I Won't Say (I'm in Love)

"I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel for Disney's animated film Hercules (1997).

In the Hercules musical sequence, Meg refuses to admit she is falling in love with the title character, while the Muses insist that she embrace her feelings for him.

"I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" was written for Disney's animated film Hercules (1997) by composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel.

[5][6] However, creatives such as Meg's supervising animator, Ken Duncan, felt the character was "too tough" and "hardened by life" to perform such a delicate, emotional ballad.

[16] Audiences learn that Meg has been in love before, only for her boyfriend at the time to leave her to pursue another woman after she had sold her soul to Hades to save his life.

[25] Upon realizing she has in fact begun to develop feelings for Hercules, much to her chagrin, the song allows Meg to work through her denial,[26] by "alternating between fantasizing about how delightful it would be to be loved by Herc, and stomping her foot in anger at the very thought".

[29][30] The song takes place after Meg's date with Hercules in which she initially attempted to discover his weakness at the insistence of Hades,[31] and is described by Alexandra Locke of Comic Book Resources as "an ode to her desire to protect herself against vulnerable feelings".

[17] During one scene, the Muses transform themselves into stone busts, which Amory Rose of Business Insider believes is a possible reference to The Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland.

[54] Musically, Irving Tan of Sputnikmusic described the track as "the closest the Herculean villa ever comes to approximating a Broadway show",[42] while Ella Ceron of Thought Catalog called it "a pop song made on Olympus".

[29] Identifying the track as a "self-aware ballad...filled with sly anachronisms", author Thomas S. Hischak observed it maintains the soundtrack's comedic tone in his book 100 Greatest American and British Animated Films.

[70] Rolling Stone Australia's Barry Levitt called it excellent,[71] and Aja Romano of The Daily Dot described it as a Hercules highlight that "satisfies us every time".

[37] Writing for IndieWire, Greg Ehbar named "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" his favorite song from the film, describing it as "truly great tune".

[42] Tan concluded, "The track also works well as an alternative to modern pop's teenage heartbreak music", recommending that younger fans listen to it over artists such as Hilary Duff.

[21] Tracy Dye of Bustle hailed the track as "one of Disney's most addictive pieces of ear-candy", appreciating that "it veers from the typical love-laced ballads we're used to".

[35] Similarly, Rob Burch of The Hollywood News called "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" a "refreshing change of pace".

[31] Both Ticketmaster contributor Caitlin Devlin and Matt Singer of ScreenCrush consider "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" to be among Disney's greatest songs.

[73][57] Screen Rant ranked "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" Hercules' second best song, with author Matthew Wilkinson praising Meg's independence and Egan's performance.

At the 2017 D23 Expo to conclude the event's "Zero to Hero: The Making of Hercules" panel,[74] the original animated sequence was played in the background while Egan sang, accompanied by backup vocalists.

[80][81] In April 2020, Egan performed "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" as part of Disney's #DisneySingAlong social media campaign.

[82] The video was recorded in her own home due to quarantining measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,[83] while Broadway actors Courtney Reed, Laura Osnes, Adam J.

[92] Writing for idobi, Sam Devotta felt The Cheetah Girls' version "lacks the power [and frustration] of the original", preferring Egan's interpretation.

[27] An abridged version of "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" appears on stage in the jukebox musical Disney's on the Record, performed by Andrew Samonsky, with Meredith Inglesby, Andy Karl, Tyler Maynard and Keewa Nurullah providing backup vocals.

[93] In April 2020, singer Ariana Grande performed a cover of the song on the ABC special Disney Family Singalong.

[54] Beamly ranked it fifth on the website's list of "Best Ever Disney Songs", with author Sophie Hall nicknaming Meg "The Celine Dion of the cartoon world".

[18] USA Today ranked it the ninth-best "classic" Disney song, which author Patrick Ryan said "strike[s] just the right balance of side-eye and sweetness".

[63] Moviepilot included the song in a similar listicle, with author Jeremiah Paul describing it as a "hidden gem" and praising Egan's performance.