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I wanted to include the Mary Poppins Returns and the original songs from the musical, too, but there can only be 15 options. Feel free to include those songs and cut songs/demos, too. I probably will. I like to rank things though.

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Listening to most often lately:
Utada Hikaru ~ "Don't Think Twice"
Utada Hikaru ~ "Simple and Clean"
Ariana Grande ~ "test drive"

I hesitated to respond because ranking these songs is very hard for me. I love them all and even my least favorite ones feel special in some way. But I’m not going to allow the Mary Poppins thread to be the only one without any replies at all. Note that I am ranking them as scenes in the movie, not just as recordings from the soundtrack. I may return with my thoughts on the songs from the sequel.

1. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious- this song gives me such pure delight. I learned to say the word backwards as Julie does in the movie, which is a bit of useless but fun knowledge. When I worked at Disney I thought I’d found a use for these needless “skill” and it might be a fun way to “make magic” for people... but... it... never worked. People were not enthused. Oh well, I had a good time anyway.

2. Let’s Go Fly a Kite- At the end, when that old fashioned Disney chorus comes in, I cry.

3. Jolly Holiday and Reprise- The music and lyrics are nice, but the true magic of this sequence is seeing Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in that animated wonderland. As a kid, I had an innate aversion to the films from the 60’s and 70’s which used the Xerox method, but for some reason, with Mary Poppins that never mattered. This sequence, where characters of flesh and blood enter an animated environment has always felt like true magic to me.

4. A Man Has Dreams (The Life I Lead)- This somber song is the movie’s beating heart. I only wish, for narrative purposes, that Mr Banks shared this scene with Mary, not Bert.

5. A Spoonful of Sugar- Just a damn fun song. All the “magic” during the scene makes it even better. It’s analogue in the sequel kinda ruined it by giving too much too soon— I like “Can You Imagine That” as a song but as a visual spectacular it should be an appetizer to the main feast that is the Royal Doulton Bowl sequence, as “Spoonful of Sugar” is to the original’s Jolly Holiday sequence. The way it is done in 2018, they spoil your appetite. In 1964, it’s perfect. Well, practically— some of the special effects show their age.

6. Step in Time- As a kid this sequence bored me. It really is very long, but its since become one of my favorite parts of the movie because of the imaginative choreography. I hate that Admiral Boom yells “hottentots” at the sooty chimney sweeps. It’s a little part which I missed for years until one day I was watching with captions and googled the word.... not good.

7. Stay Awake- Pretty lullaby and I love the melody, the hypnotic way Julie sings the song. But truth be told, I don’t mind that MPR combined “Stay Awake” and “Feed the Birds” with “The Place Where Lost Things Go.”

8. The Perfect Nanny- I love Jane and Michael and I love this song. Very much a sentimental favorite

9. Feed the Birds- It has an important message and famously, it was Walt’s favorite song. But admittedly, I like “Stay Awake” a little bit better.

10. Chim Chim Cher-ee- Julie is credited on this song and she does sing a little, but it is really van Dyke’s show. I love the beautiful Ellenshaw visuals.

11. The Life I Lead- It’s a funny song which handily sets up the movie. I love David Tomlinson, he is adorable, like a little teddy bear.

12. Sister Suffragette- This is a fun song and I love Glynis Johns’ raspy voice. It is low on my list because it uses the subject for laughs. She has a tiny part, but Elsa Lanchester had incredible stage presence. Katie Nanna always captures my attention.

13. Fidelity Fiduciary Bank- This is a funny satire. I love Dick Van Dyke as Mr Dawes.

14. I Love to Laugh- A kind of superfluous moment, of all the diversions Mary takes the children on, this one feels the most like a diversion. It’s a treat to see the Mad Hatter in another Disney movie. I’ve always been bored by the drab colors in the costuming and set design of this scene.

15. A British Bank (The Life I Lead)- The highlight of this song is the way Mary uses reverse psychology on Mr Banks to get her way.

Same! I had this page open for days but couldn't bring myself to rank them! I did put my absolute favorites, the ones I find myself singing randomly the most: Feed the Birds, Stay Awake, The Perfect Nanny, & Chim Chim Cher-ee.

For MPR, it's another great soundtrack, but The Place Where Lost Things Go, A Cover Is Not the Book, & Can You Imagine That are my most favorites.

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I didn't include all of the musical songs, only select songs or versions I love, but I did include all of MP and MPR in my list.

1. Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) (Musical Version) ~ I prefer having the bird woman sing half of the song herself. Something about it is a little less austere and leaves more impact on me than the film version.
2. Anything Can Happen ~ From the musical. I know this is really cheesy, but I love the ending so much. It's the best kind of cheesy, the kind that hits you in the feels.
3. Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) (Film Version) ~ Definitely my favorite of Julie Andrews' performances.
4. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Musical Version) ~ The musical made me love "Supercali…," where I always thought of it as a decent if slightly irritating earworm before. I think because the musical version builds, has a climax and room to breathe, where the film version pretty much begins at the same level it ends.
5. Sister Suffragette ~ This was always my favorite part of the movie growing up. Partly because I loved the maids and all the stuff going on with the house in the first part of the film, and then this song just had a patriotic feel to it that suited the moment. I do think it’s a shame the mother didn’t get more to do in the film. :/
6. Practically Perfect ~ Another from the musical. I love this. I think Ashley Brown is a fantastic MP, and that she has a beautiful voice in general.
7. A Spoonful of Sugar ~ I much prefer the film version of this one to the musical. I love the ending when she and the mirror are singing together.
8. Nowhere to Go But Up ~ Naturally I would love this because of Lansbury, but I think I would've enjoyed whoever was playing that part. Ben Whishaw and Julie Walters have my two favorite parts. "But I'll polish the stars!!"
9. Brimstone & Treacle Part II ~ Although the message is a bit heavy-handed, I do like this. I guess for me, growing up I always thought of characters like Mary Poppins, the Fairy Godmother, and the Three, Good Fairies as sort of like literal angels in human form. This song kind of plays into that interpretation for me, as far as explaining why I enjoy the song so much, because Poppins comes across as supernaturally powerful here versus someone who gets off on abusing their power and being cruel. Usually she cajoles people into doing what she wants and/or the right thing, whereas here she is actually pretty intimidating when she sings those last lines of “brimstone and treacle” back to Mr. Banks’ nanny. It's as if Mary is saying the woman’s taking ideas of spare the rod, spoil the child too far and using it as a moral disguise for her sick enjoyment of being cruel is what’s truly deserving of “brimstone” / punishment for her own “bad habits”... I probably like it more because I’ve never seen the musical and can imagine a scene entirely in my head. Btw, just to be clear, I don't see this song as criticizing the whole idea of spare the rod, spoil the child; more that it's saying that Mr. Banks' nanny doesn't really follow that method herself although she pretends to, simply that she uses it as a veil for what she's really doing which is getting off on being hateful and cruel to people who are truly powerless (like children or the bird in the cage).
10. Chim Chim Cher-ee ~ What a melody.
11. Can You Imagine That?
12. Jolly Holiday
13. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Film Version) ~ Dick Van Dyke’s part ("asked me out to tea") is my favorite part of the film version.
14. Brimstone & Treacle Part I
15. Turning Turtle ~ I think the scene doesn't really live up to the song itself; I had listened to the soundtrack before seeing the movie itself. Thankfully, the movie didn't damper my enjoyment of the song in any way.
16. The Place Where Lost Things Go
17. The Life I Lead ~ As a child, I absolutely hated all the songs by the father and the bank song, too. I didn't like Mr. Banks much either. I can enjoy the song more now from an adults' eyes even if I still don't really like the Mr. Banks character very much.
18. (Underneath the) Lovely London Sky
19. Let’s Go Fly a Kite ~ I feel bad not ranking this higher. I just... Never loved this one as much as others even though it's the theme of the whole movie. I don't dislike it, I just seldom listen to it.
20. The Perfect Nanny
21. A British Bank (The Life I Lead)
22. Trip a Little Light Fantastic
23. I Love to Laugh ~ Reading your post UmbrellaFish, I don't know why I never made the connection that this is the voice actor for the Mad Hatter. I know I recently watched The Diary of Anne Frank and recognized the actor there as from Mary Poppins.
24. A Man Has Dreams (The Life I Lead) ~ I do like how they make you empathize with the father, horrible as he is. He does think he's doing what he's supposed to be doing as a father / husband, even if he's misguided.
25. Stay Awake ~ I think this works a little too well... It puts me to sleep.
26. A Cover Is Not the Book
27. Step in Time ~ I always hate hate hate this part of the movie. It goes on and on and it wasn't good to begin with. I think it bloats the film.
28. Fidelity Fiduciary Bank

I really don't care for those last four much at all. Otherwise, I think the property (franchise?) has a lot of great songs. I'm actually not that big a fan of Mary Poppins. I like it and I think it's one of Disney's greatest films, it's just never been one of my favorites. I enjoy the music more than the movie itself.

Oh, that would've been perfect. Although I think the film puts Bert there because Mr. Banks is so patronizing and seems like the kind of man who doesn't listen to anything a woman would say to him (which is partly why he's so condescending to Mrs. Banks and Mary--and likely the nannies before her, too); he is the monarch, the head of the house and the family. I think it would almost be unbelievable for him to be consoled by Mrs. Banks or to be made to understand the lesson he has to learn by her or Mary Poppins either.

Katie Nanna has always drawn my attention at the beginning, too, despite being such a tiny part... I don't know the actress like you do though, I just wanted to say that I agree.

I personally never thought "Sister Suffragette" was making fun of the suffragettes... I always thought it had a real impassioned feeling to it, especially when the cook and maid start marching with her like they've caught the spirit, too ("our daughters' daughters will adore us"). I know I wrote it once above, but there's something about the song that feels very patriotic to me. My problem with the film only comes in at the end when "Let's Go Fly a Kite" comes in. The implication is that Mrs. Banks' feminism is equated to Mr. Banks' moneygrubbing and domineering sense of order as a 'problem' that needs to be set aside for the sake of the family. I don't know if that was necessarily intended (I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't since I personally find "Sister Suffragette" sincere), but nevertheless it's there. Since we disagree on the point, I wondered, would the actress have sung a song mocking the suffragettes if she believed that's what the song was doing? They gave the song to her as something to satisfy her despite how small her role is, I believe?

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Listening to most often lately:
Utada Hikaru ~ "Don't Think Twice"
Utada Hikaru ~ "Simple and Clean"
Ariana Grande ~ "test drive"

It was cool reading all of you guys' thoughts.

UmbrellaFish, was "Feed the Birds" Walt Disney's favorite song ever, or just his favorite song from Mary Poppins?

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