Analyzing Frozen's Let It Go

On November 27, 2013 the world changed forever. Disney released its most recent princess movie with the new Snow Queen. Yes, you guessed it. Frozen took the world by storm and had everyone singing its hit “Let it Go”. With over 5 million views on YouTube and being the #1 best selling album of 2014, Frozen’s “Let it Go” was a hit with most people. Kids and parents everywhere were singing the song, I was too, even though I had not seen the movie yet. “Let it Go” is available in over 25 different languages around the world and is a song that will never be forgotten. Upon first hearing this song, I will honestly say I did enjoy it, but after hearing non-stop singing from every child, student, and parent everywhere, the song quickly became irritating.

I hear the dreaded piano start to play and I know her desperate call for attention is coming. I start to cringe when I hear the voice that could shatter glass start to roar. I find the whole song to be obnoxiously overpowering with the music and her voice put together. Personally, I find peace in slow jazz music, so when I hear this, I just want to cry from agony. Even with all of this in mind, I and others still can’t help but sing along. Why is this? Is it just so catchy that we just cannot resist? Or is it a “social norm” that if someone does not sing along they are classified as a “hater” of Disney? Bourdieu believed that people tend to conform when others like a popular item. (Bourdieu, “A Social Critique”). Particular groups of people seem to influence others, so they will like the same things they do. Luckily for me, I was able to stand my ground and be able to say, “I do not like Frozen.”; however, I still received hate for disliking such a popular and trendy movie. For how much I dislike this song, I still cannot help but to sing along, and it makes me hate the song even more. Why everyone loves it so much will continue to be a mystery to

Telling children to be themselves is a very good message, but telling them to hold in their feelings, is not. The only reason Elsa, the main character, decided to “let go” and become her true self was because her secret was outed. No one should ever feel the need to express their feelings until they are ready to do so. I also do not like some of the lyrics for the fact that she basically says not to show emotion or cry. This is obviously not something children should believe, yet they are singing it without thinking twice about it. An example of this is as follows: “Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know/ Well, now they know!” (MetroLyrics). Children will sing anything they find attractive, without considering the lyrics. It is obvious that Elsa is singing about her past, but it is still a negative message for children to hear―whether they understand it or not. The song overall has a strong message by telling not only children, but people of all ages, to be themselves, but there are many parts that seem hypocritical to the message it is trying to