When Sirius XM announced the March 25 launch of Disney Hits, it brought to mind the early days of the recently defunct Radio Disney, when that channel relied more on Disney soundtrack music, and less on outside teen pop. The early Radio Disney had a midday show that was mostly Disney movie songs mixed with other children’s favorites, as well as a short-lived lullaby program at nights.
Over the years, Radio Disney evolved to an all-current teen pop format, along with the launch of its sister Radio Disney Country channel. That ended last December, and the station began airing throwbacks from throughout its history as a farewell to listeners. That format continues over AM KRDC Los Angeles, pending the station sale, but it’s no longer available on the station site or iHeart Radio, its last two streaming platforms. We took a Final Listen in early February.
The new station is programmed by Sirius XM in conjunction with the Disney Music Group, an apparent extension of their online Disney Hits playlists. The announcement promised “everyone’s all-time favorite Disney music from movies, television shows, and more, all on one channel” spanning The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Toy Story to Moana, Frozen 2, and Descendants 2. On air, it’s summed up as “Disney hit classics, all in one place,” or, my favorite, “the happiest music on Earth.” (Another sweeper recalls how “it all started with a mouse and a dream.”)
The launch also coincided with the release of Descendants star Sofia Carson’s new single, “Fool’s Gold.” Carson was heard throughout the day on Friday, March 26, playing her four favorite Disney songs on Be Our Guest 4 The Day. (“Fool’s Gold,” meanwhile, appears as product falls into formation for “Song of Summer” contention. I appreciate that it starts hot, in seeming defiance of streaming law that even uptempo records must meander on to the radio and not pick up tempo until :25 into the song.)
As heard in its first two days, Disney Hits is built largely around the Disney Channel/Radio Disney era from the mid-‘90s to now, with a lot of mid-‘00s. I heard some vintage titles as part of the feature programming. During regular programming it was more like a 50/50 mix of movie plot songs and teen pop that just happened to be from a Disney project. Here’s SiriusXM Disney Hits at 9 p.m. ET on its first day, March 25:
- Randy Newman, “So Long” (Toy Story 3)
- Miley Cyrus, “Hoedown Throwdown” (Hannah Montana: The Movie)
- Liv & Maddie, “What a Girl Is” (Liv & Maddie)
- Daft Punk, “The Son of Flynn” (Tron Legacy)
- Cheetah Girls, “Step Up” (The Cheetah Girls 2)
- Lea Salonga, “Reflection” (Mulan)— As I write, Carson is playing the Christina Aguilera version on her feature
- Lana Del Rey, “Once Upon A Dream” (Maleficent)
- Rapunzel & Varian, “Ready as I’ll Ever Be” (Tangled: The Series)
- Phil Collins, “Son of Man” (Tarzan)
- Meg Donnelly & Trevor Tordjman, “Stand” (Zombies)
- Judy Kuhn, “Just Around the Riverbed” (Pocahontas)
- Michael Giacchino, “Married Life” (Up)
- Demi Lovato, “So Far So Great” (Sonny with a Chance)
- They Might Be Giants, “Hot Dog” (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
- David Ogden Stiers, “The Bells of Notre Dame” (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
- Will Smith, “Prince Ali” (Aladdin)
- Selena Gomez, “Fly to Your Heart” (Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure)
