Mother Knows Best (song)

"Mother Knows Best" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater for Disney's animated film Tangled (2010). Included on the film's soundtrack album, it was recorded by American actress and singer Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel, the film's main villain, and details the character's efforts to frighten Rapunzel into remaining within the confines of their secluded tower so she can continue exploiting her hair's regenerative properties. A musical theatre-inspired pop ballad lyrically consisting of passive-aggressive insults, the song's upbeat melody belies its dark lyrics about fearmongering, lying, and manipulation. Gothel eventually reprises "Mother Knows Best" in a more vengeful, sinister manner once Rapunzel openly defies her for the first time.

Menken and Slater deliberately wrote "Mother Knows Best" in the style of an old-fashioned Broadway musical number at the behest of directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, despite Menken's initial concerns that it sounded too different from the film's other songs. Musically, "Mother Knows Best" contrasts with the singer-songwriter style of Rapunzel's songs performed by pop singer Mandy Moore. A Tony Award-winning Broadway performer, Murphy recorded "Mother Knows Best" by envisioning Gothel as a person who revels in the spotlight and enjoys being the center of attention.

"Mother Knows Best" has garnered widespread acclaim from film and music critics, who cited it as the film's best song. Murphy's vocal performance has also been praised, comparing it to actresses Patti LuPone and Julie Andrews. Additionally, the song has drawn comparisons to the work of Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, as well as songs from the musical Les Misérables and Disney's own The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), another Menken project.