This new generation of Monster High contains many aspects that I hold strong opinions on, one being the character songs they started posting to YouTube last year. There is now a song out for each character: Clawdeen, Frankie, Draculaura, Cleo, Lagoona, Clawd, Twyla, and Abbey. For the sake of brevity, I will only be doing Clawdeen’s, Frankie’s, and Draculaura’s songs. I will be grading these songs on melody, lyrics, and vocals. 

I’m Clawdeen (Clawdeen’s Song)

Melody: The melody is pretty forgettable if I’m being honest. It isn’t terrible, but the verses feel dull. The chorus, though mildly catchy, is very basic and boring. The backing track, although bland, is probably the best part of the song.

Lyrics: They feel extremely rushed and could have used a few more drafts (something that rings true for all three songs). The chorus is “’Cause I’m Clawdeen so hear me, I’m here to do what monsters do, I play casketball best dressed in the hall, I know you smell that bacon too.” It just feels so surface-level, I want to know more about this character, this is her song. Most of the other lyrics in the song focus on her werewolf-human heritage, which is interesting, but it also feels like an excuse to not write about her actual aspirations, thoughts, and desires.

Vocals: The singer’s voice had to be autotuned for several moments, including the chorus. It is very obvious that she is not a strong singer, so why couldn’t they cast someone who could really sing? If that was off the table,  they could’ve written the song in her vocal range instead of using autotune, ultimately making it sound worse.

Grade: D+

Sparked to Life (Frankie’s Song)

Melody: It’s still a bit boring and repetitive for a large part of the song, but it has several parts that are pleasant to listen to. The accompaniment has a surprisingly cool sound and the chorus has the potential to get stuck in your head.

Lyrics: It doesn’t focus on character and personality as much as it could have, but it is better than most of the songs. It’s hard to describe, but their lyrics feel more genuine than other characters. They talk about wanting to experience life and discover who they are. Those are things the audience can work with from a characterization standpoint.

Vocals: This is the main thing that sells this song for me. The singer has a nice raspy voice which dips into a more balanced tone for some parts. It really brings Frankie to life, otherwise, they would’ve felt lifeless and the song would have been another bore.

Grade: B-

Here for Life (Draculaura’s Song)

Melody: The chorus and verses are painfully repetitive, however, the prechorus is pretty creative and flows into the chorus nicely, complimenting it well. However, the accompaniment for this song is just as boring as most of them.

Lyrics: The lyrics have good rhythm and flow but the rhymes are basic. The statements themself are either fun facts about Draculaura or cliche lyrics about how cool she is. It never really goes into personal details about her character. I can hardly recall any of the verses after listening!

Vocals: The singer is talented but this song never really goes into advanced melodies that could show if she actually has skill. It just feels very average.

Grade: C

In my opinion, these songs all seem very rushed and poorly made, especially for Monster High. Fright Song was a highlight of my and many others’ childhoods. I don’t hate the new generation of music, but parts of it feel very lazy. Monster High was a series that hardly ever felt dumbed down for a younger audience, but these songs really feel like the writers have given up. I hope the soundtrack going forward can redeem itself.