Mad At Disney

Album: single release only (2020)
Charted: 60 107
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • California born and raised Salem Ilese attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for two years where she studied Songwriting, Performance, and Production. She left the school early to pursue a full-time career as a singer-songwriter in LA. This anti-fairytale tune is her breakthrough single.
  • Ilese wrote the song in August 2019 during a writing session with songwriter/producers Jason Hahs and Bendik Møller. Hahs had recently been to see the 2019 version of The Lion King, which had disappointed him. Ilese recalled to Rolling Stone that when she asked Hahs how he was doing, he replied: "I'm really mad at Disney."

    Ilese readily agreed with the sentiment, having also lost faith in the Disney façade. "When I was four, I would walk around dressed like a princess on any random day of the week," she said.

    "Growing up you expect a prince and a white horse to come and rescue you from the tower," Ilese continued. "In reality, you get boys in high school who are scared of commitment and stand you up for a date."

    Ilese started talking about how Disney gave an incredibly false view on relationships, and the three created the song from there.
  • The second verse makes fun of a couple of classic animated Disney films. She jokes about Cinderella eventually getting a divorce after the prince cheats on her with the Sleeping Beauty.

    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


    Ilese explained to Genius: "I wanted to take a classic Disney story and put it in the real world. Maybe, the prince cheated on Cinderella with Sleeping Beauty, and they got a divorce. Much more believable than living happily ever after!"
  • Released on July 24, 2020, the song went viral on Tik-Tok in September 2020 after users made videos of themselves dressed as Disney princesses.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.