From In the Heights to tick, tick… BOOM!, Lin-Manuel Miranda has had an amazing 2021, and no doubt 2022 will be another success for the multitalented performer. But it’s his musical contributions to the November release of Disney’s Encanto that has sparked a firestorm of love from fans and social media, shooting the film’s soundtrack to the top of the charts. Particularly the track “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” written by Miranda with a score composed by Germaine Franco, and is ironically is all we want to talk about.
Currently burning up more than 28 million streams on Spotify as the No. 1 track heard around the world since its entry into the streaming platform, the track is performed by voice cast members, Carolina Gaitán (voice of Pepa), Mauro Castillo (voice of Félix), Adassa (voice of Dolores), Rhenzy Feliz (voice of Camilo), Diane Guerrero (voice of Isabela), and Stephanie Beatriz (voice of Mirabel). The song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” with its catchy lyrics, melody and beats is about the Madrigal family’s experience with Abuela’s son, Bruno — someone often considered the black sheep of the family. With Bruno unable to fit in with everyone, he ended up leaving the family.
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In a press release from Disney, Miranda spoke about the track detailing how “every verse and every stanza” works to introduce a different character from the family. “They’re all riding the same musical landscape, but they ride it completely differently. Everyone sings the same chord progression with a totally different rhythm and a totally different cadence,” he said. “I think every family has stories you’re not allowed to talk about — we all have land mines inside our families. The more forbidden something is, the more you want to talk about it.”
The song, which is one of eight Miranda had written for the movie, has also broken into the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 50, also appearing on Billboard‘s Digital Songs top-selling list at No. 10. With the track proving it is absolute gold, Billboard states the movie’s soundtrack is the first to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 in as little as five weeks since Frozen II made its way into the Top 10 in its second week a little more than two years ago.
Unfortunately, per Variety, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” will not be a contender for the Oscars this year. One of the biggest reasons is due in part to the Academy’s deadline for song submissions, which must be submitted by Nov. 1. With that understanding concerning the movie’s release date being scheduled for Nov. 24, Encanto was not available in theaters, nor were critics provided screeners to review the film and its soundtrack. In situations like this, the studio counts on their own instinct for submissions, like with the shortlisted “Dos Oruguitas,” an emotional track sung by Sebastian Yatra, which unveils the truth behind the Madrigal matriarch’s tragic past and is a powerful song that opens up the emotional floodgates.
Encanto is now streaming on Disney+ and the soundtrack is available on Spotify.
