Our family is counting down the days until our next family trip to Walt Disney World in October. One of the Countdown Activities we did, in anticipation of our road trip down, was to compile a playlist CD of all our favorite Disney songs. Our family had such a great time doing this! I simply set out a notepad, for about a week, allowing everyone to add songs to the list when they thought of a favorite. My husband originally decided he would just be in charge of combining it all and getting it onto the CD for us, nothing more. But, after the disc was made, we discovered that he had added a few favorites of his own. This was our very own Radio Disney of sorts!

Disney Playlist- Photo Credit Radio Disney
I have been listening to a lot of these happy tunes lately, and thought that it would make an interesting discussion. I posed the following question on my Facebook page: “Disney friends, what is your favorite Disney song? I am talking about the one you cannot stop smiling from when you hear it.” I got such an overwhelming response! Friends began posting videos, and telling the stories of why these songs were special to them. I heard from folks whom I had no idea were Disney fans. I loved to see how many of their favorites were on my list as well. Some of them matched, others did not. I was even introduced to songs I had never heard before! With young and old alike, it seems Disney has truly touched almost every life in one way or another.
Here is a countdown of 15 of my Disney favorites. These can be found in movies, on television shows, or around the parks. I will share the song, along with a brief explanation about why I love it so much.
15. Yo Ho A Pirates Life for Me: My first visit to Magic Kingdom was when I was just 7 years old. Pirates of the Caribbean immediately become my favorite attraction. There was just so much to see, hear, smell and feel. It had every sensory connection needed to create a vivid and lasting memory. What fascinated me the most was the guy sitting on the bridge…how did they get his leg hair to look so real? (Thoughts from the mind of a child.)
14. Friend Like Me: There is so much going on with this song. It is just fun and mayhem from the first note. And Robin Williams. Enough said!
13. On the Open Road: I grew up “on the open road”. Just like Max, in the Goofy Movie, I just did not have the appreciation for a road trip as I should have. Our family vacations always consisted of a road trip to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My older brother and I fussed the entire time. Those are now memories he and I treasure and love to laugh over. And, now we torture our own children with the Open Road!
12. Tiki Room (feat. Hillary Duff): Did you all know that Disney Mania exists? I had no idea until a friend introduced me to it about five years ago…yes, I was a bit behind the curve on this one. While the classic versions are the best, sometimes we just want to shake it up a bit!
11. Under the Sea: This song takes my mind right back to the scene in the movie. The color, the vibrancy, the festivity, the Caribbean flare, all of this definitely makes it a sing-along favorite!

Under the Sea- Photo Credit Disney
10. You Can Fly: Is there ANYONE who, at some point in life, did not wish he or she could fly? Peter Pan takes us all back to those innocent days of childhood when anything was possible.
9. Zip-a-DeeDoo-Dah: Yes, the movie is controversial, but the song! There are birds chirping, people! How can you not smile?
8. One Little Spark: I grew up in Central Florida, and actually lived there when Epcot opened. My brother and his wife worked at Epcot when I was in high school. I used to go to Epcot on school field trips. My friends and I would have sleepovers, and go to Epcot the next day. The original Journey into Imagination with Dreamfinder was my favorite attraction in Epcot. One of my favorite Disney characters has always been that silly little purple dragon.
7. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: I remember being a nine year old little girl and learning to say this word. And it was COOL to say it over and over….and over and over.
6. Hakuna Matata: Life can get so busy and stressful at times. Am I the only one who dreams of having “no worries for the rest of your days”?
5. It’s a Small World: Okay, this song can get annoying at times, I know that. It can get stuck in your head. And to some folks, the ride is childish or silly. But, that is what makes it so wonderful. It is bright, it is happy, it is whimsical, it is nostalgic… it is a Walt Disney original.

It’s a Small World- Photo Credit Disney
4. I Wanna Be Like You (feat. the Jonas Brothers): This particular version of the song is a favorite because of my little boy. He loves this song. He listens to it, he sings it, he dances to it. He performs it for us with a hairbrush microphone, wearing his idea of boy band attire. Priceless.
3. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride: Lilo and Stitch is an amazing movie. The soundtrack is so fun from beginning to end. I mean it has ELVIS, right? This song with the choir of Hawaiian children singing in unison, incredible!
2. Magic Kingdom Welcome Medley: I love this one because it takes you right back to the “middle of Main Street, U.S.A.”; even if you are sitting at your desk, grinding out paperwork in your everyday routines.

Middle of Main St. USA- Photo Credit Disney
And #1 on my list of favorite songs from the Disney musical library is…(drum roll, please)…
1. Trashin’ the Camp: It does not matter where I am when this song comes on: in my car, in the kitchen making dinner, at my desk at work…I cannot stop smiling, tapping my feet, and doing a little dance when I hear it. There are no lyrics to this song, it is just HAPPY and FUN through and through!
These are my favorites. Tell me your favorite song and why! Disney’s musical library is vast, and I know there are many greats that are not in my own countdown. I would love to hear about your favorites in the comments below!
Read about some of our other Everyday DIStractions here, here and here. In addition, check out lots of great Walt Disney stuff on my Pinterest account!
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Woohoo… a few of mine are on there… i LOVE LOVE LOVE the Magic Kingdom welcome medley… but you know my Top would be hakkuna mattata
That Welcome Medley gets me EVERY TIME in the feels!!!