Let It Go facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Let It Go"
Remix cover
Single by Idina Menzel
from the album Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Published	Wonderland Music Company
Released	November 25, 2013 (2013-11-25) (album) January 2014 (single)
Recorded	2012 (piano, vocals) 2013 (rhythm section, orchestra)
Genre	Show tune
Length	3:45
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert Lopez
Producer(s)	Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert Lopez Christophe Beck Chris Montan Tom MacDougall
Idina Menzel singles chronology
"You Learn to Live Without" (2013) "Let It Go" (2014) "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (2014)

"Let It Go" is a famous song from Disney's 2013 movie Frozen. A husband-and-wife team, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, wrote the music and lyrics.

In the movie, the song is sung by American actress and singer Idina Menzel. She voices Queen Elsa in the film. Later, a pop version of the song was released as a single. This version was sung by actress and singer Demi Lovato. Disney wanted to release Lovato's pop version first.

"Let It Go" was a huge hit! It was the first song from a Disney animated musical since 1995 to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This chart lists the most popular songs in the United States. It was also Idina Menzel's first song to reach the top 10. In 2014, it was the ninth best-selling song in the U.S. with 3.37 million copies sold. It also became the best-selling foreign song from a movie soundtrack in South Korea.

The song is about Queen Elsa. She runs away from her kingdom after she accidentally shows her ice powers to everyone. High up in the mountains, away from people, Elsa realizes she doesn't need to hide her powers anymore. She feels free to use her magic. She even builds a huge ice castle and creates a living snowman!

"Let It Go" won many awards. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2015. The song became famous worldwide. It was recorded in 41 different languages for the movie's international releases.

In 2014, "Let It Go" sold 10.9 million copies. This made it the fifth best-selling song of the year globally. Disney also released a digital remix EP of the song in May 2014. It included four different remixes.

Singing "Let It Go" in Different Languages

Italian actress and singer Serena Autieri and the Italian cast of Frozen were awarded best foreign dubbing worldwide

Disney made sure Frozen was available in many languages. They had the movie dubbed into 41 different languages and dialects. Later, three more versions were added, making it 44 official versions. It was hard to find singers who could match Idina Menzel's voice and singing range in their own languages.

Rick Dempsey from Disney Character Voices International said it was "exceptionally challenging." He explained that they had to make sure the lyrics meant the same thing. They also had to match the music and the characters' lip movements. It took a lot of patience!

In January 2014, Disney released a video of "Let It Go" sung in 25 different languages. It showed the voice actresses who played Elsa in their countries. Later, in March 2014, another video was released. This one showed the singers in the studio recording their versions of the song.

In April 2014, Walt Disney Records released an album called Let It Go: The Complete Set. It had all 42 foreign-language versions of the song from the movie. It also included nine versions from the end credits.

The Italian version of the movie, including "Let It Go," won an award for being the best foreign dubbing worldwide.

In South Korea, the Korean version of the song by Hye Na Park reached number 80 on the Gaon Music Chart. In Japan, the Japanese version by Takako Matsu reached number 2 on the Japan Hot 100. It was downloaded over a million times in Japan by May 2014.

What the Song Might Mean

Some people have different ideas about what "Let It Go" and the movie Frozen are about. One idea is that the song is a metaphor for accepting yourself. It's about letting go of fears and being true to who you are.

Co-writer Kristen Andersen-Lopez said her younger brother has traits of autism spectrum. She said this helped inspire the song. It deals with the idea of having a "special sibling" and understanding their unique qualities.

Awards Won

"Let It Go" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 86th Academy Awards. Idina Menzel performed a shorter version of the song live at the awards show. With this award, Robert Lopez became one of the few people to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Demi Lovato's Version

"Let It Go"
Single by Demi Lovato
from the album Frozen
Released	October 21, 2013 (2013-10-21)
Recorded	2012
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:47
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert Lopez
Producer(s)	Emanuel Kiriakou Andrew Goldstein
Demi Lovato singles chronology
"Made in the USA" (2013) "Let It Go" (2013) "Neon Lights" (2013)

Disney decided to release a single for "Let It Go" after the song was written. They chose American singer Demi Lovato to sing the pop version for the soundtrack album. Demi Lovato was already a star from Disney Channel.

Demi Lovato's Version in Other Languages

Demi Lovato's version was also released in nine other languages. These included French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Some singers who performed the pop version also voiced Elsa in the movie.

In South Korea, the pop version by Hyolyn reached number six on the Gaon Music Chart. In Japan, May J.'s version reached number 8 on the Japan Hot 100. It was downloaded 250,000 times.

     Highlighted versions were released later than 2013

Why Demi Lovato Was Chosen

Kristen Anderson-Lopez said Demi Lovato was chosen because of her own life story. Demi had faced challenges and was open about them. This was similar to Elsa's journey of leaving a difficult past behind and becoming stronger.

Demi Lovato herself felt a connection to the song. She said, "It's so relatable. Elsa is finding her identity; she's growing into who she is and she's finally accepting her own strength and magical powers. Instead of hiding it, like she's done all her life, she's letting it go and embracing it."

Demi Lovato's version was released as a single on October 21, 2013.

Music Video and Live Shows

The music video for Demi Lovato's version was released on November 1, 2013. Declan Whitebloom directed it.

Demi Lovato performed the song many times. She sang it at the 2013 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. She also performed it at the 2014 Royal Variety Performance. The song was part of her concert tours, The Neon Lights Tour and the Demi World Tour.

Other Versions of "Let It Go"

Many artists around the world have covered "Let It Go."

• In February 2014, Alex Boyé created an African-style cover. It featured the One Voice Children's Choir and Lexi Walker.
• The Piano Guys mixed "Let It Go" with parts of Antonio Vivaldi's "Winter" from The Four Seasons. Both their music video and Alex Boyé's were filmed in ice castles in Midway, Utah.
• In March 2014, Brian Hull sang the song while imitating different Disney characters. These included Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy.
• The French metal band Betraying the Martyrs covered "Let It Go" in July 2014.
• Norwegian YouTube singer PelleK made a power metal version of Demi Lovato's song in December 2013. It got over 5 million views.
• In February 2014, a YouTube creator named Malinda Kathleen Reese used Google Translate to translate the lyrics. She translated them between many languages and then back to English. This created funny mistranslations like "Let us very angry."
• On November 4, 2014, Connie Talbot released her cover of the song.
• In 2018, Asian-American singer-songwriter Nadya Sudjaja made an Indonesian cover called 'Lepaskan'. It included sounds from Southeast Asia.
• Actress Maisie Williams sang the song in an Audi commercial during the Super Bowl LIV in February 2020.
• In May 2020, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired a parody called "Let Them Go." It was about ending school closures during COVID-19.
• In September 2020, Japanese composer Yoshiki created a new classical version for a Disney+ special.

Some people have also noticed similarities between "Let It Go" and "The Snow and Ice Dance." This was a promotional song for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Both songs use piano, have similar starting chords, and are played at almost the same speed.

Images for kids

• 

  Remix cover

• 

  Demi Lovato's version cover

See also

In Spanish: Let It Go (canción de Disney) para niños