Promise

Sometimes Disney songs surprise me by how deep they can seem:

We can reach for the stars we find along the way

Dreaming as we learn to love everyday

Promise you will take my hand

As tomorrow comes, we'll go on.

They can also seem surprisingly romantic even though the song itself isn’t used in a particularly romantic setting:

We'll go on growing closer through the years

Moving on through the good times and the tears

Ever on another thousand circles around the sun

A new life has begun

The two of us as one

We'll go on.

If you don’t already know what song this is, it’s “Promise” which is one of the songs that formed part of the Epcot Millennium Celebration. I believe this song played after the main Illuminations were finished and as guests were exiting Epcot, in the dark with the country pavilions brightly lit and Spaceship Earth glowing up ahead… so it is a little romantic but the song is surprisingly tender and loving. I wouldn’t be surprised if people have used this in weddings!

We'll go on

There is music if you listen

In the rhythm of each breath we take

Destinations undiscovered

Revolutions from every choice we make

And I know there are diamonds dancing in the sky

All we have to do is open our eyes

Promise we'll walk side by side

As a new day dawns we'll go on.

There is a hopeful tone to this song which is pretty common in Disney songs (who wants to be depressed while they’re on vacation?) and Epcot has always been the park that aims to get people happy about the future and its possibilities. This song fits into that beautifully but it is also a hauntingly romantic song even out of context. This is one of my absolutely favourite theme park songs, even though I never heard it in it’s original setting.