Raquel Vaughn-

Generation Z is no stranger to Disney Channel Original Movies. In fact, they probably raised us more than our own parents did. Each plot was captivating and always included a lesson about the importance of friendship, family, and being true to one’s self. But every Disney movie had to have that one catchy song that gets stuck in every kid’s head and haunts them into their twenties and thirties. There are only three Disney Channel Original Movies that have perfect soundtracks: Starstruck, Lemonade Mouth, and Let It Shine.

There are many Disney movies that have succeeded in making a soundtrack that makes it to millions of teen girls’ -and grown women’s!- playlists. But I have yet to watch a movie that isn’t Starstruck, Lemonade Mouth, and Let It Shine that has unskippable songs. These movies all have a song that fits an everyday situation. For instance, all three include a song that is perfect to jam out to when driving down the summer street with your friend, windows down, Starbucks iced coffee in hand, while on the way to the thrift store. For Starstruck, that is “Something About The Sunshine,” where the scene from the movie is quite literally the two main characters, Jessica and Christopher, driving around Hollywood streets and passing beaches in the middle of summer. The other two movies have similar songs that evoke the same main character feeling, and that is “Turn Up the Music” from Lemonade Mouth’s Detention Scene and “Let It Shine” from Let It Shine’s ending scene.

There’s also at least one song that causes anyone who hears it to have a good cry. Sterling Knight’s performance as Christopher Wilde singing “What You Mean to Me” from Starstruck is an emotional song filled with ups and downs, leaving the listener frozen. Let It Shine has “Good To Be Home” and with Lemonade Mouth’s performance of “More Than a Band”, there’s not a single dry eye. Arguably there are other movies that accomplish the same effect, such as High School Musical 2 with “Gotta Go My Own Way” and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam’s “Wouldn’t Change a Thing.” But what these movies are lacking is diversity. The High School Musical and Camp Rock movie franchises are great, especially when it comes to the music, but they lack the proper songs that can make me feel light and free, sad, angry, and so on. Starstruck, Let It Shine, and Lemonade Mouth do all of these in just one movie, respectively.

Rivaling bands, Lemonade Mouth and Mudslide Crush, both take the cake when it comes to songs that feed into one’s anger. Sometimes you just need that song that recognizes your frustration, and that’s something you can find in Lemonade Mouth. “And The Crowd Goes” by Mudslide Crush is one of the first songs we hear from the movie. With the loud music, vocal ad-libs, and strong lyrics, it’s impossible to not want to rent out a rage room. The main band, Lemonade Mouth, is able to fulfill this same feeling with their songs “Here We Go” and “She’s So Gone.” Let It Shine is able to do the same with Coco Jones’s performance as Roxie singing her part during “Me And You.” The same goes for Tyler James Williams’s performance as Cyrus during his rap battle with Brandon Mychal Smith’s, ‘Lord of Da Bling’, in “Moment Of Truth.” And we can’t forget about Anna Margaret’s “New Boyfriend.”

And then there are the songs that are perfect to play at a party because there is no other way to describe them other than saying that they “go hard”. I believe that if clubs were to play these songs, the dance floor would be packed. With Let It Shine’s main genre of music being hip hop and rap, the movie has many songs that fit into this category: Coco Jones’s “What I Said” and Brandon Mychal Smith’s “Tonight’s The Night.” Lemonade Mouth is also a movie that has many songs that could make a crowd go wild. “Determinate” is one, “Breakthrough” is another, and “Livin’ On a High Wire” is the final one. Brandon Mychal Smith carries Disney music because not only does his performance as Bling from Let It Shine make the movie upbeat, but he does the same thing in Starstruck with his character Stubby. Just like the title of his song, Stubby could “Party Up” an entire club of people, even with his rap solo in Christopher Wilde’s song “Shades.”

And then there are the songs that come from each soundtrack that just give it that extra something. Whoever’s watching the movie and listening to the songs can feel the originality in it. Everyone knows “Determinate” from Lemonade Mouth because it’s the most popular and it gets stuck in your head for days. But “Somebody” is a song that deserves just as much recognition for its message, which correlates perfectly with the plot of the movie. Let It Shine accomplishes this with “Guardian Angel” and Starstruck with its most well-known song, “Starstruck”. That’s another great thing about these songs from each of these movies—they speak directly to the essence of the movie. Like the Camp Rock and High School Musical franchises, you could make an argument that others like those from The Cheetah Girls achieve the same thing. And while our favorite Disney girlies do have two songs literally called “Amigas Cheetahs” and “Cheetah Sisters” from The Cheetah Girls 2, I still find myself skipping their songs like “Why Wait” and “A La Nanita Nana.” They’re great songs and I don’t know about you, but sometimes it just doesn’t satisfy the moment.

Knowing the best Disney Channel Original Movie soundtrack is realizing that any song is worthy of shout-singing while driving in your car. And if you think I’m wrong then I dare you to watch all three, look me in the eyes, and tell me that you didn’t vibe with every single one of these songs.