Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)
Encyclopedia
"Yo Ho" is the theme song for the Pirates of the Caribbean
attractions at Disney theme parks
. The music was written by George Bruns
with lyrics by Xavier Atencio. Its origins are loosely derived from Robert Louis Stevenson
's sea-shanty "Dead Man's Chest
" found in his 1881 novel Treasure Island
.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
attractions at Disney theme parks
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
. The music was written by George Bruns
George Bruns
George Bruns was a composer of music for film and television who worked on many Disney films. He was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work.-Career:...
with lyrics by Xavier Atencio. Its origins are loosely derived from Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's sea-shanty "Dead Man's Chest
Dead Man's Chest
"Dead Man's Chest" is a fictional sea-song originally from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island . It was expanded in a poem, titled Derelict by Young E. Allison, published in the Louisville Courier-Journal in 1891...
" found in his 1881 novel Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
.
Versions
- 1967 - Song composed for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction by Bruns and Atencio. (Lyrics as composed by Atencio and Bruns)
- 1982 - Orange County punk band The VandalsThe VandalsThe Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
use the song's melody briefly in their song "Pirate's Life", which is about riding the attraction under the influence of LSD - 1986 - Singer/songwriter Jimmy BuffettJimmy BuffettJames William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
uses the melody as the opening to his single "Take it Back" which was written for the US America's Cup yachting team. - 1994 - An instrumental version appears on guitar virtuoso BucketheadBucketheadBrian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
's album Giant Robot. - 1995 - A version with alternate lyrics was featured in the Beach Party At Walt Disney World video of the Mickey's Fun Songs series.
- 2002 - The song is featured briefly in the Disney film Treasure PlanetTreasure PlanetTreasure Planet is a 2002 animated science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002...
. The robot B.E.N. (Martin ShortMartin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
) sings a few bars while aboard the RLS Legacy. - 2003 - The song is featured in the Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 adventure fantasy film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
. A few bars are sung by young Elizabeth SwannElizabeth SwannElizabeth Swann is a major character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series produced by Walt Disney Pictures. She appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End...
(Lucinda DryzekLucinda DryzekLucinda "Lucy" Dryzek is an English actress. Probably best known for playing Katy Riley in the BBC sitcom Life of Riley.-Personal life:...
). An older Elizabeth (Keira KnightleyKeira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
) later teaches it to Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny DeppJohnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
) while they are marooned on an island. It is sung once again at the end of the film by Captain Jack Sparrow. - 2004 - Recorded by The Hellblinki Sextet for their album A Pirate Broadcast.
- 2006 - A version is sung by the Jonas BrothersJonas BrothersThe Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...
in DisneyMania 4DisneyMania 4Disneymania 4 is the fourth in the Disneymania series. This is the album debut of many current stars on Disney Channel, like Miley Cyrus from Hannah Montana...
though censored with the lyrics "Drink up me hearties" replaced with "Stand up me hearties". - 2007 - A few bars of the song are sung again near the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End by Jack Sparrow. A few bars are also sung after the credits by the son of Elizabeth. The instrumentals and dialogue from the attraction are heard as well in the fade to black after the descent off World's End.
- [Present] - NFL's Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
have a pirate ship in the north endzone of Raymond James StadiumRaymond James StadiumRaymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events...
. During football games they will play the song over the loudspeakers and jumbotron, (courtesy of Disney), at which time patrons on the ship throw beads and other prizes into the crowd. - 2010 - Disney's World of Color show briefly plays the song prior to the main Pirates of the Caribbean segment.
- 2011 - Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
covered it in a medley on his album In the Key of Disney, which was released on October 25, 2011.