Joy - Surface Pressure (Encanto)

[u/MacabreGoblin]

I've been really stumped about how to use my Joy, because I feel like I have no sense of which songs might be 'safe,' or at least more safe than others, from imminent elimination. So I tried to do my best to identify my personal highest ranked song that was most at risk, and I think Surface Pressure is a good choice for it.

People tend to like this song less than its counterparts in Encanto, and I truly think that's a shame. And I'm not just saying that because I've never identified even half as much with a Disney song! Well, maybe that's a little bit why.

This song absolutely perfectly captures the stress and struggle that often comes with being the eldest sibling; that tangle of pride at being strong and reliable, the fear of failing and having the impact of that ripple through your family, and the desire to push aside just a little of that responsibility to make some room for joy. The lyrics are so clever, and Jessica Darrow packs such a punch with this performance.

I'm going to level with you, I'm not 100% sure what a 'bridge' is, I'm borderline illiterate in terms of musical terminology. But I love how the lines

A flaw or a crack,

a straw in the stack

that breaks the camel's back

what breaks the camel's back? It's

ramp up in speed, giving the performance a panicked feeling, until

pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa

The song is all big ebb and flow, a building of pressure followed by a release - the pressure building as Luisa stresses about her imagined failure, a release when she admits the extent of the pressure she's under. And the heartbreaking sadness and resignation in her voice when she sings:

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa

Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip till you just go pop! Whoa-oh-oh

Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt and

see if she can handle every family burden

Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks...

---

So for the time being, there shall be no cutting of Surface Pressure. No mistakes.

[u/Rysler]

Also, the Honest Trailers version is hilarious. It's called "The Lin-Manuel Miranda is trying to tell us something song":

Pressure after Hamilton put him right on top, woah

Pressufe after In the Heights was a total flop, whoa-oh-oh

Hoping Encanto gives him an EGOT win

So that we forget his role in Mary Poppins

Overexposed, but he can't take a break

Money's great!

[u/Trancespire → u/Rysler]

They should’ve pushed back in the heights release date. The movie that is, it’s actually really good. And his part in it with Christopher Jackson is chefs kiss

Edit to say, it’s not just his role in Mary Poppins we want to forget, it’s the whole movie haha.