Frozen returns with Idina Menzel

Old time Pinoys had a unique way of describing it.  I mean, the incessant noise or nagging or bit of music that seems to go on and on with no end in sight. Even beautiful sounds at first so pleasing and affecting are not exempted from this sawa factor. Kinukulili na ang tenga ko. That was what they used to say. So please stop. And two years ago, many of us did reach that point with the song Let It Go.

The song was composed by the Academy Award winning husband and wife team made up of the US-born Filipino Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.  Let It Go was the main song of Frozen, the animated feature film from Disney. A musical fantasy, Frozen tells the story of Elsa, a princess who is forced into exile because she freezes everything she touches. Her song is Let It Go, wherein she tries to reconcile herself with her unique but also dangerous unwanted power. 

Let It Go is performed in the soundtrack of Frozen by the Tony-winning star of Wicked, Idina Menzel. Now, Idina can belt any song to high heavens and she put the entire world into a loud and long birit mode by singing Let It Go. We heard the song everywhere, in bars, concerts, over the radio, on TV and most of all from kids in the neighborhood, the streets, at home, etc. etc. They were all singing “let it go, let it go…” and a lot of people truly said, kinukulili na ang tenga ko ng Let It Go.

 Well, I have news for you. There is now a successor to Let It Go. This hook-filled new song has all of the same elements so we should now brace ourselves for another kinukulili and tenga experience. The title is Into The Unknown and it was again composed by the Lopezes. It comes from the soundtrack of Frozen 2, which is of course the much-awaited sequel to Frozen. Once again, it is Elsa’s theme as she goes off to further explore her freezing power and it is again performed by the incomparable Idina.

The song is not yet available in the market. What was released last week was just a few bars set into a Frozen 2 trailer. But that did not at all affect the excitement about the movie or the song. There was no question about it, Into The Unknown with Idina’s high-flying pipes is destined for hit song heaven. I now fearfully say that I have a feeling we will be spending the next weeks leading to the Frozen 2 opening on Nov. 22 and many more after, singing Into The Unknown.

Aside from Idina who once again gives voice to Elsa, Frozen 2 has Kristen Bell as Anna, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, Josh Gad as Olaf, the lovable snowman who dreams of summer and Evan Rachel Wood as the Queen Iduna. They all sing in the soundtrack containing more new potential hits from Robert and Kristen. 

Frozen 2 also features All Is Found performed by Evan Rachel Wood; Some Things Never Change by Kristen, Idina, Josh and Jonathan Groff; When I’m Older by Josh; Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People by Jonathan; Lost In The Woods also by Jonathan; Show Yourself by Idina and Evan Rachel; and The Next Right Thing by Kristen.

Then there are the end credits, which use pop arrangements of songs from the movie. These versions are usually used to help promote the picture and sell the songs. After its success with this marketing ploy in the soundtracks of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, it has now become pretty standard for Disney to have songs for the end title credits. Remember how Demi Lovato also recorded Let It Go or John Legend and Ariana Grande did a duet for Beauty and the Beast.

There are three very interesting tracks for Frozen 2. These are Into The Unknown by Panic! At the Disco, All Is Found by the country music star Kacey Musgraves and Lost In The Woods by the rock band Weezer.

And so off we go “Into the unknown, into the unknown, into the unknown ooooo...”