Hal Willner is an American music producer and arranger chiefly known for his elaborate tribute albums to different artists and genres. In 1988 he assembled a who's-who of pop and rock musicians to record a collection of Disney covers and songs inspired by Disney films. The result was Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films.
Choosing a single track to represent the album is difficult. There's an enormous variety of styles and approaches to the music. Los Lobos give a shaking samba treatment to 'I Wanna Be Like You.' Suzanne Vega turns the titular 'Stay Awake' into a haunting lullaby mantra. Even Sun Ra puts in an appearance taking Dumbo's 'Pink Elephants On Parade' to it's natural skronking conclusion.
One of the more unusual arrangements on the album is Tom Waits' take on 'Heigh Ho (The Dwarf's Marching Song).' The skeleton of the original has been removed and grafted into a shambling homunculus of gurning saxophones and grinding metal. Far from casting a new light on the original; Tom instead drowns it in shadows.
this may be an urban legend but disney supposedly tried to sue tom waits for changing the lyrics to this song. however, the lyrics are exactly the same as the ones in snow white.
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