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
Part of Your World
Alan Menken & Howard Ashman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl,
The girl who has everything?
Look at this trove, treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Lookin' around here you'd think
Sure, she's got everything
I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I've got whooz-its and whatz-its galore
You want thingamabobs?
I got twenty
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more
I want to be where the people are
I want to see
want to see 'em dancing
Walking around on those
Whadd'ya call 'em? oh- feet
Flipping your fins you don't get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a
What's that word again? Street
Up where they walk
Up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun
Wandering free
Wish I could be
Part of that world
What would I give
If I could live
Out of these waters?
What would I pay
To spend a day
Warm on the sand?
Betcha on land
They understand
That they don't reprimand their daughters
Bright young women
Sick of swimming
Ready to stand
And ready to know what the people know
Ask 'em my questions
And get some answers
What's a fire and why does it
What's the word? burn?
When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love
Love to explore that shore above?
Out of the sea
Wish I could be
Part of that world
"Part of Your World" is a song from Disney's animated film "The Little Mermaid," released in 1989. It's sung by the singer, Ariel, who is fascinated by the human world and dreams of living there. The song expresses Ariel's longing for a life beyond the sea, a place where she can be free and have access to all the wonderful things she's curious about. She wants to escape from the restrictions of her underwater existence and experience the joy of walking, dancing, and interacting with other humans.
The song begins with Ariel introducing her collection of human artifacts, showing off her gadgets, and expressing her deep desire for more. Her collection is extensive, yet she is still discontent and knows that there is more that the world has to offer. Throughout, she wishes to be where the people are and wonders what it would be like to be part of their world.
In the next verse, she expresses her longing to leave the ocean and live on land like humans do. She believes that life would be easier if she were human and could walk on two feet. She dreams of a world without the constraints of being underwater and imagines a society where she can interact without fear of getting caught. The chorus reflects her yearning to be part of the human world and all the activities that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?
I want to show you my collection of things and see what you think, don't you think it's impressive?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you assume that I have everything I could possibly want?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl,
Wouldn't you think that I'm the privileged lady who possesses all these things?
The girl who has everything?
The lady that has it all?
Look at this trove, treasures untold
See all of these valuable items that I've discovered and amassed over time?
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
How many astonishing things can be hidden inside one cave?
Lookin' around here you'd think
Observing my possessions, one might assume
Sure, she's got everything
That I truly own everything I want or need
I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
I have an abundance of technical equipment and contraptions
I've got whooz-its and whatz-its galore
I have an abundance of miscellaneous things
You want thingamabobs?
Do you desire strange little devices?
I got twenty
I possess exactly that amount
But who cares?
However, what does it matter?
No big deal
It's not important
I want more
But I aspire to obtain more than I have
I want to be where the people are
I desire to be among humans
I want to see
I want to observe
want to see 'em dancing
I want to watch them dance
Walking around on those
Moving about on those
Whadd'ya call 'em? oh- feet
You know them as feet, correct?
Flipping your fins you don't get too far
Despite my fins, I'm not able to move rapidly
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
To jump and dance, legs are necessary
Strolling along down a
Walking leisurely along
What's that word again? Street
What's the word that humans use for a path they walk along called again?
Up where they walk
They move around above the sea
Up where they run
They run above the sea
Up where they stay all day in the sun
They remain in sunlight above the sea all day long
Wandering free
Roaming without constraints
Wish I could be
I yearn to be
Part of that world
A member of the human's world
What would I give
I'd give up anything
If I could live
If only I could exist
Out of these waters?
But beyond this ocean?
What would I pay
What would it cost me?
To spend a day
To experience only one day
Warm on the sand?
Feeling the warmth of the sand on me?
Betcha on land
I bet that on land
They understand
Humans comprehend things better
That they don't reprimand their daughters
They don't criticize their daughters in the same way as my father does to me
Bright young women
Smart, young females
Sick of swimming
They are exhausted and uninterested in only swimming
Ready to stand
Prepared to stand
And ready to know what the people know
And they are eager to learn what humans know
Ask 'em my questions
Ask them the questions I have
And get some answers
To obtain the answers I seek
What's a fire and why does it
What's a flame and why does it
What's the word? burn?
I can't quite recall the word, but I'm wondering why it burns
When's it my turn?
When will it be my turn?
Wouldn't I love
I would adore
Love to explore that shore above?
To travel and examine that shore up there?
Out of the sea
Separated from the ocean
Wish I could be
I long to be
Part of that world
A part of the human world
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Howard Elliott Ashman, Alan Menken
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JCBro2014
Considering how passionate Howard was about the song and considering how he directed Jodi Benson to perform the song the way he wanted it, this has even more meaning. Howard was a talent taken too soon.
Per Inge Arnesen
Grete Sofia william L 🌊🌊🌊 ❤❤❤❤
ms.poteeeto
Will he happy to see the remake of little mermaid? :( even when halle sing this song i dont feel the sadness in her voice
Wxtst.3
@ms.poteeeto There’s no phrasing at all when Halle sings it too. Did she even research the background of this song’s phrasing and its meaning? Doesn’t seem like it. 😞
ms.poteeeto
@Wxtst.3 so sad but true, i feel no despair when hearing halle sing this song. But when jodi version i think i'm gonna cry and feel the despair of ariel beinh human :(
MrGabeanator
true
Ariel
In tears, his legacy lives on :') Jodi sounds amazing here, so full of passion and despair. RIP Howard- the man who gave a mermaid her voice.
MrGabeanator
DoctorWhoBAMF and a beast his soul
Marco Aguilera
@MrGabeanator and a genie his freedom.
MrGabeanator
@Marco Aguilera yep well almost