Rotten to the Core (song) facts for kids

"Rotten to the Core" is a popular song from the 2015 Disney Channel movie Descendants. The music and words for the song were created by Joacim Persson, Shelly Peiken, and Johann Alkenas.

The main actors from the movie sang the original version of the song. These actors are Dove Cameron (who played Mal, the daughter of Maleficent), Cameron Boyce (who played Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil), Booboo Stewart (who played Jay, the son of Jafar), and Sofia Carson (who played Evie, the daughter of The Evil Queen).

The song became very popular and reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Later, a second version of the song was released as a single on December 18, 2015. This version was sung by actress and singer Sofia Carson. The song was also remixed for the third Descendants movie.

About the Song

"Rotten to the Core" is an upbeat dance-pop song. It mixes sounds from pop, dubstep, and hip hop music. The song uses a strong beat and many voices singing together. It also features electronic music sounds from synthesizers and keyboards.

Joacim Persson, Shelly Peiken, and Johann Alkenas wrote the song. The duo known as Twin produced it. The singers use a wide range of notes, from low to high.

This song introduces the four main characters, who are the children of famous Disney villains. Part of the song is spoken or whispered, which gives it a mysterious feel. The main part, called the chorus, is sung.

The words of the song talk about how the villain kids feel. They are evil and wicked, and they like being that way. Lines like "Who's the baddest of them all? / Welcome to my wicked world, wicked world" show this feeling.

Song Charts

Music charts show how popular songs are. Here's where "Rotten to the Core" appeared on some charts in 2015:

Song Awards

Songs can earn special awards called certifications when they sell many copies.

In 2017, "Rotten to the Core" earned a Gold award in the United States. This means it sold over 500,000 copies!

Sofia Carson's Single Version

"Rotten to the Core"
Spanish/English version artwork cover
Single by Sofia Carson
from the album Descendants (Original TV Movie Soundtrack)
Released	December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18)
Recorded	2015
Genre	Pop ska dance-pop
Length	2:55
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Joacim Persson Shelly Peiken Johann Alkenas
Producer(s)	Twin
Descendants singles chronology
"If Only" (2015) "Rotten to the Core" (2015) "Ways to Be Wicked" (2017)

A different version of "Rotten to the Core" was released as a single on December 18, 2015. This version was sung by the American artist Sofia Carson. Walt Disney Records released it.

This single was put out to help promote Descendants: Wicked World, a computer-animated short series. Sofia Carson's version of the song is the main theme for this show. The song was also part of the soundtrack for the Descendants movie.

Chart Performance of Sofia Carson's Version

On December 12, 2015, Sofia Carson's "Rotten to the Core" reached number one on the Billboard Kid Digital Songs chart. This version did not make it onto the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, it did reach number five on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which lists songs that are almost popular enough for the Hot 100.

Live Performances

Sofia Carson performed her version of "Rotten to the Core" at several events:

• On August 17, 2015, she sang it at the D23 Expo.
• She sang a short version without instruments during an MTV interview on September 27.
• On November 26, she performed the song at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• She also sang it on the American Spanish-language show El Gordo y la Flaca on December 9.
• For New Year's Eve, she sang a Latin remix of the song on the Univision special called Feliz! on December 31.

Music Video

The official music video for Sofia Carson's song was directed by Naren Wilks and Adam Santelli. It was filmed in July and first shown on Disney Channel on August 23, 2015, right after the show Best Friends Whenever.

The video used a special green screen trick to create a cool, swirling effect, like looking through a kaleidoscope. The video starts with Sofia Carson dressed as a princess, with fireworks exploding around her. She picks up the Evil Queen's mirror and says, "Mirror, mirror in the night, show a girl a little light."

A beam of light takes her to a black-and-white scene. Here, she starts to sing, and many copies of her appear. In another part of the video, Sofia sings to six mirrors, and each mirror shows her dancing differently. There's also a scene where she sings alone against a purple background with lights. Many special effects were used to multiply Sofia and create cool visuals.

At the end, she leaves the mirror and says, "Mirror, mirror, what does our future hold? Show me what happens when our stories unfold."

Charts for Sofia Carson's Version

Here's where Sofia Carson's version of "Rotten to the Core" appeared on some charts in 2015:

Images for kids

• 

  Spanish/English version artwork cover

See also

In Spanish: Rotten to the Core (canción) para niños