Disney songs usually follow a very specific, almost corporate formula. You have the upbeat opening, the villain’s dark comedy bit, and then—the big one. The "I Want" song. It’s that pivotal moment where the hero stands on a cliff or a balcony and tells the audience exactly what’s keeping them up at night.
But when Disney hired a pre-supernova Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2014, things changed. He didn't just write a catchy tune; he basically went "method" to find the soul of a teenager stuck between two worlds. Honestly, if you’ve ever felt like your current life is great but there’s still something missing, How Far I'll Go Lin-Manuel Miranda is probably your personal anthem.
The story behind this song isn't just about a guy at a piano. It’s about a songwriter trying to outrun the shadow of Frozen, a teenager from Hawaii becoming a global star overnight, and a very specific childhood bedroom in New York City.
Why How Far I'll Go Lin-Manuel Miranda is Different
Most "I Want" songs are about escaping a bad situation. Think about Ariel in The Little Mermaid. She basically hates her life under the sea. She wants out. Belle in Beauty and the Beast thinks her village is provincial and boring.
Moana is different.
She actually loves her island. She loves her parents. She’s stoked about becoming the next Chief. That’s the "trap" Miranda had to navigate. He couldn't make Moana a whiny teenager who hated her home. He had to write a song about someone who is perfectly happy but feels a pull toward something else—something they can't even name.
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The Method Writing in a Childhood Bedroom
To get into that "angsty 16-year-old" headspace, Miranda did something kinda wild. He didn't write the song in a fancy studio or a Disney office. He went back to his parents' house on 200th Street in New York. He literally locked himself in his old childhood bedroom.
He wanted to remember what it felt like to be a kid with huge dreams that felt a million miles away. At the time, he was already working on Hamilton, which was becoming a massive cultural phenomenon. He used Moana as a sort of "oasis." When he got sick of the Founding Fathers, he’d "sail" across the ocean with Moana.
The first version of the song wasn't even called "How Far I'll Go." It was a track called "More." It was fine, but it was too much about "I'm bored here." The breakthrough happened when he realized the song needed to be about the voice inside. Once he hit the line about "the voice inside is written in my soul," the whole character of Moana clicked into place.
The Struggle of Following "Let It Go"
Let’s be real: the pressure was insane. Frozen had just happened. "Let It Go" was playing in every grocery store and minivan on the planet. Miranda has admitted in interviews that his biggest mantra while sitting at the piano was literally: "Don't write Let It Go. Don't write Let It Go."
He didn't want a power ballad that felt like a Broadway belt-fest for the sake of it. He wanted it to feel conversational.
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He looked at his favorite rap songs for inspiration. He’s noted that songs like Eminem’s "Lose Yourself" or Biggie’s "Juicy" are actually "I Want" songs in disguise. They’re about that specific drive to get somewhere else. That rhythmic, internal pulse is all over the verses of "How Far I'll Go."
Finding Auli'i Cravalho
The song wouldn't be what it is without the voice. Auli'i Cravalho was the very last girl seen on the very last day of casting. She was a 14-year-old high school student in Mililani, Hawaii. She hadn't even planned on auditioning.
When she sang the song for the first time, she brought a vulnerability that made the lyrics feel real. She wasn't just hitting notes; she was questioning herself. The song is actually quite difficult to sing. It has long, sustained notes and a major key change at the end that requires a lot of breath control and raw emotion.
Success and Awards: Almost an EGOT
The song did exactly what Disney hoped it would. It became a multi-platinum hit.
- The Oscar Nomination: It was nominated for Best Original Song at the 89th Academy Awards. Miranda famously performed it at the ceremony with Auli'i, featuring a rap intro he wrote just for the night.
- The Grammy Win: In 2018, it won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
- The Charts: While the film version is the most famous, Alessia Cara’s pop version also blew up, hitting the Billboard Hot 100.
Actually, the song has been translated into over 40 languages. There's even a special "24-language" version where the singers transition seamlessly from French to Hebrew to Icelandic. It’s a testament to how universal that "pull toward the horizon" really is.
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What Most People Miss About the Lyrics
There is a specific line that usually gets overlooked: "I'll be satisfied if I play along." That's the most tragic part of the song. Moana is trying to convince herself that she can just be "the perfect daughter" and that will be enough. It’s not a song about rebellion; it’s a song about the fear of hurting the people you love by being who you actually are.
Miranda tapped into his own life for this. He grew up with supportive parents and a neighborhood he liked, yet he felt this "impossible gulf" between his life in New York and his dream of making movies. He translated that specific feeling of "guilty ambition" into Moana’s journey.
Practical Ways to Appreciate the Song Today
If you’re a fan of the track or a songwriter looking to learn from it, don't just listen to the movie version.
- Listen to the LMM Demos: The deluxe soundtrack has Miranda singing the early versions. You can hear his "accent" and the rhythmic way he thought about the syllables before they became a polished Disney track.
- Watch the Oscars Performance: See how Auli'i Cravalho handles a stray flag hitting her in the face mid-song—she doesn't miss a single beat. It’s a masterclass in professional performance.
- Check out the International Versions: The Hawaiian language version, also sung by Auli'i, adds a whole different layer of cultural depth to the lyrics.
The real legacy of "How Far I'll Go" isn't the trophies or the billions of streams. It’s the fact that it gave a new generation a way to talk about their own internal compass. It reminds us that sometimes, the "wrong" path is the only one that actually leads home.
If you're feeling stuck, go back and listen to the lyrics one more time. Focus on the bridge—the part where she finally stops questioning and starts deciding. It's the moment the "I Want" song turns into an "I Will" song. That's the Lin-Manuel Miranda magic.