Ranking All The Songs from The Mulan Soundtrack
Mulan is an amusing re-imagining of the classic ballad. Was she a real person? Intriguingly scholars of the topic are torn, but regardless this dynamic female warrior is a source of inspiration and a symbol of female empowerment to millions. The music from the Mulan soundtrack is well chosen for the film and primarily composed by Jerry Goldsmith. We are ranking all the songs from the Mulan Soundtrack in honor of this incredible female hero.
12. Blossoms by Jerry Goldsmith
Blossoms is a wonderful blend of the delicate and the powerful. This song, like many here, was created entirely for the Mulan soundtrack. It is a good song with powerful drums and brass, yet in the tumult of the film, it gets a little bit lost even as it adds ambiance.
11. The Burned-Out Village by Jerry Goldsmith
It’s hard not to have a love-hate relationship with this song. The background sound for a whole burned and ruined village where the people were brutally slaughtered is not happy music. However, the sorrow and desolation are adequately described in this score.
10. Mulan’s Decision by Jerry Goldsmith
The Synthesizer version of this particular score is exceptional. Mulan’s Decision speaks to many fans because, though few are headed off to war, there are always tough choices that can get you ostracized, but that doesn’t make them wrong. This dynamic composition has a real sense of movement, and it embodies the feeling of the scene beautifully.
9. Suite from Mulan by Jerry Goldsmith
The Suite from Mulan is yet another superb example of Jerry Goldsmith’s musical prowess. This song digs deep to help the viewers understand the overall feeling of this film, and it does the job well. It’s no surprise, though. Jerrald King Goldsmith scored dozens of films including Logan’s Run, The Mummy, and First Knight. You’ve probably heard more of his work than you know. He had a unique sense of how to draw out the emotion in any scene.
8. Attack at the Wall by Jerry Goldsmith
Attack at the Wall is one of the most intense and dark scores in Mulan. This action-packed scene needed dire music that conveys how perilous the whole situation was for the people, and Goldsmith again manages to capture the essence stunningly. Although this score is brief, it still shows the urgency and risk of an invasion.
7. The Huns Attack by Jerry Goldsmith
Giving a sense of danger is one thing but The Huns Attack needed more. The urgency and peril are present, but this song also conveys how dangerously competent the enemy is. The Huns very nearly captured all of China by taking this unexpected course. Only the actions of Mulan and a few other brave soldiers prevented the worst from happening.
6. Reflection (Pop Version) by Christina Aguilera
Reflection by Christina Aguilera is the song many young people truly needed. The sense that you have yet to become the person you feel you are inside isn’t quite universal, but it is pretty common. More than any other song in the film, this pop masterpiece invites people into Mulan’s struggle. She wants to be what her family needs, but she has to find a way to be true to herself.
5. True To Your Heart by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder
True To Your Heart by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder is the most slept-on song in this soundtrack. This was the music that played through the end credits. It was hugely popular for obvious reasons when it came out. The upbeat and lovely tune is a feel-good masterpiece. Yet, after the movie stopped playing in theaters, it’s almost like this song disappeared. True To Your Heart deserved better.
4. Honor To Us All by Lea Salonga, Marni Nixon, and Beth Fowler
Honor To Us All was the most controversial song in a film where the main character dresses in drag to go to war. That says something positive about the world. Critics weren’t sure they could approve a song that demanded traditional traits from a woman, and rightly so. As Leia Calderon of Sub-Cultured points out, “First off, ladies are not items, so they cannot be for sale. While some of this can be explained away as being relevant to the time era…there are still people out there who believe this stuff, and little girls don’t know any better. ”
3. Reflection by Lea Salonga
We had to rank the original (non-pop) version of Reflection higher than the remake. However you prefer it, this is an excellent song about turning your gaze inward and working to become the person you are rather than who society, your family, or others might prefer you to become. Lea Salonga lends her lovely voice to Mulan for this scene, and it’s almost enough to bring tears to your eyes.
2. A Girl Worth Fighting For by Harvey Fierstein, Matthew Wilder, Jerry Tondo, and Lea Salonga
A Girl Worth Fighting For is a strange combination of horrible and stereotype-breaking. While the traditional men all want a woman who Mulan’s matchmaker would have loved to marry off, she, in the guise of Ping, points out that women are more than pretty cooks who make babies. Ping says he wants a woman who thinks for herself, and he is laughed at. The irony is that he is that girl, and they all respect him.
1. I’ll Make A Man Out Of You by Donnie Osmond
I’ll Make A Man Out Of You is one of the most recognizable and often replayed songs from Mulan. Donnie Osmond does an admirable job lending his powerful voice to the tune. There’s something a little cringe about how this song mirrors Honor To Us All, implying that any ‘man’ who can’t live up to the warrior standards is less-than. We’ve given this song first place because it was the background music for Mulan’s transformation into a soldier.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a massive fan of Mulan or you prefer to listen to the soundtrack without the distraction of screen images and storytelling, this is an excellent album. The ambient songs are well composed, but we’d expect as much from Disney. Meanwhile, some of the music with vocal tracks is definitely an earworm that sticks in your brain, making you hum the tune repeatedly. Now that you’ve heard the ranked playlist for this soundtrack, we recommend checking out some other Disney soundtracks.
