Alan Menken (born July 22, 1949 in New Rochelle, New York, United States) i… Read Full Bio ↴Alan Menken (born July 22, 1949 in New Rochelle, New York, United States) is an American musical theatre and film composer, and pianist. Menken has collaborated with several renowned lyricists including Howard Ashman (1950-1991), Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz. For his work he has won eight Academy Awards as well as ten additional nominations.
His best known work includes the Disney animated movies, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as Little Shop of Horrors, Enchanted, Tangled and most recently, Sister Act the Musical.

Da-Doo
Alan Menken Lyrics

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was walking in the Wholesale Flower District that day.
And I passed by this place where this old chinese man...
He sometimes sells me weird and exotic cuttings.
'Cuase he knows, you see that, well, strange plants are my hobby.

He didn't have anything unusual there that day.
So I was just about to, you know, walk on by.
When suddenly, and without warning,

There was this...
(Total eclipse of the Sun)

It got very dark...
And there was this strange humming sound,
Like something from another world...

And when the light came back this weird plant was just sitting there.
Just, you know, stuck in, uh-among the zinias.
I coulda sworn it hadn't been there before.

But the old chinese man sold it to me anyways.
For a dollar-ninty-five.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alan Menken's song "Da-Doo" narrate a peculiar everyday occurrence carried out by the singer who introduces himself as a collector of "weird and exotic cuttings." In his wandering of the Wholesale Flower District, he stumbles upon an old Chinese man's store where he embodies his hobby. On this particular day, there are no items that interest him, and he considers continuing his journey to find unique fauna until the eclipse of the sun happens. The transition into darkness is accompanied by a strange sound that appears as though it's been drawn from a different world. When the light returns, an unfamiliar plant is situated amongst the zinnias, which he proposes had not been there before. The old Chinese man sells it to him for an incredibly reasonable price, despite its intriguing traits.

The lyrics of "Da-Doo" expose how the unpredictable nature of life can present opportunity when we least expect it. The singer was on the verge of continuing his search when he encounters the unexpected eclipse that guides him towards an intriguing purchase. The wordplay of "Da-Doo" exists as an invention by both the singer and a reoccurring theme of the song, which warns us of the unforeseeable events we overlook as obstacles rather than opportunities.

Line by Line Meaning

was walking in the Wholesale Flower District that day.
I was taking a walk in the Wholesale Flower District on that particular day.

And I passed by this place where this old chinese man...
I crossed paths with an old Chinese man at a certain spot on my way.

He sometimes sells me weird and exotic cuttings.
The man often offers me bizarre and distinct plant clippings to purchase.

'Cause he knows, you see that, well, strange plants are my hobby.
The vendor is aware of my fascination with peculiar plants and that they are my hobby.

He didn't have anything unusual there that day.
The gentleman didn't have anything rare to sell me at that time.

So I was just about to, you know, walk on by.
I had planned on continuing walking when I nearly passed by him.

When suddenly, and without warning,
All of a sudden, without any prior notice,

There was this... (Total eclipse of the Sun)
The sun got blocked out entirely from view.

It got very dark...
The surroundings turned extremely dim and gloomy.

And there was this strange humming sound, like something from another world...
A peculiar vibrating noise began to echo around me, as though it was not of this world.

And when the light came back this weird plant was just sitting there.
Once the light resumed, I saw that an odd plant was randomly present in front of me.

Just, you know, stuck in, uh-among the zinias.
The plant was placed awkwardly between the zinias bordering the walkway.

I coulda sworn it hadn't been there before.
I was almost certain that the plant wasn't there originally.

But the old chinese man sold it to me anyways.
Despite this, I still purchased the plant from the Chinese man.

For a dollar-ninty-five.
I bought it at the low price of $1.95.

Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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