“Fathoms Below” is the opening song in Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid.
The song introduces the film’s maritime setting before the story moves beneath the ocean. Sailors sing about the dangers of the sea, including storms and the legendary mermaid kingdom ruled by King Triton. Their conversation also establishes Prince Eric’s interest in the ocean and his skepticism about mermaids.
Unlike Ariel’s later songs, “Fathoms Below” is performed by a group rather than by one central character. It was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, the creative team responsible for the film’s songs and score. The number helps create the contrast between the human world above the waves and Ariel’s underwater world below them.
The song is sometimes confused with “Part of Your World,” Ariel’s solo, or “Daughters of Triton,” the brief choral number heard at the beginning of the underwater sequence. “Fathoms Below” comes first in the film’s musical structure.