Musical Analysis - Surface Pressure

 Surface Pressure

  

    Written by Lin-Manual Miranda for the Disney film Encanto released in 2021, the song relates the internal struggle experienced by the strongest member, Luisa, of the multi-generational Madrigal family living together in one house, La Casita.  

 

    Luisa is both blessed and cursed with immense strength.  As such, there are burdens placed upon her, labors she is expected to complete, a never ending list of duties, feats ever increasing in number and magnitude, the assignment to which she never acquiesced, yet she simply grins and bears her lot, with nary a hair out of place on that gorgeous head that graces the top of that tree trunk of a neck.  But under the surface...  

 

 

    The song starts in a slow, low, and strong tone, exuding an element that confirms Luisa's outward appearance, the harmony that is created as the lyrics and low frequency timbre of the instruments come together affirm her station and demonstrate her own confidence in her ability.

 

I'm the strong one, I'm not nervous

I'm as tough as the crust of the Earth is

I move mountains, I move churches

And I glow 'cause I know what my worth is

I don't ask how hard the work is

Got a rough indestructible surface

Diamonds and platinum, I find'em, I flatten'em

I take what I'm handed, I break what's demanded

But under the surface...

 

    At this point there is a turbulent and sudden departure from calm confidence as Luisa rips open the earth to bear to her sister that with which she struggles internally, yet of which the family is never aware, save for the odd eye twitch Mirabel has noticed historically.  The tonality violently mutates from a deep, deliberate, sedate yet unyielding rumble, like that of a freight train gliding down the rails inexhaustibly and unfailingly hauling miles of cars, to a frantic and terrified rhythm, not dissimilar to that of a dirt bike before it breaks down.

 

 

    My initial reaction to this change the first time I saw the movie was gut wrenching, it made me cry.  It's powerful.  I understood the first stanza to demonstrate my role as a father, though I am conscious of my failings in that role.  I am supposed to be nigh unstoppable, resourceful, as hard and reliable as a sledgehammer when necessary, but my strength and stoicism must also be tender and comforting when needed.  But under the surface...

 

But under the surface, I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in the three-ring circus 

Under the surface, was Hercules ever like, "Yo, I don't wanna fight Cerberus?"

Under the surface, I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service

A flaw or a crack, the straw in the stack

That breaks the camel's back, what breaks the camel's back?   

 

    Though lyrics and instruments working together is called harmony, there is nothing harmonious about what is happening here.  Where the mythical hero flees, Luisa picks up Hercules' shield and stands strong as an oak, despite the fact that maybe she is scared and does not want to do battle with the monsters in the dark.  Yet, rather than retreat when the very earth parts under her feet, she dives head first into the abyss, maybe terrified, yet unwavering.  

 

It's pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa
Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'til you just go pop, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, your sister's older
Give her all the heavy things we can't shoulder
Who am I if I can't run with the ball?
If I fall to

 

    The song slows for this stanza, gets lighter in tone and timbre, not to indicate a lighter mood but it feels like the lightness is to represent the high pitched twang of a guitar string that has been over tightened, to near breaking, not unlike Luisa under the ever increasing load she is expected to carry.  But she understands that this is her role, even if it hurts, even if that may not be everything she wants to be, and her own internal conflict makes her question who she'd be if she didn't shoulder this load she never agreed to carry.

 

 

Pressure like a grip, grip, grip, and it won't let go, whoa
Pressure like a tick, tick, tick 'til it's ready to blow, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, your sister's stronger
See if she can hang on a little longer
Who am I if I can't carry it all?
If I falter

 

    Luisa is painfully cognizant of what she's going through.  She knows that one day she may break, but because of who she is she must bear this load.  She doesn't know how else to be.

 

Under the surface, I hide my nerves and it worsens, I worry something is gonna hurt us
Under the surface, the ship doesn't swerve as it heard how big the iceberg is
Under the surface, I think about my purpose, can I somehow preserve this?
Line up the dominoes, a light wind blows
You try to stop it tumbling, but on and on, it goes

 

    The tone and timbre are lower in this stanza, where Luisa resumes affirming her role as the strong one, though she is afraid that something greater than her may eventually overcome her and she'll fail.  Yet despite this fear, she stands tall and firm and refuses to be beaten.  She destroys the ice berg before the ship Madrigal drives into it, she fights the very weather to protect her family.  "On and on it goes."

 

But wait, if I could shake the crushing weight of expectations
Would that free some room up for joy or relaxation, or simple pleasure?
Instead, we measure this growing pressure
Keeps growing, keep going
'Cause all we know is

 

    Here the tone and timber are high but not because Luisa is over tightened.  Here she fantasizes about respite, the lightness is her imagining what it would be like to be unburdened, to relax, for others to carry their own load even if just for a moment so she can un-clench those great muscles of hers and maybe just take a nap, or maybe even have fun for her self.

 

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa
Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'til you just go pop, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt, and
See if she can handle every family burden
Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks, no mistakes

 

    She's tired.  She knows that she could "pop," but she has no choice except to continue being the strong one.  She must, even if it does hurt, because no matter what she may appear on the outside, she does hurt.

 

Just pressure like a grip, grip, grip, and it won't let go, whoa
Pressure like a tick, tick, tick 'til it's ready to blow, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister and never wonder
If the same pressure would've pulled you under
Who am I if I don't have what it takes?
No cracks, no breaks
No mistakes, no pressure

 

    Here, the dynamics of the whole song resume sounding strong, though the rhythm is much faster than the first stanza where she initially demonstrated her strength.  It seems to me this speed is to show how stressed Luisa is, but no matter what she will continue.  She's tired, stressed, and scared.  Despite her disguised mental state of anguish, she continues to move forward.  She must.      

 

  This song resonated painfully with me, on a deeply personal level.  Not because I'm a gorgeous Latina She Hulk, though I aspire to be a Native of Hulk-ian proportions if I can get my workouts and diet on track.  I am a husband, we have three children, the older two are boys, the youngest is a girl.  Unconsciously the role I've built is similar to that of Louisa; I'm the strong one.  I haul water and heating fuel for the house.  To assuage fuel costs I cut trees from the forest and turn them into little dry pieces of firewood that my children can carry into the house for the wood stove.  I shovel and plow palisades of snow to keep the load off the house and shop, and the driveway open.  I can break a mountain of moose down to pieces that my family can cut up and package into meal size portions.  I carry whole beaver away from the river that my children couldn't even try to lift...yet.  I have literally ran towards the bears when they approached my wife and sister at the fish cutting table.  It is a role I am now conscious I've built, and I would not change it.  But I have to be more effective in my communications, and make sure I'm not venting in a manner that is detrimental to my family.  I also have to better manage my time such that I still get my chores done, don't waste too much time scrolling or watching TV, and perhaps better plan my choring so that it's done in a more leisurely and enjoyable fashion, like getting ahead on firewood in the summer or fall so that I'm not wading through the deep snow to make sure I have next winters stack curing this coming summer.  I've got this winter's wood supply, now is a fine time to start bringing logs home for winter after next.                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brown, Beth. “Encanto: The Real Meaning of Luisa’s Song ‘Surface Pressure.’” ScreenRant, ScreenRant, 19 Mar. 2022, screenrant.com/encanto-movie-luisa-surface-pressure-song-meaning-explained/.

“AZLyrics - Request for Access.” AZLyrics.Com, www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/encantocast/surfacepressure.html. Accessed 21 Sept. 2023.

Puchko, Kristy. “This ‘Encanto’ Song Is More than a Bop, It’s an Anthem We Needed.” Mashable, Mashable, 17 Aug. 2022, mashable.com/article/encanto-surface-pressure-song.