mother, and so fought for this song to stay in the musical. When the mother was written out for being superfluous, the song was cut as well.[1] TheFW explains in the deleted scene featurette which played storyboards over the song, "note a disguised Jafar lurking around the corner, foreshadowing a completely different meeting between the two characters".[1]

Synopsis[edit]

The song is sung by Aladdin about his unnamed mother. He acknowledges his bad ways and promises he will make things right.

Critical reception[edit]

TheFW described it as "a touching ballad".[1] The Daily Mail said it was "a song that is touching, memorable and about to be a long time Broadway standard."

The inclusion of the song has led to some critiques of the structure of songs on the musical, as now it is placed alongside a song that replaced it in the film. Variety said "That ballad, written for the film and later cut, is undeniably pretty, but emblematic of one of the problems the show’s creators need to address. “Disney’s Aladdin” has few truly earnest moments — so few that they feel out of place; they deflate next to the buoyant hijinks bracketing them. Either the transitions between the two need to be massaged or the show needs to go all-in with broad comedy and leave the tearjerking for another day."[2]

Official releases[edit]

  • A demo of Proud of Your Boy is included in The Music Behind the Magic (1994), performed by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken; Ashman provides vocals[3][4]
  • A demo of Proud of Your Boy is included in the Aladdin: 2004 Special Edition soundtrack, performed by Menken and Ashman[5]
  • Disney released a pop cover of the song in the 2004 DVD release of Aladdin as a stand-alone performance by Clay Aiken.[6][5] This version was not included in the 2004 CD.[5]
  • Proud of Your Boy was performed in the film's stage musical adaption in 2011.[7]

Use in media[edit]

On several occassions, Proud of Your Boy has been played in its entirety on The Gavin McInnes Show, a podcast hosted by Anthony Cumia's Compound Media. The song has been frequently referenced by callers and in-studio guests.[8] When McInnes founded the Proud Boys organization in 2016, he named it in reference to the song.[9][10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "'Proud of Your Boy,' 'Aladdin' — Disney Songs You've Never Heard". TheFW. Retrieved 9 January 2015. 
  2. ^ "Disney's Aladdin: The New Stage Musical - Variety". Variety. Retrieved 9 January 2015. 
  3. ^ "Music Behind Magic: Menken / Ashman / Rice". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-05-31. 
  4. ^ "Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice – The Music Behind The Magic". Discogs. Retrieved 10 August 2018. 
  5. ^ a b c "Aladdin (Alan Menken)". Film Tracks. 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2018-08-10. 
  6. ^ "Clay Aiken – A Part of the Disney Family". Clay Aiken News Network. Retrieved 8 August 2018. 
  7. ^ Ratcliffe, Amy. "THE MOST EMOTIONAL SONG IN ALADDIN IS ONE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD". Nerdist. Retrieved 9 August 2018. 
  8. ^ "The Gavin McInnes Show 059". The Anthony Cumia Network. Retrieved 23 April 2016. 
  9. ^ "The fratty Proud Boys are the alt right's weirdest new phenomenon". Medium.com. Retrieved March 10, 2017. 
  10. ^ Disser, Nicole (July 28, 2016). Gavin McInnes and his Proud Boys want to make white men great again. Bedfordandbowery.com
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