I'll Make A Man Out Of You
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"I'll Make a Man Out of You" is a song written by composer
Matthew Wilder Matthew Wilder ( Weiner; January 24, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 1983 hit single " Break My Stride", which hit No. 2 on the '' Cashbox'' chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...
and lyricist
David Zippel David Joel Zippel (born May 17, 1954) is an American musical theatre and film lyricist, composer, songwriter, director, and producer. Early life and education Zippel was born on May 17, 1954, in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region ...
for
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...
' animated film ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...
''(1998). Appearing on the film's soundtrack '' Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack'', "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is performed by American singer
Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...
as the singing voice of Captain Li Shang in lieu of American actor
BD Wong Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in '' M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Crit ...
, who provides the character's speaking voice. The song also features contributions from
Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, ( ; born February 22, 1971) is a Filipino singer and actress. Known primarily for her work in theatre, she has starred in musicals on Broadway and in the West End. Her accolades include a Tony Award and a L ...
as the singing voice of
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...
,
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...
as
Mushu Mushu is a fictional character in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's ''Mulan (franchise), Mulan'' franchise, first appearing in the 1998 animated film ''Mulan (1998 film), Mulan''. A small Chinese dragon, Mushu was a Tutelary deity#Chinese f ...
, and
Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He gained notice for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'', winning both the Tony Award for Best ...
,
Jerry Tondo Jerry Shigekazu Tondo (born October 10, 1950) is a Japanese-American actor and voice actor. He is known for providing the voice of the character Chien-Po in the animated film ''Mulan (1998 film), Mulan''. Other titles Tondo has contributed to inc ...
and Wilder himself as Yao, Chien-Po and Ling, respectively. In addition, Mushu has a speaking line unlike the other characters in the song. "I'll Make a Man Out of You" was written to replace the song "We'll Make a Man of You" after the film's original songwriter
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...
departed from the project in favor of working on DreamWorks' ''
The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik, from a story by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. Produced by DreamWorks Pictur ...
''(1998). Wilder and Zippel were inspired to complete the song after conceiving its ironic title, and the initial draft of the track was immediately approved by Disney. Prior to ''Mulan'', Osmond had auditioned for the role of
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
in Disney's ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' (1997), a role for which he was ultimately turned down by the directors because they felt that he sounded too old. Disney eventually cast Osmond as the singing voice of Shang because his singing voice is similar to Wong's speaking voice. An up-tempo military-style song that incorporates both Eastern and Western musical styles, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is performed by Shang during a rigorous training montage in which his young, inexperienced soldiers attempt to justify their worth. The song's title is considered ironic because Mulan, who relies on intelligence, ultimately proves more competent than her male comrades, including Captain Li Shang, who takes a liking to her, while its lyrics explore hyper-masculinity contradicted with Mulan's gender. "I'll Make a Man Out of You" has received mostly positive reviews from film and music critics, some of whom dubbed it the film's best song, while praising Osmond's performance. Critics have also drawn comparisons between the song and Disney's ''Hercules'','' ''while likening Mulan's role and transformation to actress
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
's performance as Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil in the film '' G. I. Jane ''(1997). The song has since appeared on several "best of" Disney songs lists, including those of ''
Total Film ''Total Film'' was a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly with a summer issue added, between the July and August issues, every year since issue 91, 2004) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and of ...
''and the''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
''. Discussed by film critics, film historians, academic journalists and feminists, the song has gone on to be recorded and covered in several different languages—namely Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish—by entertainers
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
and
Cristian Castro Cristian Sáinz Castro (born 8 December 1974) is a Mexican pop singer. He is the son of actors Verónica Castro and Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, and nephew of actors Ramón Valdés (known for playing Don Ramón in '' El Chavo del Ocho'') and ...
, respectively.


Writing and recording

"I'll Make a Man Out of You" was written by composer
Matthew Wilder Matthew Wilder ( Weiner; January 24, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 1983 hit single " Break My Stride", which hit No. 2 on the '' Cashbox'' chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...
and lyricist
David Zippel David Joel Zippel (born May 17, 1954) is an American musical theatre and film lyricist, composer, songwriter, director, and producer. Early life and education Zippel was born on May 17, 1954, in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region ...
, who were hired to write ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...
'''s songs because Disney was interested in recruiting songwriters "that ... would give kind of a different sound to each of the songs." While Zippel, a
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
lyricist, was recruited because the directors were impressed with his work on Disney's ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
''(1997), at the time Wilder, a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
singer, had been best known for his song " Break My Stride". Bancroft believes that, although the songwriters "had two different sensibilities ... the blend f their stylesworked well together, especially on
I'll Make a Man Out of You' I'll may refer to * "I'll", meaning "I will" or "I shall", a contraction (grammar) * ''I'll'' (manga) * "I'll", a song by Band-Maid from '' Unleash'' * "I'll", a song by Dir En Grey * I'll (singer) No Jeong-hun (, born November 13, 1994), better ...
.Songwriter
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...
was originally slated to write lyrics for ''Mulan'' until he was replaced by Zippel "at the last moment." Schwartz had written a song called "We'll Make a Man of You" for the scene in which Mulan is training to be a soldier. The song was ultimately replaced with Wilder and Zippel's "I'll Make a Man Out of You" when Schwartz was forced to resign from ''Mulan'' by Disney executives Peter Schneider and
Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner ( ; born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film ...
because the songwriter had also agreed to score rival studio DreamWorks' animated film ''
The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik, from a story by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. Produced by DreamWorks Pictur ...
'' (1998). Wilder and Zippel first conceived the song's title, which then inspired them to write its lyrics and music. Zippel identified determining the song's ironic title as the moment "he knew he'd hit on something great" by "contrasting Mulan's gender with the concept of what it means to be a man." The songwriters were hoping to create an original version of a training montage that was funny without being obvious, while remaining in character at all times. In an unlikely situation, the filmmakers universally enjoyed the song from its very first draft. Wilder described himself as using "an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach" to composing its music, explaining, "I knew I wanted it to sound large and I knew what the tempo and the cadence of the piece was." Combining Eastern and Western styles, Wilder borrowed "drum cadences from traditional Chinese drums and then marrying that with military snares", upon which he continued building until "it became this cacophonous effect of a Chinese marching American band". Wilder and Zippel decided to incorporate drums into the track to demonstrate a sense of masculinity and musculature, identifying the song as very odd in structure but appropriate for its lyrics. Zippel's incorporation of "naturalistic descriptions of masculinity" into the song's lyrics – raging fire, coursing river, great typhoon – was used in an attempt to "get inside Shang's head space", elaborating, "I was just trying to be in character for the captain and how an Asian captain would lead his group differently than how a Western captain would call his troops," identifying as an opportunity "to put some specificity into it." Wilder recorded the song's demo himself, which was arranged into a composition featuring a 100-piece orchestra and male choir conducted by musician
Paul Buckmaster Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Shawn Phillips, Elton Joh ...
. Before ''Mulan'', American singer
Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...
had auditioned for the lead role in ''Hercules'', a role for which he was ultimately not cast because the directors felt that his voice sounded "too old" and "too deep" for the character. Osmond later revealed in an interview with ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
''that he was so embarrassed by his ''Hercules ''audition that he had nearly considered ending his singing career prematurely. A few months later, Disney contacted Osmond with interest in casting him as the singing voice of Shang after comparing his audition tapes to BD Wong and determining that both actors have "very similar voices." In one scene, Osmond's character, Shang, is hit in the stomach while singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You". In order to sound as realistic as possible, Osmond punched himself in the stomach several times while recording the song.


Context and use in ''Mulan''

"I'll Make a Man Out of You" is performed by Captain Li Shang during ''Mulan''s training montage, which has also been identified as the film's " boot camp sequence." The scene explores Shang's attempt to train his newly recruited squadron of incompetent soldiers in the hopes of ultimately transforming them into a skilled army. Occupying a significant portion of the film's plot, Shang promises to turn his team of "rag-tag recruits" into men, implying that they are merely boys unless they learn to fight while entirely unaware that Mulan is a woman. The musical number is used to "compress dramatic time or narrate" in a more compelling way than had solely dialogue been used. The scene begins with Shang shooting an
arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
into the top of a tall pole and challenging all of his soldiers to retrieve it, each of whom fail until Mulan eventually succeeds. According to the book'' Into the Closet: Cross-Dressing and the Gendered Body in Children's Literature and Film ''by Victoria Flanagan, Mulan is successful in retrieving the arrow because she uses "an ingenuity that is based upon her ability to incorporate aspects of femininity into her masculine performance." By the end of the scene, all of the soldiers have improved dramatically and the results of their practice and training are finally revealed. In what ''Joshua and Judges'' author Athalya Brenner called "a humorous reversal toward the end of the movie," Mulan and her male comrades disguise themselves as
concubines Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar, but mutually exclusive. During the e ...
in order to infiltrate the palace and rescue the emperor while "I'll Make a Man Out of You" reprises in the background.Critics have observed ways in which the scene explores Mulan's growth and transformation as the character evolves from a clumsy, inexperienced recruit into one of the army's most skilled soldiers, in spite of her gender. According to the book ''Literacy, Play and Globalization: Converging Imaginaries in Children's Critical and Cultural Performances'', the montage depicts Mulan's gender as "an obstacle to overcome." Author Phyllis Frus wrote in her book ''Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works'', "The need for inexperienced young men to go through a rigorous training results in a sequence common to many films," and that the scene "shows the challenges Ping/Mulan faces due to her" inexperience. As observed by Juanita Kwok in the book ''Film Asia: New Perspectives on Film for English'', the irony of the scene lies within the fact that "Mulan proves herself more competent than any of the men." The author also observed that the scene's first refrain accompanies shots of Shang, while its second "coincides with Mulan climbing to the top of the pole." Additionally, while the earlier, all-female musical number "
Honor to Us All "Honor to Us All" is a song written by composer Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film ''Mulan'' (1998). Recorded by singers Beth Fowler, Marni Nixon and Lea Salonga, the latter two of whom provide the si ...
" "functions as an account of the constructedness of female gender," "I'll Make a Man Out of You" "juxtaposes and makes explicit the contention that gender is a cultural product," according to Johnson Cheu, author of ''Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability''. ''The Representation of Gender in Walt Disney's "Mulan" ''believes that the song emphasizes desirable masculine traits, namely "discipline ... tranquility, celerity, strength and fearlessness," while Shang, according to ''Putting the Grail Back into Girl Power: How a Girl Saved Camelot, and why it Matters'', "views emininityas comparable to weakness." In her article ''Disney's "Mulan"—the "True" Deconstructed Heroine?'', Lisa Brocklebank argued the song explores themes such as othering, ostracism and abjection. Hannah Yasharoff, writing for ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', believes Mulan is used to counter the idea that masculinity is "the only way to become strong enough to win the war". Comparing the song to other training sequences such as '' Private Benjamin'' (1980), Wilder explained that the filmmakers "were trying to marry the idea of that hyper-masculinity as if it were a Marine moment, but instead of it being Marines, it was the Chinese army." Critics have drawn similarities between the "I'll Make a Man Out of You" sequence and
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
' training montage in Disney's ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
''(1997), as well as actress
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
's role as Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil in the film '' G. I. Jane ''(1997). In the book ''Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature'', author John Stephens wrote that although both ''Mulan ''and ''Hercules'' depict "the active male body as spectacle," ''Mulan''s is less "straight-forward" due to the character's gender. Michael Dequina of ''The Movie Report'' observed that "Mulan's transformation is highly reminiscent of Demi Moore's in last year's Disney drama ''G.I. Jane'', but'' Mulan ''oneups that film's hour-long toughening process by efficiently covering the same ground during a single, rousing musical number."


Music and lyrics

Written in
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
at a tempo of 114
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
and starting out in the key of
G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...
, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" has been identified as a "heroic
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
" and
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
that features an upbeat, "thumping" rhythm. Wilder himself has identified "I'll Make a Man Out of You" as "a very odd
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
song". ''The Disney Song Encyclopedia ''described the song as a "rhythmic
military song A war song is a musical composition that relates to war, or a society's attitudes towards war. They may be pro-war, anti-war, or simply a description of everyday life during war times. It is possible to classify these songs by historical conflic ...
." Beginning with "a military-style drum" introduction, "I'll Make a Man Out of You", which is immediately preceded by the emotional
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
"
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to: Science and technology * Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon ** Specular reflection, mirror-like reflection of waves from a surface *** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water ** Diffuse r ...
" on the film's soundtrack album, "breaks up the slower pace of the songs," according to Filmtracks.com. Similar to the song " A Girl Worth Fighting For", the "ironically titled" "I'll Make a Man Out of You" "play off Mulan's secret" because Shang is unaware that she is actually a girl, as observed by Jeffrey Gantz of '' The Phoenix''. Johnson Cheu, author of'' Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability'', received the song as a counterpart to the all-female musical number "
Honor to Us All "Honor to Us All" is a song written by composer Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film ''Mulan'' (1998). Recorded by singers Beth Fowler, Marni Nixon and Lea Salonga, the latter two of whom provide the si ...
". Going into the last verse, the song's key shifts up to
F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp ...
and later towards the end, "the
backing track A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live m ...
falls into silence and smond'svocals come to the fore." Osmond's
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
spans one octave, from D3 to G#4 Beginning with two verses, followed by a bridge, a refrain, a final verse and repeated choruses, the song is a total of three minutes and twenty-one seconds in length. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''identified the number as the film's "rambunctious peak." According to Victoria Flanagan, author of ''Into the Closet: Cross-Dressing and the Gendered Body in Children's Literature and Film'', "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is "a playful parody of conventional masculinity." ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'''s Hannah Yasharoff described the song as "a
tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...
comment on sexism". Lyrically, Zippel described the track as a song about "hyper-masculinity" that is disturbed by "the whole idea of ''Mulan''", identifying the song as an opportunity "to have those two issues head-to-head." The lyric "I'll make a man out of you" is constantly repeated and reinforced by Shang. According to author John Stephens of ''Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature'', the song's lyrics "initially define masculinity in opposition to femininity," with its first verse beginning, Let's get down to business To defeat the Huns / Did they send me daughters / When l asked for sons ?" Its
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
reads, Be a man We must be swift as the coursing river / Be a man With all the force of a great typhoon / Be a man With all the strength of a raging fire / Mysterious as the dark side of the moon " which, according to ''Ways of Being Male'', "essentializes masculinity by asserting that it embodies the speed, strength and power of the natural world, and yet contains this within an aura of tranquility and mystery." According to ''Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works'', these lyrics "add a hint of darkness as they celebrate male prowess" by suggesting that one who has "acquired fiery strength" is also "untamed as the moon's dark side." According to ''The Phoenix'', Osmond performs the song's lyrics with "grit." Meanwhile, the singer is
backed up ''Backed Up'' is the second album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Ferron, accompanied by a backing band. Produced by Ferron and Keith Maillard and released in 1978 by her own independent label Lucy Records, it includes early versions of several ...
by a
macho Machismo (; ; ; ) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". Machismo is a term originating in the early 1940s and 1950s and its use more wi ...
-sounding choir repeatedly chanting "Be a man!", a
call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
preceded by three chords intertwined with lyrics such as "you must be swift as the coursing river" and "with all the force of a great typhoon." ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'''s Maureen Lee Lenker identified the "Be a man" chorus as the song's most iconic moment.


International versions

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
actor
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
was hired to dub the voice of Shang and record "I'll Make a Man Out of You" in
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
and
Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
. The
special edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...
DVD release of ''Mulan ''features a music video of Chan performing the song. The video also depicts Chan performing
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
-inspired choreography. Positively received, Scott Chitwood of
ComingSoon.net Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male ...
called Chan's rendition "a fun addition for Chan fans," while Nancy Churnin of ''
The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...
''wrote that he performed the song "very ably." The special edition DVD release of the movie also features a multi-lingual version of the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You" sung in 16 of the 30 versions originally released for the movie.


Critical response

"I'll Make a Man Out of You" has been met with mostly positive reviews from both
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
and
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. Irving Tan of Sputnikmusic wrote, "there hasn't been a single chorus in all of post-''Mulan'' pop music that has managed to rival the roaring power in the refrain." Scott Chitwood of
ComingSoon.net Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male ...
reviewed "I'll Make a Man Out of You" as "a stirring, testosterone filled piece," describing the scene as "amusing."
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''wrote that the song "has a comparable infectious punch," concluding, "it's the only song in the movie that escapes
Disneyfied In the field of sociology, the term ''Disneyfication'' describes the commercial transformation of things (e.g. entertainment) or environments into something simplified, controlled, and 'safe'—reminiscent of the Walt Disney brand (such as its med ...
blandness." Jeff Vice of the ''
Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
''observed that Wong and Osmond's "voices sound eerily similar." Tom Henry of '' The Blade'' enjoyed Osmond's delivery, describing the singer's performance as "solid." Lloyd Paseman of ''
The Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene ...
''called "I'll Make a Man Out of You" a favorite of his. While exploring "The History of Movie Training Montages", Chris Giblin of ''
Men's Fitness ''Men's Fitness'' was a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series '' The Greatest American Hero''. The magazine's slogan was "How ...
''opined, "''Mulan'' served as proof that the fitness montage can work amazingly well in movies for kids." Giblin continued, "it has the best lyrics of any serious fitness/sports montage song. Overall, a very strong montage."
Disney.com disney.com is a website operated by Disney Digital Network, a division of The Walt Disney Company, that promotes various Disney properties such as films, television shows, and theme park resorts, and offers entertainment content intended for ch ...
itself cites "I'll Make a Man Out of You" as a "song that was so epic, so legendary, that it requires an out loud sing along anytime we hear it." Despite dubbing the film's songs its "weak link," ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''wrote that the musical numbers are "crafted with a knowing, almost camp wink that's totally in keeping with the subtext of the film," concluding that "I'll Make a Man Out of You" sounds like a
Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the re ...
song. Writing for ''
The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...
'', Moira Macdonald criticized Wilder and Zippel's songs as "forgettable," calling "I'll Make a Man Out of You" "annoying." '' The Phoenix''s Jeffrey Gantz wrote that "Donny Osmond shows some grit, but he's still the voice of the
Whitebread White bread typically refers to breads made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ layers have been removed from the whole wheatberry as part of the flour grinding or milling process, producing a light-colored flour. Nutrition Whit ...
West."
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's Jason Verlinde commented, "Unfortunately, the voice of Donny Osmond, relegated to anthems such as 'I'll Make a Man Out of You' doesn't really enhance the story line".


Live performances and covers

In April 2017, Osmond performed "I'll Make a Man Out of You" live on the 24th season of the reality television competition ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'', the ninth season of which Osmond himself had won. Part of the season's Disney-themed episode, Osmond's performance accompanied singer
Normani Normani Kordei Hamilton ( ; born May 31, 1996), known mononymously as Normani, is an American singer. She first became known as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in t ...
and professional dancer
Val Chmerkovskiy Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy (born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, best known for his appearances on the U.S. version of ''Dancing with the Stars'', which he won three times. Chmerkovskiy is a two-time ...
's
pasodoble Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This often was accompanied by ...
. The competitors were ultimately he highest-scoring couple of the evening, earning a score of 49 from the judges. In October 2014, a parody of "I'll Make a Man Out of You" was uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
entitled "I'll Make a 'Mon Out of You" by YouTuber Esquirebob. A mashup of ''Mulan ''and the popular ''
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
''franchise, the video features
Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise, which encompasses virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films, and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures who inhabit a ...
Gatomon attempting to masquerade as Pokémon
Meowth Meowth, known in Japanese as , is a List of Pokémon, Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon, ''Pokémon'' media franchise, and the first stage of its Gameplay of Pokémon#Pokémon evolution, evolved form, Persian (Pokémon), Pers ...
in lieu of Mulan, while Ash occupies the role of Shang as his trainer, according to
Smosh Smosh () is an American YouTube sketch comedy-improv collective, independent production company, and former social networking site founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flas ...
. Another parody of the song, based on the ''
Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...
'' franchise was uploaded to YouTube by
TeamFourStar TeamFourStar is a YouTube channel and production company most notable for the creation of the web series ''Dragon Ball Z Abridged'', an abridged parody of the anime television series ''Dragon Ball Z''. Noted for its satirical humor of various ...
. Although the 2020 remake of ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...
'' leaves out, "I'll Make a Man Out of You,"
fanedit by Blue Hippo Films
uses the movie's new training scenes to convincingly add the song back. On April 16, 2020, Donny Osmond gave an at-home performance of the song during The Disney Family Singalong.


Impact and legacy

''
Total Film ''Total Film'' was a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly with a summer issue added, between the July and August issues, every year since issue 91, 2004) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and of ...
'' ranked "I'll Make a Man Out of You" twenty-ninth on its list of the "30 Best Disney Songs". Similarly,'' M ''ranked the song twentieth on its list of the "Top 20 Disney Songs of All Time". Author Stephanie Osmanski cited "Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?" as her favourite lyric.
PopSugar PopSugar Inc. is an American media and technology company that is the parent to the media property PopSugar (stylized POPSUGAR) and a monthly subscription business PopSugar Must Have. The company was founded in 2006 by married couple Brian and Lis ...
ranked the song the nineteenth "Catchiest Disney Song". In 2012, ''Entertainment Weekly'' readers voted the song 18th on their list of 20 all-time greatest Disney songs. Osmond himself acknowledged the accomplishment in a
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
post, writing, "In my grandkids' eyes, this is easily my greatest accomplishment yet."
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
Josh Pappenheim called "I'll Make a Man Out of You" "one of the most iconic Disney songs of all time". Hannah Yasharoff, writing for ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', dubbed the track "an iconic moment in pop culture." On ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
''s list of the twenty "Most Awesome Training Montages In Cinema History", "I'll Make a Man Out of You" was ranked 14th. The author identified it as "a solid training montage in which Mulan and her friends go from hapless duffers to fearless warriors in just over two minutes." Similarly, ''
Men's Fitness ''Men's Fitness'' was a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series '' The Greatest American Hero''. The magazine's slogan was "How ...
''also ranked "I'll Make a Man Out of You" among the greatest training montages in film history. Stephen Fiorentine of Sneaker Report wrote that "Training montages aren't limited to just live-action movies. With movies like ''Mulan ''and ''Hercules'', Disney mastered the art of the montage in their animated films." In 2018, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' contributor Maureen Lee Lenker wrote that the song has successfully "endured since the film's release" and remained "a perennial favorite" despite being more upbeat than typical Disney songs. Actress
Daisy Ridley Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley (born 10 April 1992) is an English actress. She rose to prominence for her role as Rey in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy. She appeared in the mystery film ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (2017), played the title ...
said that she listens to the song to prepare for action sequences in film roles, particularly for her performance in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015). Ridley explained that the song "makes me feel empowered" and revive her energy, comparing her character Rey finding her strength to Mulan. Media publications have lamented the fact that the 2020 live-action adaptation of the film might not include any songs, particularly "I'll Make a Man Out of You", with Yasharoff writing, "Any excuse to make that song relevant again is more than welcome," and ranking the song second on their reasons "Why the live-action version should replicate the animated musical". While the song itself was not sung in the live-action film, lines from it were repeated during Mulan's training at the camp as a rallying call for the recruits.


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the website
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
. *
Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...
– lead vocals *
Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, ( ; born February 22, 1971) is a Filipino singer and actress. Known primarily for her work in theatre, she has starred in musicals on Broadway and in the West End. Her accolades include a Tony Award and a L ...
,
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...
,
Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He gained notice for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'', winning both the Tony Award for Best ...
,
Jerry Tondo Jerry Shigekazu Tondo (born October 10, 1950) is a Japanese-American actor and voice actor. He is known for providing the voice of the character Chien-Po in the animated film ''Mulan (1998 film), Mulan''. Other titles Tondo has contributed to inc ...
and
Matthew Wilder Matthew Wilder ( Weiner; January 24, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 1983 hit single " Break My Stride", which hit No. 2 on the '' Cashbox'' chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...
– additional vocals *
Matthew Wilder Matthew Wilder ( Weiner; January 24, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 1983 hit single " Break My Stride", which hit No. 2 on the '' Cashbox'' chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...
– songwriting and producing *
David Zippel David Joel Zippel (born May 17, 1954) is an American musical theatre and film lyricist, composer, songwriter, director, and producer. Early life and education Zippel was born on May 17, 1954, in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region ...
– songwriting


Certifications


References


External links

* (on Donny Osmond's official channel) {{authority control 1990s ballads 1998 songs Donny Osmond songs Cristian Castro songs Disney Renaissance songs 1998 singles Pop ballads Songs with lyrics by David Zippel Songs written by Matthew Wilder Songs from Mulan (franchise) Walt Disney Records singles