Listen To The First Three Songs From Pixar’s ‘Coco’
Although it’s not a musical,Cocotakes place in Mexico and pays homage to the country’s rich musical scene. And it’s a credit to the composers ofCoco— and their cultural advisors — that the original songs in the Pixar film range frombolero ranchero, toson jarocho, to Huapango-inspired styles.
There’s a fair share of familiar mariachi songs and other styles scattered throughout the film, but the above genres describe the first three songs fromCocothat were released in snippets this week. But most importantly, one of them hasGael Garcia Bernalsinging. Yes, Mozart in the Jungle is finally flexing his singing chops.
Music is as much a part ofCoco’s DNA as is its Mexican setting. Taking place on the Day of the Dead in the fictional small town of Santa Cecilia,Cocofollows the journey of aspiring musician Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old boy who hails from a family that has banned all music. But Miguel is surrounded every day by the diegetic music that floats through the streets of Mexico, and quickly learns how to sing and play the guitar from videos of his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). When Miguel gets stuck in the Land of the Dead, ragamuffin skeleton Hector (Bernal) becomes his partner in crime, as well as his singing partner.
Gonzalez and Bratt both performed their songs at D23 this summer, but the below clips will give you a first taste of Bernal’s singing voice, which he even sprinkled some vibrato in. He toldEntertainment Weekly, which premiered the clips:
“I couldn’t do that otherwise! But singing through the character lets us non-professional singers be able to actually do it in front of people.”
Below are the snippets from the three songs.
The first song “Remember Me” (which has appeared in almost its entirety in thetrailersandpreviewsofCoco), is a touching “duet across generations,” as described by co-director and sometimes lyricistAdrianMolinaat thePixar set visitI attended earlier this summer. “Remember Me” is a bolero ranch-style song, in homage to Mexican Corrido style folk ballad of the ’20s and ’30s, written byKristen Anderson-LopezandRobert LopezofFrozenfame.
The next song, “Un Poco Loco,” is a bubblyson jarocho-style song that “pulls in indigenous, African, and Spanish musical elements,” according to EW. The song, written byGermaine Franco— who also worked with composerMichael Giacchinoas the orchestrator forCocoalongside cultural consultantCamilo Lara— and Molina, is the result of a spontaneous performance by Miguel and Hector, who must perform at a Land of the Dead talent show to gain access to Ernesto de la Cruz.
Franco and Molina return as the writing pair for the third song, “The World Es Mi Familia,” a Huapango-inspired track that Miguel sings to capture the attention of his singing idol.
