Ariana Grande Covers "Zero To Hero"

A couple months ago, when D23 announced a new album, We Love Disney, which is basically a compilation of classic Disney songs covered by pop stars, I was ecstatic.

(c) D23

I mean, not only is Tink all over it -- how adorable is that packaging? -- it's almost like a free pass to listen to Disney music without judgment: "Um, yes, I am listening to Disney music, but it's NE-YO, so, you know, it's legit." 

And I wanted to love the album--I really did. I just...some songs...I can't. 

Take, for instance, Ariana Grande's cover of "Zero to Hero" from Hercules. I love that movie -- and I love the music even more. When Meg sings "I Won't Say I'm in Love" -- it's such a realistic song that's so applicable in real life. And the Muses? Basically rock every song they sing, no matter how anachronistic it is. (Yes, ancient Greece did not have soul singers. I know. Although--I did have a student once write a kick-ass paper on how incorporating the Muses, and specifically portraying them as African-American religious soul singers, was a way to impose a traditional Christian message on an otherwise "pagan" film. Great argument.)

But I digress. Point is -- all the songs The Muses sing are soulful and fun and full of attitude. And Ariana Grande's cover just...wasn't. 

I'll admit I'm not her biggest fan to begin with -- I don't particularly like her music and she seems to not only have a not-great reputation but also seems to have somehow achieved diva-status (and not in a good way, if there is such a thing). 

But this cover just pales in comparison to the original, IMHO. I haven't done extensive research on reviews of the album, but a quick Google search seems to indicate I'm in the minority here:

E! Online listened to the whole album and ranked each song -- Grande's cover is #3 on their list:

"We should mention that Hercules is our favorite Disney movie, so that fact might have pushed us to put this cover song so high on the list. However, this would have been ranked high regardless. Ariana Grande covering a Gospel-esque track? Forget about it. Those high notes give us life."

Even Entertainment Weekly calls it "soulful" and says Grande is "channeling her inner Greek goddess." Yes, she can sing. Yes, she can hit the notes. But that's not enough to make it a good cover. 

I don't know--maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe the intent of the album wasn't to make "true" covers which capture the spirit and emotion of the original songs (e.g. internal conflict and realization in "Let It Go," yearning ad curiosity in "Part Of Your World," etc.). And maybe nothing will be as good as the originals in my mind....although, I say that, and I actually like Demi Lovato's version of "Let It Go" (from the original soundtrack) and Jason Derulo's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from this album. 

Take a listen to the original and Ariana Grande's cover below and decide for yourself!