"Monster" is a song from the 2018 Broadway musical ''
Frozen'', an adaptation of the 2013 Disney’s computer-animated musical film
of the same name. Sung by
Elsa, the song takes place during the second act. The song was written by
Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Kristen Anderson-Lopez (born March 21, 1972) is an American songwriter and lyricist known for co-writing the songs for the 2013 computer-animated musical film '' Frozen'' and its 2019 sequel '' Frozen II'' with her husband Robert Lopez. The coup ...
and
Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez (born February 23, 1975) is an American songwriter for musicals, best known for co-creating ''The Book of Mormon'' and ''Avenue Q'', and for co-writing the songs featured in the Disney computer-animated films '' Frozen'', its seque ...
. the scene takes place after Elsa stikes Anna with her powers and starts questioning her own mortality, then Hans and his men come to capture Elsa in her ice palace.
Composition
"Monster" is written in D minor and vocals span from A3 to Eb5. The song contains an allusion to
Dies Irae.
Release
The song was released on YouTube Vevo with a music video the same day the show opened on Broadway. This track was performed at New York City's Gotham Hall, and is the first of four original songs from the musical to be released weekly through the Disney on Broadway channel (the Anna and Kristof duet "What Do You Know About Love?", the Elsa solo "Dangerous to Dream", and the Anna solo "True Love").
Context
The soliloquy ballad sees Elsa ask herself if she is evil due to her magical abilities, and wonders if the world would be better without her. She first attempts this by running away to a far-off place and building an ice palace ("Let It Go"). When a winter is triggered regardless, she considers more extreme measures.
This song takes place after Elsa has just thrown Anna and Kristoff out of the ice palace, as Hans and his men from Arendelle arrive to capture her. She thinks about the damage she has caused,
while she is buried under her self-doubt, fear, and uncertainty.
Critical reception
''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' felt that the song "allows the audience to better understand her motivations" at this point in the story. ''
Mashable'' deemed the piece an "earworm",
while ''
Digital Spy'' described the song as "pure Elsa".
References
{{authority control
2010s ballads
2018 songs
Songs about monsters
Songs from musicals
Disney songs
Songs from Frozen (franchise)
Songs written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Songs written by Robert Lopez