But, in Elsa's next scene ( For The First Time In Forever (Reprise)), she is confronted with what she's done to Arendelle and sings, "Oh, I'm such a fool, I can't be free / No escape from this storm inside of me", driving her further toward despair. She is trying to convince herself that she can live with the turmoil inside. (The weather itself is actually quite calm for most of the song). Consider the following:Įlsa sings several times, "Let the storm rage on", referring to her stormy heart and mind. In fact, much of the rest of the story will be played out to specifically reverse many of the most triumphant lines of her song. The story has just begun, so this cannot be the end of the character development for Elsa - it is actually only the end of the beginning, and the primary function of the song is to set down the conflicts that Elsa must go through - the demons that she must face - before the story is over. The song itself only marks the end of the first act. Elsa has just run away from her own coronation, and has brought the eternal winter upon Arendelle. (At this point I would like to link the video and the lyrics for the song - I'll be referencing them often for the remainder of this post)įirst, consider the placement of the song in the whole movie.
The potency of the song derives not from how uplifting or positive it is, but rather how perfectly it fits into the overall narrative, and how much it does to develop Elsa into a compelling, relatable character. The song does lift her up, but only to set her perched atop a high precipice, with slippery slopes falling into a despair event horizon on one side and a moral event horizon on the other. It doesn't mark Elsa's claiming of her identity or her apotheosis - instead, by the end of the song, she is in severe danger of losing herself. Yes, the song is about empowerment, but there is also tragedy, anger, bitterness, and self-deception in it, in even greater measure. But while all this is true as far as that goes, stopping the analysis there misses the great depth and subtlety of the song. There has been much written about "Let It Go", and a typical opinion on the song is that it is "liberating" or "empowering", that it is about Elsa coming into her true identity, and that it is a jubilant celebration of release for those who have been living in fear or bondage. On my Google search history, there are queries such as "let it go is brilliant" and "frozen let it go analysis", but having found nothing satisfactory, I've decided to write this post instead. I am currently having an internal debate about whether Elsa is my favorite Disney character, and whether "Let It Go" is my favorite Disney song - time will tell, but I'm leaning towards "yes" on both questions. Don't take my word for it - Wikipedia, as usual, is great for such simple background facts. Go watch "Frozen" before you read it)ĭisney's latest film "Frozen" is receiving rave reviews, and the song "Let It Go" is one of the highlights of the film.
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