Alan Menken and Glenn Slater just won Best Original Song for a Children’s, Young Adult or Animated Program at the 2020 Daytime Emmys for composing the tune “Waiting in the Wings” for “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure” on the Disney Channel. That finally completes Menken’s EGOT grand slam as he had previously won at the Grammys, Oscars and Tonys. Check out the complete list of Daytime Emmy winners here.
Menken received his GOT awards a while ago. He has claimed a whopping eight Oscars, making him the second biggest winner ever at those kudos for music, behind nine-time champ Alfred Newman. The first of those was 30 years ago when he took home Best Original Song (“Under the Sea”) and Best Original Score for “The Little Mermaid” (1989). That Disney classic also won him the first of his 11 Grammys: Best Recording for Children and Best Visual Media Song (also for “Under the Sea”) in 1991.
It took him a while to cross Tony off his list. He received Best Original Score nominations for the Broadway adaptations of “Beauty and the Beast” (1994), “The Little Mermaid” (2008) and “Sister Act” (2011) before he finally won for “Newsies” in 2012. So for eight years he was just waiting for his Emmy.
Menken had been nominated twice in prime time: Best Music and Lyrics for the song “More or Less the Kind of Thing You May or May Not Possibly See on Broadway” from the sci-fi comedy series “The Neighbors” (2013) and once more in that category for “A New Season” from the fantasy musical comedy “Galavant” (2016).
This isn’t the first recognition for Menken and Slater’s work together. They earned an Oscar nom for the song “I Saw the Light” from “Tangled” (2010), the film on which “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure” is based. To claim this Emmy they overtook “Gonna Go Good” from “Big Hero 6: The Series,” “Never Leave” from “Elena of Avalor,” “As You Move Forward” from “The Lion Guard” and “The Vamp Opera” from “Vampirina.”
Menken also follows two other famous EGOT-winning composers who had to wait a while for their Emmy: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (along with John Legend) wrapped up their grand slams when NBC’s staging of “Jesus Christ Superstar” claimed Best Variety Special (Live) at the Primetime Emmys just a couple of years ago in 2018. They were the 13th, 14th and 15th EGOT recipients, depending on who reached the stage first when their names were announced.
And right before them composer Robert Lopez wrapped up his EGOT; he won his Emmys in daytime too. Now Menken is the sweet 16th artist to join this exclusive club.
