Menken has collaborated with several renowned lyricists including Howard Ashman (1950-1991), Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz. He is best known for his work on several Disney animated features, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Home on the Range. His first successful work was the 1982 off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors. Menken has received eight Academy Awards, and has one of the the highest film to Oscar ratio of anyone in the industry.
Howard Ashman ( May 17, 1950 - March 14, 1991) was an American playwright and movie music lyricist. Ashman first studied at Boston University and Goddard College (with a stop at Tufts University's Summer Theater) and then went on to achieve his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974. He collaborated with Alan Menken on several films, notably animated features for Disney, Ashman writing the lyrics and Menken composing the scores.
Ashman and Menken first worked on a 1979 musical adapted from Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. They also collaborated on Little Shop of Horrors with Ashman as director, lyricist, and librettist.
Along with Menken, Ashman was the co-recipient of two Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and two Oscars. His second Academy Award in 1992 was awarded posthumuously for Best Song and was accepted by his partner, Bill Lauch. It was the first Academy Award given posthumously to someone who had died of AIDS.
Ashman died on March 14, 1991, at age 40, during the making of both Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. The song Proud of Your Boy was the one of the last songs ever written by Ashman, for Aladdin but was cut from the movie after the mother was taken out of the story. Ashman and Menken had finished the songs for Beauty and the Beast, but Tim Rice was brought in to finish the Aladdin songs with Menken. Beauty and the Beast was dedicated to him with the following:
To our friend, Howard,
Who gave a mermaid her voice,
and a beast his soul.
We will be forever grateful.
Howard Ashman
1950-1991
Daughters Of Triton
Alan Menken & Howard Ashman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Great father who loves us and named us well
Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana
And then there is the youngest in her musical debut
Our seventh little sister, we're presenting her to you
To sing a song Sebastian wrote, her voice is like a bell
She's our sister, Ariel
The song "Daughters of Triton" is a musical tribute and introduction to seven mermaid sisters who are the daughters of King Triton. It begins with the sisters announcing themselves as the daughters of Triton, acknowledging their father's love and that he named them Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana, and the youngest sister, Ariel. The sisters then proceed to introduce Ariel, who is about to make her musical debut. Ariel is the youngest, and she has a unique voice which is compared to a bell. Sebastian, the crab, wrote the song that Ariel is going to perform. The song serves as a way to establish the mermaid sisters as characters and provides some background information about their family and relationships.
The lyrics of the song, "Daughters of Triton," are a creative and entertaining way to present the characters of the mermaid sisters in the Disneyland movie "The Little Mermaid." The song is both an introduction and a musical tribute to the sisters and their father, King Triton. It also highlights the importance of music in the movie and how it can unite people from different backgrounds. The song is remarkable for its catchy melody and creative instrumentation, which reflect the musical talent of its makers. The lyrics of the song serve as a significant tool in connecting the audience with the movie's characters and setting the tone for the rest of the film.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, we are the daughters of Triton
We are the proud and beloved offspring of Triton, our great and loving father
Great father who loves us and named us well
Our father Triton is a great and loving parent, who has bestowed upon us beautiful and fitting names
Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana
These are our names, which were carefully chosen by Triton to reflect our individual personalities and traits
And then there is the youngest in her musical debut
Our youngest sister is about to make her debut as a performer, singing for the first time in public
Our seventh little sister, we're presenting her to you
We are proud to introduce our youngest sister to the audience, whom we love and cherish deeply
To sing a song Sebastian wrote, her voice is like a bell
Our sister will be singing a song written for her by Sebastian, and her clear and beautiful voice is a joy to listen to
She's our sister, Ariel
Ariel is our beloved sibling, whom we deeply care for and support in her endeavors
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HOWARD ELLIOTT ASHMAN, ALAN MENKEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind