ONCE UPON A TIME: The Songs In My Heart

You could say there is a returning trend. We have seen a few shows including The Flash, Supergirl and most recently Riverdale, dive into the world of music to showcase the talent of their cast. My favourite series was no different, having taken its own approach during its run. After long-lasting speculation surrounding a potential musical episode, Once Upon A Time creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis had finally decided to proceed with the idea during the production of the sixth season. It was an opportunity for everybody to see some of their favourite characters break out into song. The episode would be titled 'The Song in your Heart' and be released not long after my birthday. I considered it a present to me and one I was anticipating prior to release. Strange I felt that way, especially since I wasn't entirely for the idea of musical episodes as I found them to be quite cheesy. And after viewing The Flash and Supergirl musical crossover episode 'Duet', I couldn't help but gather how much it reeked of desperation (even by reading the synopsis). But for some reason, Once Upon A Time always seemed to be quite fitting for a musical episode of its own. I guess the strong association with Disney, magic and fairy tales gave the series some leeway.

Before the first airing of 'The Song In Your Heart', the sixth season of the hit television show about fairy tale characters was proving to be a small but impressive resurgence. Once Upon A Time was paying homage to its history, not only sharing a similar structure to that of the very first season but also its story-telling and minor characters. In particular, the second half would be a beautiful reminder of what made fans love the show in the first place. It connected the final pieces of the puzzle together while also revealing a side to some of the characters we had not seen before. In what I like to consider as a severely underrated and underappreciated recipe of the entire series (that being the sixth season), the idea of a musical episode would only be the spice that could either improve or ruin the taste of the final product. And fortunately enough for the cast and crew that put it together, it would without a doubt avoid the latter.

Once's musical episode delivered the goods. Like all things warm and fuzzy on the show from love to hope, the motivation for characters singing and dancing was none other than a wish made by Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) looking to the night sky. A wish that was to see her future daughter find happiness away from the dark curse. Next thing you know, it's all about the inhabitants of both the Enchanted Forest and the Land of Oz hitting notes and belting out powerful tunes. These songs came in different shapes and sizes. One song inspired belief while another expressed anger. One touched base with the series as a whole while another denoted the beauty of musicals in general. Two would be merged to take us on a trip down memory lane with one of the show's most unforgettable storylines. One of these even had the power to become an anthem for the small screen. In fact, I might as well sink deeper into the discussing of this fine work of art that is 'The Song in your Heart' and study each song more closely. However, I don't think I need to rate them. It would be hard for me to do so anyway, as they were all well composed by talented crew members (Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner and Mark Isham) and brilliantly performed by the cast.

Powerful Magic

Ginnifer Goodwin & Josh Dallas

Could you get anymore Disney than this? I don't think you can. I'm not saying this as if I disapprove because I most certainly don't. If anything I loved the strong tie-ins and found them to be quite imperative. The whistling bird, the waking princess, the energetic prince, etc. It's an uncommon but brilliant representation of a royal, fairy tale couple. The song stood for itself, with a happy and upbeat sound to match its positive message and it was a message we were all awfully familiar with. The power of 'true love'. And who better to sing a song about this than these two. Not only did they have a relationship onscreen but off-screen as well, which made the performance seem all the more easy for them to deliver. Just when you think this was enough to satisfy you, the voices! My golly the voices! I never heard them coming, especially that one proudly owned by Josh Dallas. Caught me by surprise. Then again, I probably was to expect surprises since I had no idea of the theatre experience these two had growing up. And I did remember reading somewhere online about both having mentioned of their willingness to perform in a musical episode such as this one. Overall this number was a perfect start and had me 'ever more hopeful for what lied in store'.

The Queen Sings

Lana Parrilla, Giancarlo Esposito, Lee Arenberg, Tony Amendola & Beverley Elliott

If there was anyway for a few of the minor bunch to have their turn in the spotlight, there was no ignoring it. It was a bloody good thing too, because there were some great voices being heard. The number begins with Regina (Lana Parrilla) as the Evil Queen storming into the main room of her tower, singing of her frustration with the wish and its absurdity to the magic mirror (Giancarlo Esposito). She is shown its impact and is somewhat pushed to boiling point. 'The Queen Sings' wasn't just a short introduction into the dark side of the musical wish. It too was an indication of just how powerful the wish was. We got to see it make its way throughout the Enchanted Forest, affecting some of our favourite recurring characters including the likes of Grumpy (Lee Arenberg), Geppetto (Tony Amendola) and Granny (Beverley Elliott). Each were given roughly eight seconds to impress audiences with their singing talent. A couple of the snippets were even able to connect to their origins, with the dwarfs and Geppetto snippets in a way paying tribute to Walt Disney's first two animated feature-films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. There might be little to no consistency in the music of the entire section due to the different sounding snippets bundled together, but that never mattered. This part did all it was required to do and there was no asking for anything else.

Love Doesn't Stand A Chance

Lana Parrilla

With the previous song having explored the classic, traditional qualities of Disney villain music, there was more preference for Regina's solo to stand out in a significantly different way. To have Lana Parrilla go where no Disney villain had gone before. 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance' was a rock number not only meeting Parrilla's comfort zone, but allowing her character to wreak havoc on those she loathes. In the style of a Hannah Montanna and with the aggression of a Lady Gaga, the Evil Queen sings and dances her way around to each of the Charmings' supporters, leaving them frozen with fear as she invades their space and destroys their property. This was the song that best had its singer truly standing on their own legs. It was like a machine turned onto maximum power. Regina's vexation broke through with ease by forceful language and tone. When you thought it couldn't get heavier, it continued to do so towards the very end. From the key change to the high level of energy exerted. Even the use of the word 'bitch' packed a punch. 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance' was the song of no limits. For us, it was just sit and enjoy Regina take charge.

Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine

Colin O'Donoghue, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas & more

A pirate's song this was, and sung with a pirate's attitude may I add. 'Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine' was deemed a favourite by the majority of fans. Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) had his solid, thunderous and single-minded pre-curse personality answered for in true pirate fashion. The language was rightly vigorous and the song itself was another way of saying 'Stuff the hierarchy! Stuff gold and jewels! I want what I want and I only care for what I want'. Strangely enough, there isn't much else I can say about this one. Reason being that it approached everything with precision. It perfectly described the character of Hook. It defined who he was. It retouched on his aim. It made good use of his men. It had swords, it had drinks and it even made use the seaman's chant 'yo-ho-ho'. The whole scene made 'a pirate's life' seem so fun and carefree. It somehow left me wanting myself to get the taste of being such a thing. Plus the song was another opportunity for O'Donoghue to re-explore his strength in music, especially after deciding to leave his band in favour of focusing on this series. 'Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine' easily made itself at home within the episode and didn't ever feel out of place. 

Wicked Always Wins

Rebecca Mader

Snow’s wish proves strong enough to even reach the realm of Oz, resulting in Zelena (Rebecca Mader) letting out her frustration through this powerful ballad whilst terrorising munchkins. 'Wicked Always Wins' had proven to be another favourite among most viewers, myself included. However, this is the one song in the episode that didn't completely match its atmosphere. Despite the lyrics centering around Zelena's envy and villainy, the music itself was never able to further emphasise it. Rather than sound like a 'wicked' tune, it gave off beauty and warmth. From a logical perspective, this song wasn't supposed to work. But somehow in some way, you could say that this number 'defied gravity'. It's almost impossible to resist its charm. If I were to guess, I'd say that 'Wicked Always Wins' was a sign of appreciation for the Wicked musical. The song took some of the best qualities from the Broadway production and put them to good use. And like the rest, Mader didn't disappoint with the voice. As a matter of fact, she too had me dumbfounded with her ability to sing. I suspect it was probably due to her intense passion for television work, that anything else she did was likely to come as a surprise to me. Finally, those three magic words that were tied to this take on the Wicked Witch just sunk in beautifully with the fandom and this song was partly responsible. In my eyes, wicked does always win.

Charmings vs. Evil Queen

Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas & Lana Parrilla

It isn't Once Upon A Time without another showdown between the Charmings and the Evil Queen. This time it came in the form of another musical number. One that merged two of the earlier songs and added a few new lines. While not the most memorable scene from the episode, it still remained a much appreciated gift. The joyous uplifting 'Powerful Magic' pinned against the rage-filled 'Love Doesn't Stand A Chance' worked a treat. The keys and chords of both songs helped continue with distinguishing the separate sides of good and evil. And the changes brought upon them allowed the two to meet in the middle whilst building up to a nice level of pressure and suspense. These three magnificent people stick to their roles and never lose touch of them during the unusual encounter. It all still felt like the Once Upon A Time of the early days. Although 'Charmings vs. Evil Queen' doesn't entirely stand on its own feet, it was a nice throwback to the classic, long-lasting battle between the aforementioned characters. A great view of the roots of the series.

Emma's Theme

Jennifer Morrison

This was arguably the most anticipated moment. The moment when Jennifer Morrison had her turn to shine bright. Most viewers saw failure far from her reach. In the end, they were right to see it that way. Morrison impressed and did not waste a single minute. I had never seen such an amazing character-defining performance as this one in my life. It was like the entire story of Emma Swan in just two minutes. The coldness of the intro along with the tears that streamed down her face were the beautiful representation of the pain she endured growing up. Next thing you know, the element of surprise steps in through a sudden build-up. Emma uses her newfound strength and realisation to shock the Black Fairy (Jaime Murray). The vocal power and high notes were absolutely incredible. I gathered so many feelings in a short space of time. Feelings of joy, sorrow, might, love and care. 'Emma's Theme' was always meant to be a song of toughness and resilience. That no matter how much of Emma's past weighed her down, the brightness of her future would always conquer. It was a prime example of how good she truly was. Other than the supposed cheesiness a few might get out of this, I honestly can't find anything else wrong with it. And whoever came up with the idea of using the show's actual theme and making it Emma's, I've got to hand it to them. That was nothing short of brilliant! Well done!

A Happy Beginning

Jennifer Morrison, Colin O,Donoughue, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader, Jared S. Gilmore & more

Remember when I said one of the songs had the power to become an anthem. This was that song. Even though I wasn't as invested in the Captain Swan ship, the wedding led to one of the best moments in the entire series. 'A Happy Beginning' just happens to be one of the many songs on my playlist that I keep having to replay. It's just so freakin' amazing. The unity and togetherness through the sharing of lines and harmony of voices. Even the idea of having Jared S. Gilmore deliver a line in the verse despite his claimed inability to sing, made itself feel required. The lyrics weren't just purely positive but inspiring and allowed for more cohesion within the fandom. This song did however evoke a bag of mixed emotions. It not only was a reminder of how far the show had come, but how close it was to reaching the end. But regardless of whether it was happiness or sadness that dominated the mind, the simple glamour and force of 'A Happy Beginning' had it soaring above the rest. And the chorus beautifully carries everything on its shoulders and sounds as if it will stand the test of time. It's been over a year and I am still singing this now, even with the show having just ended. That to me says it all. This song is undoubtedly, the best of the lot.

It is completely understandable why so many people have mixed thoughts when it comes to the idea of musical episodes in drama shows. Some might find them unnecessary in terms of the direction, while others just simply have a passionate distaste in musicals and anything related. I'm not going to lie. Despite my anticipation, there was no absence of scepticism. I wasn't too sure how this was going to work out. Adam and Eddie were probably thinking the same thing, especially given this idea was sort of derived from the suggestions made by certain viewers over the course of two or three years. Musical episodes for non-musical shows are naturally risky as they can very easily lose connection with the rest of the story. They can often come across as an 'out-of-nowhere' idea without any proper cause. Long story short, they end up or at most times are considered to be 'filler' episodes. A Once Upon A Time musical episode was always going to divide the fandom in half. There was no getting away from that. But I didn't see any reason why the show-runners couldn't take the risk. After all, they didn't have much time left, with cast members leaving and the soft reboot knocking on the door.

Out of the two musical episodes I watched (Once Upon A Time and The Flash) which one did I think was better? Time for me to get straight to the answer. While both episodes have left me super impressed, DC’s musical crossover event between The Flash and Supergirl is unable to hold a candle to Adam and Eddy’s stroke of genius. Once Upon a Time did not only seem like a more fitting series for such a direction, but the final result saw it receiving higher critical acclaim for its stronger connection to both the storyline and its audience. ‘The Song in Your Heart’ provided viewers with pure original music featuring a more powerful orchestral presence to support the episode’s atmosphere. Even for a combined cast with less experience in music and theatre, the crew were still able to work their way around the limitations of each performer from considering the vocal range to the suitable style of music. Compared to ‘Duet’, Once Upon a Time’s musical event was greater in both complexity and relevance, linking better with its content. It stuck by its history and did not focus too much on the business side of things, such as the actors and their singing experience.

In the end, all the hard work and planning paid off. The musical episode turned out to be a huge success. It wound back the clock in an unfamiliar but intriguing way, showing our favourite characters in nostalgic fashion while adding all the more flavour to them. The writers also managed to have 'The Song In Your Heart' keep in touch with the storyline. Outside of the episode, people bought the music. Certain songs were sung at conventions by both the actors and fans. Critics praised the final product, with one giving it the perfect score (and rightly so). And personally this would have to be my all-time favourite episode in the entire series (or at least one of my favourites). I just loved every minute of it. This is coming from somebody who has never been much of a fan of musicals. Once Upon A Time made itself one of the only exceptions. Don’t let the slight drop in ratings and viewership fool you into thinking this wasn't good. It was one of the strongest points during one of the weakest periods. 'The Song In Your Heart' is and will forever remain to me, a must-watch.

Travis "TJ" James