My Top 10 Disney Channel Original Movie Songs

Before I got into rock music, a lot of my favorite songs came from Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, especially Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs). I previously did a post talking about my favorite rock tracks from DCOMs, so this post is more focused on my favorite songs from DCOMs overall; most of these picks are pop songs. I picked one song per movie because I wanted some variety in my list, even though the Lemonade Mouth (2011) and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) soundtracks are so good! It was kind of easy putting this list together because I don’t listen to Disney Channel music much anymore, except for certain songs at the right time for nostalgia. Without further ado, let’s get on with the music!

10. “It’s Not Too Late” from Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)

There’s a deleted scene in Camp Rock 2 where Mitchie (Demi Lovato) sings this song after overhearing her mom and Brown Cesario’s conversation about the camp wars. It’s such a good song and I can’t figure out why the creators didn’t keep that scene in the movie because that was a turning point for Mitchie; she became more determined to win the battle against Camp Star. It’s an uplifting song, but the piano gives “It’s Not Too Late” a sad, beautiful vibe. The lyrics can be interpreted for anyone going through a rough time, which makes me like the song even more.

9. “Do What You Gotta Do” from Descendants 3 (2019)

I was impressed by how good the music for Descendants 3 (2019) was because I hated most of the music for the first film and half of the songs in the second film. Disney seems to be all about the pop stuff (mostly), so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard “Do What You Gotta Do” because it had an edgy, almost rock vibe to it. The lyrics are so fun to sing along to because Mal and her dad are basically arguing with each other. Mal is upset that her father was never around growing up and her dad is like, “I did what I had to do.” It’s a shame that the actor who played Carlos (Cameron Boyce) isn’t alive anymore, because I would’ve loved to see a fourth movie. There wasn’t enough screen time in the last film for my favorite couple from the Descendants franchise, Doug and Evie.

8. “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” from Girl vs. Monster (2012)

Kickin’ It (2011 – 2015) was one of my favorite shows in my teenage years, so I was a fan of Olivia Holt, even before I knew she could sing. She was such a bada** on Kickin’ It and she was a bada** on Girl vs. Monster (2012) too! She was fearless and her parents were monster hunters; she eventually became one herself. Not only is Girl vs. Monster an underrated DCOM, but the music is so freaking catchy. “Had Me @ Hello” was my anthem in middle school because it basically summed up my love life at the time. But “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” was so powerful and uplifting that it made me feel like a bada**! I love the song to this day, despite the fact that I got rid of the Disney Channel CD with the song on it, when I purged most of my “childhood” CDs.

7. “Bet On It” from High School Musical 2 (2007)

In a previous post about Drew Seeley and Zac Efron, I said that “Bet On It” was one of my favorite songs from the entire High School Musical franchise, and I wasn’t kidding! Similar to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now,” I feel so powerful whenever I sing this song. In High School Musical 2 (2007), Bolton sings “Bet On It” because he’s angry about the person he’s become and wants to make things right with his friends. The toms on the intro was hinting that “Bet On It” was going to be bada** and unfortunately, Disney never topped that song because after the first film, the songs progressively got worse in the franchise.

6. “On the Ride” from Cow Belles (2006)

Aly and AJ Michalka are extremely talented, at least when they were on Disney Channel. I’m scared to listen to their current music because I don’t want it to ruin my happy memories of the siblings. At first, I thought they were twins, but it turns out that Aly is older than AJ. But who cares because “On the Ride” takes me back to the simple times of the 2000s Disney Channel, and it’s such a relaxing song. Besides “On the Ride,” “Rush,” “Chemicals React,” and “Potential Breakup Song” are all catchy pop tunes. The length of their songs is a bit short, but then again so were the Hannah Montana songs. Cow Belles (2006), which featured “On the Ride,” and starred Aly and AJ, is another underrated DCOM.

5. “Now I Can Be the Real Me” from Radio Rebel (2012)

One of the things that I love about Radio Rebel (2012) is that it featured rock songs and they were actually good! “Turn It All Around” and “We so Fly” are great modern rock songs, but for this post, I want to show some love for “Now I Can Be the Real Me” because I love the melody and acoustic guitar in the track. In the movie, Gavin (Adam DiMarco) finally gets the courage to play music that fits his personality, so he performs this song at the MORP (prom spelled backwards) and the best part about it is that Gabe (Atticus Mitchell) isn’t an a** anymore!

4. “She’s So Gone” from Lemonade Mouth (2011)

Though I got rid of my Lemonade Mouth (2011) CD, that movie has some great music! “Determinate,” “Breakthrough,” “Here We Go,” “Somebody,” and “Livin’ On a High Wire” are such bangers. The real banger, however, is “She’s So Gone,” an epic rock track sung by Mo (Naomi Scott). The actress that played Mo is actually British, which I admire greatly because it must’ve been hard pulling off an American accent for the film. The lyrics describe a girl who’s going through a transition in her life and putting her past behind to reach her true potential.

3. “What You Mean to Me” from Starstruck (2010)

It must’ve been the haircut because when Sterling Knight first appeared on Sonny with a Chance (2009 – 2011), I didn’t like him, which made sense because he played the villain on the show, but I really didn’t care for him as an actor. Then Starstruck (2010) premiered on Disney Channel, where he got a new hairdo and played the good guy, and I was like, “ok, this dude is not bad!” Though I never need to hear the title track ever again, “Shades,” “Something About the Sunshine,” “Hero,” and “Got to Believe” are still some of the best songs that ever came from Disney Channel. The latter was part of a deleted scene, dang it! What’s even more shocking is that Knight, who played Christopher Wilde, didn’t do most of the vocals for his character, instead, they were done by a guy named Drew Ryan Scott. I still adore the songs nonetheless, especially “What You Mean to Me” because I dug the love songs in my teenage years. 

2. “More Than Me” from Stuck in the Suburbs (2004)

Stuck in the Suburbs (2004) is another underrated DCOM that only 2000s kids will understand! I loved the idea of a girl accidentally trading phones with her favorite pop star and then chaos ensues. Also, I hate London Tipton, but I love Brenda Song in these early DCOMs because her characters had great development, unlike Tipton in The Suite Life series. Well, at least her characters were interesting and clever in those films. Much like Starstruck, the actor who played pop star Jordan Cahill didn’t sing in the film, instead the vocals were done by Drew Seeley (see how talented he is people)! “More Than Me” (the acoustic version) is a song that has stuck with me for a long time and when I finally found it on Spotify, I was like, “HALLELUJAH!!!”

1. “Right Where You Want Me” from Return to Halloweentown (2006)

Out of all these songs on the list, “Right Where You Want Me” is the one that gives me the most nostalgia because Jesse McCartney was like the poster guy for early 2000s Disney Channel. The song was featured in Return to Halloweentown (2006), the final film in the Halloweentown series. This film shouldn’t have even existed, but that’s for another time; at least the music didn’t suck. “Right Where You Want Me” has a good groove and a dang catchy chorus. I’m always adding and deleting songs from my Spotify playlists, but this is one of the few pop songs that I have kept consistently. Like Aly and AJ, I don’t listen to McCartney’s current music because I don’t want it to ruin my happy memories of him from my childhood. 

There you have it, people! Those are my top 10 songs from DCOMs. Comment below your favorite song(s) from any of the Disney Channel Original Movies!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana