The song “Surface Pressure” is part of the soundtrack of the 2021 Disney film “Encanto” and it was written by American singer-songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda  and interpreted by American actress and singer Jessica Darrow. The film tells us the story of the Madrigal family. After a story of displacement and loss, a magical event occurs that protects the family, provides them with an enchanted  house, and grants each family member a particular magical power. 

The conflict of the movie begins when Mirabel, the only family member not granted with any magical power, begins to sense that something is going wrong with the magical house and her family’s magical gifts. In her quest to understand what is happening, Mirabel questions her cousin Luisa, whose gift is the possession of immeasurable strength. Mirabel senses Luisa’s vulnerability and this is when the song “Surface Pressure” takes place in the movie. 

The song expresses Luisa’s internal struggle between how she is supposed to feel and how she really is. In the first part of the song, Luisa praises her own strength as she tries to fit into the role she has been assigned. 

“I’m the strong one, I’m not nervous
I’m as tough as the crust of the Earth is
I move mountains, I move churches
And I glow, ’cause I know what my worth is
I don’t ask how hard the work is
Got a rough indestructible surface
Diamonds and platinum, I find ’em, I flatten ’em
I take what I’m handed, I break what’s demanded”

However, in the next part of the lyrics, Luisa opens her heart and talks about how vulnerable she feels beneath the surface. Think of those occasions when you may have tried to hide your emotions, pretending that all was alright and avoiding asking for help when you really needed it. Many of us have encountered those moments in life where expectations about how we are supposed to feel and how we actually feel don’t match up, and this song captures this very well. The song also speaks on how people feel when they have to hide their true feelings in the midst of depression or in times of stress or anxiety or when they are asked to feel happy or relax in times of struggles. 

“But under the surface, I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus
Under the surface, was Hercules ever like, “Yo, I don’t wanna fight Cerberus?”
Under the surface, I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service
A flaw or a crack, the straw in the stack
That breaks the camel’s back, what breaks the camel’s back?

It’s pressure like a drip, drip, drip that’ll never stop, whoa
Pressure that’ll tip, tip, tip ’til you just go pop, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, your sister’s older

Give her all the heavy things we can’t shoulder

Who am I if I can’t run with the ball?
If I fall to

Pressure like a grip, grip, grip, and it won’t let go, whoa
Pressure like a tick, tick, tick ’til it’s ready to blow, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, your sister’s stronger
See if she can hang on a little longer
Who am I if I can’t carry it all?
If I falter

Under the surface, I hide my nerves and it worsens, I worry something is gonna hurt us
Under the surface, the ship doesn’t swerve as it heard how big the iceberg is
Under the surface, I think about my purpose, can I somehow preserve this?
Line up the dominoes, a light wind blows
You try to stop it tumbling, but on and on, it goes

But wait, if I could shake the crushing weight of expectations
Would that free some room up for joy or relaxation, or simple pleasure?
Instead, we measure this growing pressure
Keeps growing, keep going
‘Cause all we know is

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that’ll never stop, whoa
Pressure that’ll tip, tip, tip ’til you just go pop, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister, it doesn’t hurt, and
See if she can handle every family burden
Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks, no mistakes

Just pressure like a grip, grip, grip, and it won’t let go, whoa
Pressure like a tick, tick, tick ’til it’s ready to blow, whoa, oh, oh
Give it to your sister and never wonder
If the same pressure would’ve pulled you under
Who am I if I don’t have what it takes?
No cracks, no breaks
No mistakes, no pressure”

Listen to the full song here.

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Satdeep Gills, On Wikimedia. Creative Commons.