Top 10 Songs from the Specials
June 12, 2021
Y’know what I love about the newer specials? The songs. Ever since Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure, the specials decided to go in a musical route, having the musical numbers sung by the characters progress the story in some way or just provide an entertaining moment, to the point where none of them (except We're Friends) can really be considered bad. But what’s the best of them? For this list, I’ll be taking a look at the best musical numbers to come from the newer specials, from Lost Treasure all the way up to Steam Team to the Rescue. But keep in mind that this only focuses on the musical numbers sung by the characters. Songs sung during the special in the background, such as what we got in King of the Railway and Calling All Engines!, as good as they are, don’t count for the sake of this list. Also, this will only apply to my opinions on the matter, so if your favorites don’t make the list, don’t worry. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Talk about starting off on the right foot. This is perhaps the biggest ensemble piece in Thomas history, with nearly every single character in the Thomas pantheon (at the time) getting a line. While some additions like the miniature engines don’t make a lot of sense, a lot of the individual characters have legitimately good motivations for wanting into the Great Railway Show. Plus, it does set the main plot of Thomas wanting into the show in motion really well. Again, some of the cast’s singing isn’t that great (particularly Henry’s in the US dub), but either way, this number knows how to get the special off to a great start.NUMBER 8: Be Who You Are and Go Far
Going from one Great Race song to the next, much like how Will You Won’t You kicked it off on a high note, this song ends the special on an even higher note. In fact, similarly to the aforementioned Will You Won’t You, the song is sung by all the major characters in the movie to cap off their character arcs, Thomas in particular. Sure, some of the lyrics can get repetitive, but either way, it’s still a great way to cap off the special.
Some of you may not really remember this one too well (heck, it didn’t even have a lyric video on the Journey Beyond Sodor DVD), but even at that, this is still a solid number. One of the best aspects of the song is that it’s actually a little bleak for a Thomas song, as he believes he’ll be stuck at the Steelworks for the rest of his life, but then picking up in pace and becoming more hopeful when he decides he needs to escape. It’s also noted for having a shot of Thomas with every standard-gauge character on the show (except Duck, which is kinda weird). This doesn’t have anything to do with the song itself, it’s just a neat detail. It may not be remembered as much as others, but with how the song itself is, maybe it should.
The best way to describe Streamlining is that it’s a lot like the song Greased Lightning from…well, Grease. Not only because they’re both songs about remodeling vehicles to go at high speeds, but the overall beats, tempo and feeling of the number just has that Greased Lightning vibe. But onto the song itself, this could possibly be one of the catchiest of the list, making it a little hard to get out of your head once you hear it. The one downside is that after it’s announced that Gordon will be the streamlined engine, the song becomes a little pointless, but that aside, this still makes for a systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic good time…come on, with the Greased Lightning comparisons I made, I kinda had to.
Ah, yes, the number that started the entire trend. One thing I particularly like about the song is that it has a pretty strong moral of not letting your size get in the way, which ties into Thomas’ arc of proving himself in the film. But what really makes this song pop is the visuals. This is perhaps the most visually interesting number on the list, with the miniature engines taking on many forms and set pieces. If there is one thing to nitpick here, it’s that Tim Whitnall, Tom Stourton and Keith Wickham aren’t the best singers, but that doesn’t take anything from the number itself.
Well, I mean, if you’re gonna pick up Peter Andre, ya gotta get your money’s worth. Once again, the song has a fast pace that fits Ace perfectly, as well as implementing some laid-back lyrics and some fantastic singing from Peter Andre, like I said. The one nitpick here is that there may not be a whole lot of visual flare, since most of the number is sung in a barren desert with very little standing out. But then again, seeing as Big World! Big Adventures! saw the beginning of the show having a lower animation budget, that can be excused. This is one number that sure knows how to take things free and easy, let me tell ya.
More like the hottest song in town, am I right? No? Okay, let’s get into this. One of the best aspects of the number is its style of music. Like another Thomas villain song, I’m Full of Surprises, the number goes for a more Broadway-esque beat, making the song insanely catchy as if it came straight out of something like Wicked or Hamilton, so one listen through and don’t expect it to leave your head. But what makes this song stand out above others is the singing. Of all the songs on this list, I’d have to call this one the best sung. Both Jim Howick and especially Sophie Colquohoun are fantastic singers, bringing so much life to the number.
Before we get into Number 1, we of course need to look into the
Who's Thomas?: While extremely pointless in the grand scheme of things, it's still a decent song nonetheless.
Don’t Stop: A good motivational song that almost makes Steam Team to the Rescue worth it.
Where in the World is Thomas?: A lot of fun references makes for a good musical number, though points were deducted for a bit of repetition.
The Most Important Thing Is Being Friends: A nice conclusion to the special, though not the most memorable.
Controversial pick, I know, but hear me out for a sec. This could perhaps be the most emotional song in the series, and while it would've been better if it were about Thomas missing the Sodor clan than missing Nia, the lyrics and composition are still powerful and emotionally resonant, so it wouldn't be hard to get the listener a little teary-eyed. Even if Big World! Big Adventures! was one of the weaker specials, it certainly brought us one tremendous song, and with that, I consider it the best song from the specials.
NUMBER 10: We Can’t Do Anything
One of the most interesting aspects of this song is that this could be classified as an anti-motivational song. It’s set up like Theo and Lexi are gonna tell Thomas that they can be really useful regardless of their flaws, but instead they’re all “yeah, no, we just flat out suck”, making the number all the more comical and meta. If there is one thing to criticize with the song, it’s that while Lucy Montgomery and Darren Boyd are decent enough singers, Hugh Bonneville isn’t that great. But seeing as he only gets one major solo line in the number, this is more of a nitpick if anything. But overall, even if Lexi and Theo are deemed useless, they still do provide a pretty solid number.
NUMBER 9: Will You Won’t You
NUMBER 8: Be Who You Are and Go Far
NUMBER 7: I Want to Go Home
NUMBER 6: Streamlining
NUMBER 5: Never Overlook a Little Engine
NUMBER 4: Free and Easy
NUMBER 3: You Can Only Be You
Being the standout number from The Great Race, You Can Only Be You provides a lot of what the previous songs also carried: a great message with accepting who you are, a Bollywood-esque feel with the composition, solid visuals, the list goes on. But possibly one of the number's strongest points is with the singing. While Thomas' voice actors do a good job in this department (except Joseph May), it's Tina Desai as Ashima that really steals the show with her phenomenal singing chops, making the song both a treat for the eyes and ears.
NUMBER 2: The Hottest Place in Town
Before we get into Number 1, we of course need to look into the
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Wake Up and Enda Ulale: While both fine numbers, they’re both a little too similar, so I left them as honorable mentions.Who's Thomas?: While extremely pointless in the grand scheme of things, it's still a decent song nonetheless.
Don’t Stop: A good motivational song that almost makes Steam Team to the Rescue worth it.
Where in the World is Thomas?: A lot of fun references makes for a good musical number, though points were deducted for a bit of repetition.
The Most Important Thing Is Being Friends: A nice conclusion to the special, though not the most memorable.
NUMBER 1: Sometimes You Make a Friend
And that's it for the list! If there was one I missed out on, feel free to suggest it. Toodles!
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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