The New 'Sing' Trailer Uses The Best Song

I believe everyone on the planet has a soft spot for at least one out of the following list of delightful things: animals, singing competitions, animation, and A-list celebrities. Sing looks like a perfect storm of joy, because it covers not one, not two, but all of those things. Now, courtesy of the latest Sing trailer, it comes with a seriously catchy backing track, which had me wondering what the song in the new Sing trailer was. Thankfully, we live in 2016, so it's not hard to find out that it's Eminem's “Sing for the Moment” (which, if we're being picky, samples Aerosmith's "Dream On"). What takes some analysis to understand is why it's the perfect song to soundtrack this new Sing trailer to. And, no, it's not because it has sing in the title.

While the koala-organizer of the contest warns his plucky would-be stars that they'll have to work "harder than you've ever worked in your lives," it doesn't seem to be working hard that causes so many issues for the contestants. From what the Sing trailer seems to show, it suggests taking part in the contest is creating a culture clash with their families, as shown with the gorilla who skips his family's mass bank robbery for rehearsal, or the shy elephant whose family can't understand her stage fright.

Which connects completely with parts of Eminem's song.

These ideas are nightmares to white parentsWhose worst fear is a child with dyed hair and who likes earringsLike whatever they say has no bearingIt's so scary in a house that allows no swearingTo see him walking around with his headphones blaringAlone in his own zone, cold and he don't care

His lyrics seem to imply that music can be a way for teenagers to stake out their own space, even if that's in a way that contradicts their upbringing. Which is smart. While it's certainly a lovely thing to have a room of your own, if you grow up in a crowded house where there isn't much physical space, sometimes headphones are the only solution if you want some peace with your own thoughts. Aerosmith's chorus seems similarly on-point:

...sing for the years(Sing it) Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears (Come on)Sing it with me, just for today,Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

This implies the singing contest is more than just giving a dazzling, accomplished performance. The use of the track implies, as Aerosmith's chorus does, that singing is every bit as much an act of catharsis, letting everything that's been bottled up in you out as it is a chance to show off what a truly superlative set of lungs you've got. This agrees with lines in Eminem's first verse ("He's a problem child, what bothers him all comes out/When he talks about his f*ckin' dad walkin' out"), which suggest that one Marshall Mathers got his break thanks to spilling his guts about the things that were bothering him.

Eminem goes on to expand on why music's so important even when you have made it as a big star:

That's why we sing for these kids that don't have a thingExcept for a dream and a f*ckin' rap magazineWho post pinup pictures on their walls all day longIdolize they favorite rappers and know all they songsOr for anyone who's ever been through sh*t in they lives'Til they sit and they cry at night, wishing they die'Til they throw on a rap record, and they sit and they vibe

It's a soulful look at the function of music, with Eminem suggesting that the true motivation behind making music once you've hit the big time isn't for money or awards, but for the most vulnerable of fans, to whom music means everything and who music can save.

Sure, it's kind of a heavy choice of track for what appears to be a holiday movie aimed at kids. Eminem's song suggests that singing has two functions: to let the pain out and to comfort others more vulnerable than yourself. Still, hopefully this implies that Sing has a broader message at play. If Sing has even a third as much heart as this track does in its take on creativity, I for one can't wait to see it.

Images: Universal Pictures (3); Giphy