Menken told Film Scouts, “‘Go the Distance’ is an extremely important theme for the film, both musically and lyrically. The song is reprised throughout the film, signifying Hercules’ quest. The next song, “Go the Distance,” is a power ballad sung by the teenage Hercules as he expresses his feelings about not fitting into the human world. Hercules begins with “The Gospel Truth” a soul-stirring and sassy gospel number sung by the Muses that establishes the tone of the film while introducing the Muses and telling the story of how Zeus rose to power and brought peace to Mount Olympus. “When you’re doing a musical about Greece, it seemed like the Muses should be in there.” Menken told Film Scouts, “We thought they would be a great storytelling device – our own version of a Greek chorus.” Menken and Zippel hit upon the idea of using a group of singers based on the Muses of Greek mythology to move the story along. ‘He can tell you what’s a Grecian urn.’ Putting smart lyrics with gospel music really created a unique blend.” David Zippel did the lyrics, and we were such an interesting combination because he’s like Cole Porter with his wit.

I was reluctant because I wanted to do something very classic and Greek – a Candide approach. Menken reflected on the experience in a 2015 Entertainment Weekly interview, “The directors, Ron Clements and John Musker, really wanted gospel because that’s what you sing when you’re singing about God – or in this case, the gods. This time around, Menken drew upon gospel music to bring the story to life and called upon lyricist David Zippel. Oscar®-winning composer Alan Menken was called upon to score the music for Hercules. The scene is set, and we follow Hercules as he discovers what it takes to be a hero, with a series of pitfalls, romantic interludes, and plenty of danger along the way. Zeus explains that Hercules can rejoin the Gods on Mount Olympus if he proves himself to be a true hero. Hercules journeys to the Temple of Zeus, where a huge statue of Zeus comes to life and tells the boy the truth about his birth. Eventually, he is told by his adopted father how he was found and given a medallion bearing the symbol of the gods. As Hercules grows up, his immense strength means he’s ostracized from the rest of society.

The son of zeus hercules