Let’s always remember the beautiful music that brought this Disney classic to life, alright? It’s easy to forget, but those melodies gave life to characters, to moments and some truly special interactions. If not for the songs, who knows how we would view The Aristocats today. So, let us take a closer a look at the songs, shall we? Now, it’s time to appreciate the work of George Bruns, and everybody else involved in the soundtrack of The Aristocats! Here’s my ranking of the top 5 best songs of The Aristocats! 🐱
🦄 Here are some more magical movie lists!
5. Cats Love Theme
There are plenty of great instrumentals in The Aristocats. It’s not at all surprising, considering that George Burns composed the music. If you didn’t know, he has created music for Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, and a few other Disney classics! In turn, his work speaks for itself. It goes without saying, but his skill to mix instruments and compose wonderful melodies in The Aristocats is obvious. Therefore, I could’ve pick many of the other songs on the tracklist, but I simply adore the melodic structure of Cats Love Theme / Magic Carpet.
4. Scales and Arpeggios
“Bring the music ringing from your chest, And not your nose,
While you sing your scales and your arpeggios”
Who knew that learning your scales and arpeggios would be this much fun, huh? With a great melodic structure and playful energy, this song just leaps off the screen. While it’s a simplistic song, it’s special because it includes every member of the Duchess family. I’m referring to the proud Marie, the competitive Berloiz, the fun-loving Toulouse, and of course the white-haired queen, Duchess. It’s a combination of voices that results in a heartwarming performance, and a mildly humorous moment. In turn, I genuinelly enjoy it.
According to Skoove, “If you are just starting out on the piano, mastering scales and arpeggios will make learning a song far easier. Rather than seeing each dot as a lone note, you’ll be able to spot a pattern of notes and know very quickly what it is and how to play it.” This is exactly what the song is trying to teach in order to learn the basics for pattern recognition. While it’s done in a playful way, it’s effective in its light-hearted approach. In turn, I’ll gladly rank it as the 4th best song of The Aristocats!
3. The Aristocats Theme
“Which pets are blessed with the fairest forms and faces?
Which pets know best all the gentle social graces?
Which pets live on cream and loving pats?
Naturellement! The aristocats!”
Maurice Chevalier welcomes us to watch The Aristocats, with his charming opening song. It’s a heartwarming, yet boastful, introduction. While it’s a tune about The Aristocats, and their way of living, it’s also about how “rich” their lives are. I mean, they “sleep on velvet mats”, “live on cream and pats”, and are never seen in the “alleways”, nor around “carbage cans”. Those are not my words, but actual quotes from the song. In turn, it’s a track that lifts the positives and never mentions the negatives of being an Aristocat. It’s a great way to tell us who Duchess and the kittens are, without actually needing to show us a whole lot. It actually works really well.
2. Everybody Wants to Be A Cat
“Everybody wants to be a cat,
Because a cat’s the only cat who knows where it’s at.”
This jazzy tune spreads ripples throughout my body, and I’m surely not alone, right? While it’s a simple song, with lyrics about being a “cool cat”, the great rhythm and vibe could make even the stiffest person loosen up! It’s a song that just makes you want to dance, and be cat! Well, I mean, take the definition “cat” loosely, as in this case it means both an actual cat but also the slang term for a hip person. You know, someone who’s a cool individual? It’s honestly not that deep, but that’s the reason Scatman Crothers shines, as he’s not limited by boundaries. Thus, I must give the song the 2nd spot on my list of the best Aristocats songs!
1. Thomas O’Malley Cat
“I don’t worry what road to take, I don’t have to think of that
Whatever I take is the road I make, It’s the road of life make no mistake”
This isn’t up for debate. The “Thomas O’Malley Cat” is the best song of The Aristocats. I mean, it’s a song entirely about Tom; his way of life. It’s also about his oddly long name, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know that his name was Abraham de Lacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O’Malley? In all honesty, I thought that he was listing his nicknames. Not at all! Tom was in fact telling us his full name. Well, throw fur on me and call me an alley cat, I didn’t see that coming! Best of all, the song title includes “alley cat” – Thomas O’Malley cat. If that’s not creative in its entirety, I don’t know what is!
The song is lyrically sound, with every verse having different lines, and various ways of telling us about the life of Thomas O’Malley. It mentions him showing off his “éclat”, meeting “some cute cat”, and even his “wanderlust”. While it might seem confusing at first, he’s very blatantly speaking about his view on life and how he decides to live it. Just like his character in the film, he’s wise, deep, fun-loving and very understanding. He’s also very cool, calm and collected. It is something we clearly see in the lyrics, and the way in which Phil Harris sings the song. It has a laid back feel to it, while still being charming and very catchy.
The Thomas O’Malley Cat takes the 1st spot on my list of the Top 5 Best Aristocats Songs! 👑