We Don’t Talk About Bruno, from the animated film Encanto, has become the first original Disney song to reach No 1 in the UK charts.
Written by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, it has taken over the lives of children – and their parents – in much the same way as Let It Go, from Disney film Frozen, did nearly a decade ago.
The ensemble song, telling the story of the mysterious uncle Bruno in Miranda’s typically rhythmic and loquacious style, is performed by Rhenzy Feliz, Adassa, Stephanie Beatriz, Mauro Castillo, Diane Guerrero and Carolina Gaitán.
Another song from the soundtrack, Surface Pressure – performed by Jessica Darrow – is at No 5 this week, while The Family Madrigal, a song that introduces the rural Colombian world of the film, is at No 15.
Gareth Gates, the singer who came to fame on 2002’s Pop Idol before having four UK No 1s, might argue that he had the first Disney song to reach No 1. His recording of Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds, one half of a double A-side single with Pop Idol winner Will Young in 2002, was included on the soundtrack to Disney film Lilo & Stitch. We Don’t Talk About Bruno is therefore – strictly speaking – the first original Disney song to reach the top.
The quick and explosive popularity of We Don’t Talk About Bruno, abetted by its viral manifestation on TikTok, where fans act out various characters, means it has become a chart success in a way that other Disney songs have not previously managed.
The ubiquitous Let It Go was more of a slow-burn success, reaching a high of No 11 in its 70 weeks on the UK chart, beginning in 2013.
Celine Dion earned her first UK Top 10 hit with her title ballad from 1992’s Beauty and the Beast, which reached No 9, while Elton John had two Top 20 hits with songs from The Lion King in 1994: Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight. The big ballad from Aladdin, A Whole New World, reached No 12 in 1994, performed by Peabo Bryson – also Dion’s duet partner on Beauty and the Beast – and Regina Belle.
It’s the biggest success yet for Miranda during his tenure at Disney, where he has frequently acted and contributed songs, beginning with 2016’s animated fable Moana.
He has acted in the studio’s Mary Poppins Returns and DuckTales, written music for the final Star Wars film trilogy, and collaborated with longtime Disney songwriter Alan Menken on songs for the forthcoming live action remake of The Little Mermaid, to be released in 2023.
Miranda also wrote 11 songs and provided voice acting for the Sony Pictures Animation film Vivo, released in July 2021.
We Don’t Talk About Bruno knocks last week’s No 1, the sweary teen angst anthem ABCDEFU by 17-year-old singer Gayle, to No 2. Adele’s Easy on Me spends its 14th week on the chart at No 3, and Nigerian vocalist Fireboy DML’s track Peru, assisted by Ed Sheeran on a remix, rises to No 4.
In the album chart, indie-poppers the Wombats earn their first No 1 with their fifth LP, Fix Yourself, Not the World.
