One of the most exciting musical numbers from The Little Mermaid is undoubtedly Under the Sea, a fast-paced Calypso style ditty that features Sebastian the crab begging Ariel to remain, as the title says, under the sea.
With all that is going on during the number in the animated movie — newts playing flutes, carps playing harps, that blowfish blowing his little heart out — it was certainly one of the trickiest numbers for The Little Mermaid Live!, but the ABC production pulled it off beautifully.
Only tuned in to see exactly how Shaggy was going to be Sebastian
….and this is just a regular Tuesday night outfit for a Jamaican man tbh #TheLittleMermaidLive
♥️🎶“UNDER THE SEA”🎶♥️ #TheLittleMermaidLive #TheLittleMermaid #LittleMermaidLive #UnderTheSea
Who knew Shaggy “Because I Got High” Burrell was going to make such an amazing Sebastian? He is clearly having a ton of fun in the role and this was his shining moment of the production.
In the film, “Under the Sea” was sung by Samuel E. Wright, a Tony-nominated Broadway actor. The song has also been covered by Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mannheim Steamroller, Suburban Legends, A*Teens, Squirrell Nut Zippers, Alex Day, D-Metal Stars, The Ocean Cure, and DJ Mendez. There was also a rather famous parody of it on The Simpsons where Homer imagines himself eating all of the sea creatures.
“Under the Sea” also won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Song, plus the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture of Television.
Fans of the movie were super excited about The Little Mermaid Live’s version of the number, praising the production and also Shaggy’s performance.
I don’t care what anyone says I LOVED Shaggy’s under the sea and the Queen as Ursula! So delightful and fun! #LittleMermaidLive
Shaggy was born to sing Under the Sea. His entire career was building up to that moment.
And Shaggy himself is definitely aware of what a legacy he was stepping into taking on this iconic role. He tells Hollywood TV that this means so much to him, especially because his three daughters are finally excited about something he’s doing.
“I’m ecstatic, man! This gives me an opportunity to be in my daughters’ cool book. I’ve got three daughters and they’ve never been excited about anything I’ve done … I’m kind of looking like the coolest dad on earth right now,” says Shaggy with a laugh, adding that he loved putting his own spin on it with his Jamaican sound.
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