Robin Williams' Song: The Best Comedian of the 90s' Aladdin Song - Friend Like Me by Dan

Friend like him

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Aladdin was one movie that had a lot of impact, and one of the more successful Disney renaissance movies, featuring three movies, and a full cartoon series with three seasons, and one of the primary reasons the movie was unbelievably popular was because of the legendary Robin Williams, (May God rest his soul) who sung a very acid trippy introduction song, “Friend Like Me”. This is absolutely Robin Williams in a nutshell.

This song, often overlooked by the catchy “Prince Ali”, is also really good. Admittedly, this is a movie with very good songs. (A pity they didn’t give Jaffar a villain song, though.) Now let’s take a look at the wild ride Genie takes us on.

Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves

This is a reference to the original story Aladdin is based on. The story of the Forty Thieves, and the primary inspiration coming from “One Thousand and One Nights”, about a young orphan that finds a magical lamp, and a cave full of gold that belongs to the Forty Thieves. This is also interesting as the movie fuses two of the stories in the number of stories, both “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” and “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”. It’s also interesting that there are numerous cultures that detail similar stories, right down to finding the magical genie, or other magical being, such as China and Rome.

Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales

This is a play-on-words of the storyteller of the frame narrative of the book “One Thousand and One Nights”, called Scheherazade. The story goes that after the monarch Shahryar’s first wife cheated on him, he would marry a virgin every day, and kill her afterwards, the following day. After running out of noble maidens, the young woman Scheherazade volunteered to be the next one to marry him. She started by telling him part of a story, stopping halfway, using the sun rising as an excuse. He then wanted to hear the last part the following night, which she did, then started another story, and it went like that for one thousand nights. After her final tale, she brought in their three sons, and she says she is ready to die, but he would need to remember that he would render his own sons orphans. Instead, Shahryar spares her, as he has fallen genuinely in love with her, and rewards her and her father, making her his queen. A beautiful tale of redemption.

But, master, you in luck 'cause up your sleeves

You got a brand of magic never fails

Genie is now explaining to Aladdin that he is now in command of one of the most powerful magical beings in the world.

You got some power in your corner now

Some heavy ammunition in your camp

You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how

He’s putting some emphasis on how Aladdin now has something that belongs to him, and that he’s got backup and is no longer alone in his life.

See all you gotta do is rub that lamp

And I'll say

Mister Aladdin, sir

What will your pleasure be?

These are the simple instructions one needs to know about having a genie. Just rub the lamp, and the Genie will answer your wishes.

Let me take your order

Jot it down

Now Genie gives the metaphor of Aladdin being served at a restaurant, in a very Robin Williams fashion.

You ain't never had a friend like me

Life is your restaurant

And I'm your maître d’!

We know that Genie is really happy to be out of that stuffy lamp. He’s really eager to help Aladdin, as he’s generally a good judge of character, and sees that Aladdin is not really evil, and is happy to see what Genie has to offer.

C'mon, whisper what it is you want

You ain't never had a friend like me

Aladdin never really was given the chance to truly have a voice and a place in life, as he was nothing more than a street rat. So now Genie’s telling him to speak up, as now life has opened up possibilities for him. And he’s got an all-powerful Genie at his side.

Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service

You're the boss

The king, the shah

Genie at this point is buttering Aladdin up, putting emphasis on how he’s the Master. He compares him to a King, and a Shah, which is what Persia called their monarchs and emperors, which is such high praise from the almighty Genie.

Say what you wish

It's yours! True dish

How about a little more Baklava?

After pushing Aladdin to make a wish, all the while not letting him speak, he brings up a dish called baklava, which is an old pastry known to the Persian empire, although the origins are unclear, as there is also evidence leading into Greece and Turkey.

Have some of column "A"

Try all of column "B"

I'm in the mood to help you, dude

You ain't never had a friend like me

Genie’s giving Aladdin options, and is really eager to grant a wish as it means he can stretch his legs after over one thousand years stuck in that tiny lamp.

Can your friends do this?

Can your friends do that?

Can your friends pull this out their little hat?

Can your friends go, poof?

Well, looky here. Ha ha!

Now Genie is showing off, and giving Aladdin a chance to outdo him, and at this point, he’s simply playing around. He then finishes with conjuring three ladies, letting Aladdin’s hormones get distracted, as Aladdin’s getting more and more caught up in the song.

Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let 'er rip

And then make the sucker disappear?

The song’s getting more and more trippy as it goes, and now Genie leaves Aladdin without the three ladies that were grinding on him. What a tease for a teenage boy like Aladdin.

So don'tcha sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed

I'm here to answer all your midday prayers

Genie’s pressuring Aladdin to make a wish, but he’s singing over Al, reminding him that he’s got wishes.

You got me bona fide, certified

You got a genie for your chargé d'affaires

I got a powerful urge to help you out

Slow down now, Genie. Aladdin can barely think as he gets a little overwhelmed by all the magic being thrown around, since the Cosmic magical being is casting spells like an ADHD kid who found the hidden junk food, and ends up also high on whatever you can imagine, simply because he wants to do something… Anything because he has some limited freedom to step out of the lamp.

So whatcha wish? I really wanna know

You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt

Well, all you gotta do is rub like so - and oh

Three miles long for three wishes. Lots of options. And Genie is eager to hear what Aladdin wants. The Genie is young at heart, and just wants a friend as well.

Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three

I'm on the job, you big nabob

Now this is a catchy line that I would miss the meaning of, until today. A nabob is actually a term that came from both the British and Indians when it came to a very wealthy man who made his fortune in the East, such as India. Genie’s not just comparing him to an emperor, but now to a wealthy and influential man.

We then proceed in the acid trip ending of the song with dancing camels and elephants that is quite reminiscent of Dumbo, when Dumbo gets drunk, and how trippy that got.

Genie really brings the movie to life, and even if Robin Williams portrayed Genie only in the original movie and the third movie “Aladdin and the King of Thieves”, he really showed what it was like to truly make such an individual come to life. Sure, Dan Castellaneta really did do really good in “Return of Jaffar” and the Aladdin animated series, (As well as in Kingdom Hearts) but it’s just not the same as Robin Williams, and his flamboyant heart.

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