Trust in Me (The Python's Song)
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"Trust in Me (The Python's Song)" is a song in the widely popular Walt Disney film, The Jungle Book, from 1967. The song was sung by Sterling Holloway playing the part of "Kaa, the snake". The song was written by Disney staff songwriters, Robert and Richard Sherman. In the song, Kaa hypnotizes Mowgli, placing him under a soothing trance. As the song concludes, Kaa readies himself to devour the boy, only to be stopped by Shere Khan the tiger in his search for Mowgli.[1]
Composition
The Shermans were brought onto the film by Walt Disney due to Disney's feeling that the interpretation was keeping too true to the Rudyard Kipling book. In a deliberate effort to keep the score "light", this song as well as the Sherman Brothers' other contributions generally concern darker subject matter than the accompanying music would suggest.[2] "Trust in Me" originated from Disney's suggestion to add a song to Kaa's sequence, and was written by Shermans based on "The Land of Sand", a song they had composed for 1964's Mary Poppins but ended up not being used.[3] Kaa speaks and sings with a subtle, lilting lisp giving the song a humorous dimension that it would not otherwise have.[1]
Cover versions
- One of the least traditional uses of a Disney song has been the 1987 Siouxsie and the Banshees cover of "Trust in Me". This cover first appeared on the Siouxsie and the Banshees LP, Through the Looking Glass, and subsequently on several compilation albums.
- The 90's American alternative rock band Belly covered "Trust In Me" on their 1993 12" EP album "Feed The Tree" featured as track 2.
- The Holly Cole Trio covered "Trust in Me" on the 1991 release Blame It on My Youth.
- In Mickey's House of Villains, during the "It's Our House Now" musical number, Minnie is tossed to Kaa, who sings two lines from "Trust in Me" to her.
- That Handsome Devil covered the song in a series of Jungle Book covers.
- Part of the song is on the soundtrack of the HalloWishes fireworks show, mixed with AEIOU, song by the Caterpillar of Alice in Wonderland as part of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World resort.
- The Dead Brothers made their version of "Trust in Me" in a very dark, psychedelic and bluesy style. This cover appears on their fourth album Wunderkammer.
- Susheela Raman covered "Trust in Me" on her debut album, "Salt Rain" in 2001.
- Selena Gomez covered the song for DisneyMania 7.
- In Series 22 Episode 3 of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson makes a brief humorous reference to the song during a sequence in which he comes face to face with a mannequin's genitals.
- In an episode of Not Going Out, Daisy tells Lee that Lucy is falling under the spell of her old boyfriend Scott, like Kaa hypnotizing Mowgli. She imitates Kaa singing "Trust in me", though Lee thinks she's acting like Hannibal Lector.
- Scarlett Johansson voices Kaa in the 2016 live-action adaptation, and performs the song during the film's end credits.[4]
References
- ^ a b Sherman, Robert B., Walt's Time: from before to beyond, Camphor Tree Publishers, Santa Clarita, California, 1998, p 86., ISBN 0-9646059-3-7
- ^ Sherman, Robert B., Walt's Time: from before to beyond, Camphor Tree Publishers, Santa Clarita, California, 1998, p 84., ISBN 0-9646059-3-7
- ^ The Jungle Beat The Jungle Book, Platinum Edition, Disc 2. 2007.
- ^ Rebecca Keegan (April 15, 2016). "'Jungle Book' director Jon Favreau keeps the 19th century Kipling tone but updates the classic for modern times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2016.