Riders in the Sky Make Monsters, Inc. Musical With Scream Factory Favorites

I love the funny, heartwarming and wildly imaginative Pixar movie Monsters, Inc., but it’s not a movie I associate with Disney’s tradition of excellent music. Sure, it’s got a fun theme song that plays over the credits, but it’s not a musical. However, I now have more melodious associations with this movie thanks to Scream Factory Favorites, a tie-in album featuring songs set in its unique world.

Riders in the Sky, the group who performed Woody’s Round-Up in Toy Story 2, received a Best Children’s Album Grammy for this album, which, despite the band’s distinctly Western slant, incorporates a variety of styles, including doo-wop, big band and reggae. Its key members include “Ranger Doug” Green on guitar, “Too Slim” Fred LaBour on bunkhouse bass, “Woody Paul” Chrisman on fiddle and “Joey the Cowpolka King” Miskulin on accordion, piano, banjo, FX and synthesizer. The four share vocal responsibilities and get some help from a variety of other musicians, including Josh Archibald on piano, John Gardener on percussion, Chris Leuzinger on guitar and ukulele, Jonathan Yudkin on violin, George Tidwell on trumpet, David Hoffner on synthesizer, Bob Mater on drums, Jimmy Capps on guitar, Stu Basore on steel guitar and Harry Stinson on vocals.

If I Didn’t Have You - This Randy Newman song, performed by John Goodman and Billy Crystal for the movie, gets the Western treatment, with fiddle and accordion coming together to remind me of some of the songs on the Disney cowboy songs collection Pardners. This is an ode to friendship and its power in our lives that here specifically applies to the bond between steady blue furball Sulley and one-eyed wisecracker Mike as they sing to each other. “You and me together – that’s how it always should be. One without the other don’t mean nothin’ to me…”

Doo-Wah Diddy Diddy (Mike’s Song) - This upbeat oldie gets a monster makeover as Mike sings of falling for Celia. The sound is pretty similar to the original version, but the lyrical alterations begin to become more frequent as the song progresses. While the first two verses scarcely change at all, this is definitely Mike’s song by the end. “I said Celia, shmoopsie-poo, I’m on my bended knee, singing Doo Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Doo. Celia, sweetie pie, please marry me, singing Doo Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Doo.”

I Only Have Eye for You - Coming right after that last one, I thought when I saw this title that it might be a direct parody of I Only Have Eyes for You, but aside from the basic thematic connection, this is an entirely distinct song from Mike’s perspective written by Green. There’s the rather incongruous pairing of brass instruments with yodeling, though the latter is not as pronounced as it is on the first track, but what mostly distinguishes this track is the unconventional list of things that Mike loves about Celia. Most gals would not consider these traits too flattering, but something tells me Celia is eating it up. “I only have eye for you. Your kisses taste like glue. Your snaky hair keeps waving in the moments when we’re kissing; are you whispering ‘I love you,’ or is it just your hairdo hissing?”

Monsters, Inc. March - LaBour has writing credit on this spooky-sounding song that reminds me a bit of Dumbo’s Pink Elephants on Parade and the Winnie-the-Pooh classic Heffalumps and Woozles. The factory workers band together on this one to enthusiastically promote their cause, and it’s easy to imagine them parading through town to share their message with all of Monstropolis. “We scare, scare, scare because we care, care, care. We’re Monsters, Incorporated.”

Monsters ABC’s - LaBour also wrote this one, which has a doo-woppy 1950s flavor to it. The ooh-ing chorus and snapping fingers add to the ambiance in what amounts to a musical version of a Monsters, Inc.-themed alphabet book. The rhyme is strong during the alphabet portion of the song, the rhythm not so much, but that adds to the humor in this longest track. Some of the letters stand for specific characters, some for scary noises, some for just generically unsettling things. Well, I don’t find geeks unsettling, but maybe that’s just me… A very cute take on the ABCs, and since they sing the alphabet through a couple of times with only the letters, if you listen to this one enough, it could just end up replacing the traditional Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star melody in your mind. “R is for Roz and Randall, too. S is for Sulley, he’s always true blue. T is for Trouble U Under your bed. V is Very scary. W Wazowski he’s mostly all head…”

Lullaby for Boo - This song by LaBour and Chrisman is unusual in that it is sung by Sonya Isaacs rather than a member of Riders in the Sky. This is a lovely, whispery song with guitar accompaniment that has a soothing quality to it. I like the comforting tone, though I’m not crazy about the chorus, since it seems to imply that she just dreamed up Sulley and the gang, and in the Monsters, Inc. world, they are more real to me than she is. Is this an indication that when she gets older, she is supposed to simply believe that “Kitty” was her imaginary friend who she outgrew? That thought makes me sad… “The monsters that we played with have all gone home again. They know the show must end; they’re only just pretend.”

If I Didn’t Have You - The Western flavor of the opening track is intensified by turning it into a pure instrumental, highlighting the fiddle and accordion. Even without the lyrics, this song has a very friendly feel to it.

It’s Our Job - This Miskulin song brings back the fiddle but also has a bit of a 1920s sound to it, especially at the beginning when the piano is most prominent. Like Monsters, Inc. March, this song is from the perspective of the factory workers ,who take pride in their strong work ethic when it comes to scaring tykes in order to generate energy. Lots of shrieks and goofy sound effects add to the fun of this one. “It’s our job to be frightful and scary. Some of us are all hairy; some of us have got horns and tails. We hide and wait ‘til you are finally sleepin’. That’s our cue to come creepin’ ‘cause it’s our job.”

Paperwork (Roz’s Song) - Green is the songwriter behind this Caribbean-styled tribute to paperwork that intersperses an upbeat chorus of guys with the droning dialogue of Roz, a tedious crank who would feel right at home in Office Space. Her voice is only slightly less obnoxious here than in the movie; you really don’t want this slug on your back. While the lyrics address children, warning them of the annoyances of adult bureaucracy, adults who have experienced the joy of drowning in extraneous forms will probably appreciate this one most. “When you grow up you’re gonna find just when things are going fine, someone will sneak up from behind and want to see your paperwork.”

Monsters’ Jubilee - Chrisman and Green collaborated on this square dance in which the dance caller announces himself as a member of Riders in the Sky. It’s the shortest track at well under two minutes, but the lively tone of this heavy-fiddle song, coupled with the specific motion instructions, make it highly interactive. “Put your right paw in the air. Hold it up and wave it there. Hop three times now one, two, three at the monsters’ jubilee.”

Under the Bed - This one by Green has a similar sound to Monsters, Inc. March, with brass instruments giving a sense of mingled suspense and revelry. The spooky laugh and the musical quote of an iconic series of creepy notes whose title escapes me demonstrates how much fun the monsters are having and the narrator isn’t. His straightforward delivery amuses me; he’s supposed to be in nursery school, but he’s most definitely a grown man, making his worried proclamations funnier a la Allan Sherman’s comedy classic Letter From Camp. “Under the bed I hear them slithering and slinking. Under the bed their chains are softly clinking. They’ve got arms that wave like tentacles; at the end are great big claws. And they’re drooling and they’re slobbering with great big jaws.”

The Perfect Roar (Sulley’s Song) - While this leisurely ballad by Chrisman and Archibald is not the longest song on the album, it is the most lyrically dense with its nine four-line verses detailing Sulley’s epic quest to find his own roar. A crackin’ good narrative song with a message of affirmation at the end, it’s made more fun by the steady stream of trumpet blasts and the growly voice of the singer. I’m surprised that there’s no acknowledgment of the tune, which, despite the plodding pace, is unmistakable for the lively kiddie folk song Do Your Ears Hang Low?, but in any case, they appropriate it well. “Yes, I found my perfect roar, just as every monster owns in different shapes and sizes, for each a different tone. And none of them could find it hidden high on any shelf. A monster has to find his perfect roar inside himself.”

Big High Wire Hop - This lively instrumental is heavy on the fiddle again also includes some fun bass and guitar. It serves as the background music for the whimsical Pixar short For the Birds, which ran before Monsters, Inc. in the theater. A fun way to wind down the album.

This is obviously an album geared toward kids, and the overall tone is pretty silly, but it’s really high-quality stuff that puts a smile on my face. The lyrics do a good job of capturing the personalities of the characters and the fun of this world, and from the impersonations to the varied instrumentation, it’s obvious that the tracks were put together with great affection. If you’re looking for some fun Disney novelty albums, Scream Factory Favorites is a great place to start.