A Question on the Origins of Heartsong · 5:55am Jul 28th, 2021
So I've been pondering something for a while and I wanted to ask all of you what you had for thoughts on this matter. I understand fully well that the term Heartsong is something that the fandom associates with the seemingly random and yet perfectly timed/choreographed musical numbers that have popped up so many times in MLP throughout its nine season runtime. Most of our number can probably name several right off the top of their heads that could count as personal favorites or character themes without even trying too hard.
Reasons as to why ponies and other creatures seemingly jump into random musical numbers with music that plays from nowhere have been passed around left and right across the various modems of MLP fanfiction, with a seeming majority falling into the camp that it is the magic of Equis and Harmony itself that fuels these epic/sad/happy/whatever emotion you need musicals. I like to believe that it is a combination of said inherent magic and the powerful emotions the characters are feeling that lead to these songs, with more self-centered emotions resulting in masterful arias like, well, This Day Aria, and more altruistic emotions like joy and hope creating wonderful numbers like the Smile Song and You'll Play Your Part.
But where did this idea originate? I have a personal theory and this is where all of you come in. For the members of the fandom who remember this, there was a movie that came out in 2006 that used the exact same term to describe a very similar idea. While it was more centered around the notion of soulmates through songs, the idea still has enough similarities to the MLP Heartsong that I was curious if anyone else felt the same way. The movie, as some of you may have guessed, was Happy Feet, where the main characters all sing their heartsongs in the hopes of finding true love.
So, does anycreature think that this might have been the inspiration behind the fandom's notion of how an MLP Heartsong works? Could this have been the spark that led not only FIM authors to the term but those of other fandoms as well? Let me know what you think in the towel section below, I'm curious to see if I'm the only one who thinks this way or if there are others who share my ideas. If anycreature has another possible source for the term Heartsong and thinks it might be a more likely candidate, please feel free to share below as well. I'm certain we would all be intrigued by it even as nothing more than a conversation starter.
It wouldn’t surprise men if that was the case of happy feet being an inspiration, but for the spontaneous musical numbers I have heard the term “harmony moment” tossed around to discribe them