ABOUT MARK MUELLER

I‘m a songwriter who‘s written (and co-written) a few hundred pop, rock and R&B songs, including some you may know, like #1 pop hits Crush by Jennifer Paige and That's What Love Is For by Amy Grant, and Top 10 rock hits like Nothin‘ At All by Heart (both words and music on that one).

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I also wrote two theme songs (words & music again!) for the classic Disney TV animated shows, DuckTales (original series plus reboot) and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (series and the film). Right before the reboot, Vanity Fair called DuckTales History’s Catchiest Single Minute of Music, which was incredible. The shows can currently be seen in 162 countries. I've always loved to travel and experience as many cultures as possible, so to hear songs I wrote be sung in 34 different languages is rather mind-blowing.

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When Billboard Magazine published their 100 Greatest Disneyverse Songs of All Time, DuckTales was ranked #19 and Chip 'n Dale was #63. The article celebrated the studio's first 100 years of music, from film and TV to Broadway and theme parks. It was a list that featured Disney classics ranging from Pinocchio's When You Wish Upon a Star to Circle of Life from Lion King. To be included in the company of so many great songs and songwriters... ones I have always admired... was a genuine honor.

 

My Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Theme Song was covered by rapper and singer Post Malone for the Disney film. It's an excellent version and very different from the original. The film won the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie after debuting at #2 on the Nielsen movie streaming charts (and #5 on the overall chart). It was so much fun walking the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere at Disney's El Capitan Theater and later hearing my song blasting on the speakers in that historic space.

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One of my favorite projects has been a stage musical I wrote with my dear friend, actress Lesley Nicol. Called How the Hell Did I Get Here?, it features nine original songs and is based on her life and show biz career. You may know Lesley as the beloved Mrs. Patmore on the hit TV show Downton Abbey, as well as the 2019 worldwide #1 box office smash film, its 2022 sequel and 2025's grand finale.

 

Lesley and I opened our show Off-Broadway in New York and it was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award after only 10 performances. It was an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience... a blur of activity (maybe like a duck blur?) which made me appreciate the energy (8 shows a week) that goes into live theater more than ever.

 

Before we got to NYC, we performed our musical in London, Hong Kong and Chicago. What's special for me is that I get to accompany Lesley onstage on piano every night for the songs we wrote together. We had the best time creating the show. Basically, all we did was laugh in her backyard. It was also pretty cool to play one of our songs on top of the World Trade Center. (Fortunately, there was a grand piano handy).

 

I've always loved musicals. I've written them for stage (Butterfly at the Goodspeed Opera House), film and TV (an all-sung CBS pilot titled Shangri-La Plaza), but for years pop songs were my main focus. It was nice to come full circle.

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One of the most gratifying things I've experienced in my career are the reactions I get when people find out I'm the writer of the DuckTales Theme Song. I get to hear wonderful stories about fans' happy childhood memories of the song. Since the reboot, parents not only share their thoughts about the original version, but tell me about the joy their own kids get from the song today. It's a great feeling.

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I also enjoy checking out YouTube and Instagram covers of DuckTales done by fans. I've read there are something like 362,000 of them on YouTube alone and new ones pop up every day. As a writer, there is no greater compliment than having that many people cover your work. I appreciate everyone's fondness for the song (and show!) and their creativity.

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I live in LA and love Southern California, but grew up a few hundred miles north near Palo Alto. (In the photo above, I‘m taking a ferry ride from Tiburon to San Francisco). I wrote my first musical there for my fifth grade class to perform. That production actually made the local newspaper when it we put it on.

 

My love of music started even before writing that first musical at age 10. I remember writing songs on our living room piano when I was 5. Music has always been in my blood, but I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

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Creating music professionally for a few decades has been a fantastic experience. I do what I love and love what I do... and I‘m grateful my songs have resonated with enough people to allow me to have a career that continues to be so satisfying. 

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Thanks for visiting my site.

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