“We don’t talk about Bruno” has become of the most successful Disney songs since Frozen’s hit “Let it go” in 2014. The song, which is part of Encanto’s soundtrack might be an easy-going piece with some Latin touches and a very clear picture of why the Madrigal family prefers not to talk about the uncomfortable member.
However, it goes beyond being an easy song. Its chords, mixing of the voices, and even its style have to do with the overall Encanto message and how the famous Colombian family really works; moreover, is a reminder that Latin music is here to stay.
How “we don’t talk about Bruno” was born?
According to Byron Howard, one of Encanto’s directors, it was during one of the weekly meetings with Lin-Manuel Miranda that the song came up. Talking to The New York Times he recalls how when explaining to Miranda the vibe Bruno was going to have in the movie, he started playing a melody on his piano.
“We saw Lin thinking, then he stared at us and said: It seems like it is a ghost story, as a sinister montuno”, said Howard about a Cuban musical pattern. “He then goes to his piano and starts playing the first three chords. We literally saw him put it together and compose it right there”.
It was as well Lin-Manuel who chose Bruno’s name. The reason? It rhymed with no, no, no. Originally, the character’s name was planned to be Oscar, but due to legal reasons –apparently, there are many Oscar Madrigal in Colombia- directors decided to change its name; when they asked for Miranda’s opinion, without hesitation he chose Bruno.
The Latin reference in the song
“We don’t talk about Bruno” success might be in its composition, which mixes different genres with well-known chord progressions that are stuck in our minds for a very long time.
According to musician Ángel Soto, Lin Manuel Miranda “uses a very popular harmonic base and a succession of chords that we’re already familiar with” and that comes, mainly from Cuban music, particularly montuno the father of salsa.
“The first section has a very popular progression not only in Cuban music but also in other Latin American music. It sounds, for example, at minute 0:40 of “I Like It Like That”, by Pete Rodríguez; It also sounds from the beginning of “Popote’s Guajira”, by Los Hacheros. These examples, like “We don’t talk about Bruno”, are in a minor key. But the same sequence of chords is found in La Bamba, only in a major key.”, said Ángel.
But there is another familiar element while listening to “We don’t talk about Bruno” that you may have missed: a reference to “Despacito”, 2017 from Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi.
As Ángel explains, “At 2:11 we go to a bridge in the song, and with that the harmony changes as well. (Now the new progression is I-V-vi-IV). That is a sequence of chords that we have also heard in lots of popular songs, including the hit “Despacito”. Again, it is a sound that our ears already recognize”.
Why is this song so popular?
Easy. The song takes traditional elements from Latin American music to which we are very familiar and mixes it with a contemporary style to fit into Disney musicals. In other words, it just takes advantage of previous hits to remix and came up with a modernized, disneyfied song.
The variations in keys, as well as its rhythm close to salsa, make it feel closer, familiar, and of course, upbeat.
Its impact has been so that it got to the #1 position of music videos in YouTube with over 111 million views and is already been added to hit playlists in platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes.
And, even though the song has been a hit, it will not compete for an Oscar. But that is another story.
