The 5 Most Powerful Disney Villain Songs

Disney does a great job giving their villains huge amounts of personality, and awesome songs to go with. Here are the (in my opinion) five most powerful ones.

"Friends on the Other Side" – 'The Princess and the Frog'

In this sinister song, Dr. Facilier lets us in on what a wicked man he is, as he goes on about his voodoo powers and his unholy acquaintances. The whole scene is creepy from start to finish, as the man of the shadows takes us into his world, introducing his dark magic with his shady friends as his echo. Despite the frightening setting and his shifty personality, he's articulate and clever in his choice of words, and his promises of a better life are enough for Prince Naveen to trust him. This skill earns the doctor a place on the list, as he knows exactly how to use the power of a song to get what he wants.

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" – 'The Little Mermaid '

Ursula is one handful of a woman, showing off her evil mind with style in this sassy tune full of attitude. First introducing herself as a helper and saviour of poor, unfortunate souls, then revealing that bad things will happen if you can't pay what you owe, she makes it clear that she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants, and ruining a few lives in the process means nothing to her. In the catchiest way possible, she manages to convince Ariel to give up one of the most important things she has—her voice. By using the thought of a human prince and a life on land as bait, she wins the mermaid princess over and can go ahead with her black-hearted plan. Her song definitely belongs on the list.

"Hellfire" – 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame '

As this movie is unusually dark for a Disney classic, it’s only natural that it has an absolutely horrible villain. This song delivers the chilling message that Claude Frollo completely lacks morals and empathy. I personally find Frollo the scariest Disney villain, because of how realistic he is. His character's one we've seen plenty of throughout history, portraying a racist, bigoted, and discriminatory man. On top of this he admits the devil is stronger than him, allowing the evil side of himself to come out. His lust has a grip on him, as he is too weak to be in control of his desires, turning him to sin. The thought of this is terrifying, as him allowing himself to sin means nothing will hold him back from using his power in his own interest, putting a huge number of innocent people at risk. Frollo's hellfire is unleashed.

"Be Prepared" – 'The Lion King '

Of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without Scar’s compelling masterpiece. This is exactly what a villain song should be—it’s thrilling and intimidating, as Scar sings to his hyena followers down in their eerie Elephant Graveyard hideout. In his song, Scar reveals a heinous plan so dark it's hard to even imagine, with hundreds of hyenas supporting him. Surroundings lit up by a spooky green light, flames and shadows appearing everywhere, creepy hyenas and leftover bones from their meals lying around, the setting is definitely right for Scar's personality. His singing is unpredictable and fiery, keeping you on your toes through the whole song. The entire execution of this song is impressive, definitely doing its job of delivering the message that Scar will stop at nothing to conquer Pride Rock.

"Mother Knows Best" – 'Tangled'

This might differ a bit from the rest of the list as it's not quite as intimidating and on-the-surface scary as the others. I’ve chosen to include Mother Gothel as there are few things as powerful as manipulation, which we have seen multiple examples of in our history of real-life villains. In the song, just as she does in all her interactions with Rapunzel, she belittles her and constantly tries to implement the belief that the outside world is a terribly dangerous place that must be feared. Mother Gothel uses her words in the slyest way possible, with the intention to twist Rapunzel's emotions and make her unable to leave the tower. She even tells her never to ask for permission to leave again, before declaring how much she loves her. The song plainly defines their toxic mother-daughter relationship, and one can't help but feel bad for the seemingly hopeless situation Rapunzel is trapped in.

That was my list of the five most powerful Disney villain songs. They show a variety of ways to use your evil side to get what you want. Do you agree with my list?