The movie Frozen debuted in November of 2013. But the big, hit earworm it unleashed upon the unsuspecting American populace took over 2014 in a way that has yet to fully dissipate.
The 9 best “Let it Go” parodies of 2014
We speak, of course, of “Let It Go,” and even if there were bigger hit songs in 2014, it’s still not hard to think of the year as the year of “Let It Go.” (You probably have it stuck in your head right now.)
“I am one with the wind and sky,” Idina Menzel sings as Elsa in the song, and that might seem prophetic: for a big part of 2014, this addictive song was pretty much one with the air we breathed.
Here’s the original song in case you live under a rock and/or have blocked it from your memory:
“Let it Go” enjoyed absurd popularity. It was a number one single. The Frozen soundtrack sold 2.7 million copies this year, making it second only to Taylor Swift’s 1989 for the year, to go along with the $1.27 billion the film made at the worldwide box office. The song even won an Oscar.
But on top of those monumental sales, the cultural omnipresence of the song was better observed elsewhere: on YouTube. “Let it Go” solidly took over as the cover song of choice for the first few months of the year. It may have even been bigger than 2012’s “Call Me Maybe” epidemic.
Here are nine versions of “Let it Go” that will remind you why this song got so huge:
1. The best cover:
Alex Boyé‘s Africanized cover of “Let it Go,” featuring the One Voice Children’s Choir, was by far one of the most popular versions of the song. The video has an absurd 58 million views on Youtube. But it features singing children and beautiful backing vocals. What’s not to love?
2. The toy version:
In one of the host’s first Tonight Show episodes, Menzel joined Jimmy Fallon and the Roots to play “Let It Go” on toy instruments. The metal triangles add an extra level of clanging, but the song still shines through, thanks to Menzel’s soprano.
3. The children trying to sing version
Four-year-old twins Maddie & Zoe try really, really hard to sing “Let it Go” in this cover. But they’re 4, which means the attention tends to wander. One of them actually yawns in the middle of the song, which might be the greatest thing ever.
4. The acoustic version
There were plenty of acoustic versions of “Let It Go,” but Cimorelli, a singing group made up of six sisters offered up the best one. In a sea of people uploading themselves singing the song, Cimorelli stays on key and adds its own special flair.
5. The famous musicians parody:
Christina Bianca sings “Let it Go” as several different musicians, starting with Idina Menzel, then working her way through Demi Lovato and Britney Spears and Alanis Morisette. Bianca is a great singer on her own, but her on-point impersonations add so much to this video.
6. The talented teen version:
Connie Talbot, a 13-year-old former competitor on Britain’s Got Talent, offered up one of the most beautiful renditions of “Let it Go,” sitting at the piano in what appears to be her living room. Her stellar voice is complemented perfectly by her skill on the piano.
7. The med school parody:
Med school students loved this parody version, but it’s kind of terrifying for prospective patients. Let’s hope these students aren’t actually WebMD-ing patient symptoms.
8. The poop parody version:
We wish we were more mature, so we wouldn’t laugh so much at this, but, alas, we are not.
9. The Tyra Banks Vine.
Why was the internet created? For this. Six seconds of Tyra Banks singing, then spitting out an ice cube. C’mon. Just let it go, and enjoy!
Come back every day of December for Vox’s picks of some of our favorite pop culture of 2014.
