Under the Sea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Under the Sea"
Single by Samuel E. Wright (as Sebastian) and Chorus
from the album The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Released	December 13, 1989
Recorded	1988
Genre	Pop calypso show tune reggae
Length	3:16
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Alan Menken (music) Howard Ashman (lyrics)
Producer(s)	Alan Menken Howard Ashman

"Under the Sea" is a famous song from Disney's 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid. Alan Menken wrote the music, and Howard Ashman wrote the words. The song sounds like Calypso from the Caribbean and Reggae from Jamaica. In the movie, Samuel E. Wright sings it as the character Sebastian. This song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 1991.

What the Song is About

The song is sung by Sebastian, a crab who is a friend of Ariel. Sebastian is trying to convince Ariel to stay in the ocean. Ariel wants to become human to be with Prince Eric, whom she loves. Sebastian tells her how great life is underwater. He also warns her about the problems of human life. But Ariel doesn't listen to him. She leaves before the song ends to follow her dream.

Where You Can Hear It

You can hear "Under the Sea" in many places!

• Video Games: In 2002, the song was in the game Kingdom Hearts. It played as background music in the Atlantica world. It also appeared in Kingdom Hearts II in 2006. In that game, it was part of a fun minigame. Yoko Shimomura arranged the music for both games.
• Disney Parks and Cruises: The song is played at Walt Disney parks and resorts. You can also hear it on the Disney Cruise Line. It's part of shows like "Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic" on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. It's also in "The Golden Mickeys" on the Disney Dream.

Different Versions of the Song

Many artists have performed "Under the Sea" in different ways.

Live Performances

The song is a big part of The Little Mermaid Broadway musical. Tituss Burgess played Sebastian in the musical. He sang the song live on stage. On November 5, 2019, reggae musician Shaggy sang the song live on ABC's The Little Mermaid Live!.

Other Artists' Versions

• In 1995, Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song on their album When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk.
• Mannheim Steamroller included their version on their 1999 album Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse.
• The band Suburban Legends often plays this song live. It's on their 2012 album Day Job.
• Several artists have covered it for the DisneyMania album series. These include the A*Teens, Raven-Symoné, and Booboo Stewart.
• The band Squirrel Nut Zippers covered it on their album The Best of Squirrel Nut Zippers as Chronicled by Shorty Brown.
• Brazilian singer Diogo Nogueira made a Portuguese version called "Aqui no Mar."
• In 2005, Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai recorded a Chinese version for the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland.
• In 2007, a Korean version was released by SM Entertainment artists The Grace, Super Junior, and Zhang Liyin.
• Japanese voice actor Miyu Irino covered it for the 2012 album Disney - Koe no Oujisama.
• In 2013, Alex Day covered the song for his album Epigrams and Interludes.
• D-Metal Stars created a Heavy Metal version in 2017 on their album "Metal Disney."
• The song is also featured in the video game Just Dance 2016.
• In 2019, Swedish/Chilean artist DJ Méndez covered it in Spanish.
• In 2020, Reggae musician Shaggy covered the song on his Hot Shot 2020 album.

Reprise Version

A shorter version, called a reprise, was part of The Little Mermaid Broadway musical.

See also

In Spanish: Under the Sea para niños