<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> <P> Written in common time at a tempo of 110 beats per minute and starting out in the key of E minor, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" has been identified as a "heroic power ballad" and anthem that features an upbeat, "thumping" rhythm . The Disney Song Encyclopedia described the song as a "rhythmic military song ." Beginning with "a military - style drum" introduction, "I'll Make a Man Out of You", which is immediately preceded by the emotional ballad "Reflection" on the film's soundtrack album, "breaks up the slower pace of the songs," according to Filmtracks.com . Similar to the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For", the "ironically titled" "I'll Make a Man Out of You" "play (s) off Mulan's secret" because Shang is unaware that she is actually a girl, as observed by Jeffrey Gantz of The Phoenix . Johnson Cheu, author of Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability, received the song as a counterpart to the all - female musical number "Honor to Us All". Going into the last verse, the song's key shifts up to F minor and later towards the end, "the backing track falls into silence and (Osmond's) vocals come to the fore ." Osmond's vocal range spans one octave, from D to F. Beginning with two verses, followed by a bridge, a refrain, a final verse and repeated choruses, the song is a total of three minutes and twenty - one seconds in length . </P> <P> Entertainment Weekly identified the number as the film's "rambunctious peak ." According to Victoria Flanagan, author of Into the Closet: Gender and Cross-dressing in Children's Fiction: Cross-Dressing and the Gendered Body in Children's Literature and Film, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is "a playful parody of conventional masculinity ." The lyric "I'll make a man out of you" is constantly repeated and reinforced by Shang . According to author John Stephens of Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature, the song's lyrics "initially define masculinity in opposition to femininity," with its first verse beginning, "Let's get down to business / To defeat the Huns / Did they send me daughters / When I asked for sons?" Its chorus reads, "You must be swift as the coursing river / With all the force of the great typhoon / With all the strength of a raging fire / Mysterious as the dark side of the moon" which, according to Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature, "essentializes masculinity by asserting that it embodies the speed, strength and power of the natural world, and yet contains this within an aura of tranquility and mystery ." According to Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works, these lyrics "add a hint of darkness as they celebrate male prowess" by suggesting that one who has "acquired fiery strength" is also "untamed as the moon's dark side ." The song has been noted by the New York Post for its "slew of one - liners from supporting characters ." According to The Phoenix, Osmond performs the song's lyrics with "grit ." Meanwhile, the singer is backed up by a macho - sounding choir repeatedly chanting "Be a man!" </P> <P> "I'll Make a Man Out of You" has been met with mostly positive reviews from both film and music critics . Irving Tan of Sputnikmusic wrote, "there hasn't been a single chorus in all of post-Mulan pop music that has managed to rival the roaring power in the refrain ." Scott Chitwood of ComingSoon.net reviewed "I'll Make a Man Out of You" as "a stirring, testosterone filled piece," describing the scene as "amusing ." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song "has a comparable infectious punch," concluding, "it's the only song in the movie that escapes Disneyfied blandness ." Jeff Vice of the Deseret News observed that Wong and Osmond's "voices sound eerily similar ." Tom Henry of The Blade enjoyed Osmond's delivery, describing the singer's performance as "solid ." Lloyd Paseman of The Register - Guard called "I'll Make a Man Out of You" a favorite of his . While exploring "The History of Movie Training Montages", Chris Giblin of Men's Fitness opined, "Mulan served as proof that the fitness montage can work amazingly well in movies for kids ." Giblin continued, "it has the best lyrics of any serious fitness / sports montage song . Overall, a very strong montage ." Disney.com itself cites "I'll Make a Man Out of You" as a "song that was so epic, so legendary, that it requires an out loud sing along anytime we hear it ." </P>

I'll make a man out of you soundtrack