"You're Only Second Rate" is a song featured in the film, The Return of Jafar sung by Jafar, who boasts about how superior he is in comparison with Genie, who lost a majority of power due to his freedom. He does battle with Genie in a duel of magic, in which he is victorious, leaving Genie, along with Abu, to be taken prisoner by Jafar.
Lyrics[]
I must admit, your parlor tricks are amusing
I bet you've got a bunny under your hat!
Now here's your chance to get the best of me
Hope your hand is hot!
C'mon, clown! Let's see what you've got!
You try to slam me with your hardest stuff
But your double whammy isn't up to snuff
I'll set the record straight
You're simply out of date
You're only second rate!
You think your cat's a meanie, but your tiger's tame
You've got a lot to learn about the genie game
So for your information, I'll reiterate
You're only second rate!
Men cower at the power in my pinky
My thumb is number one on every list
But if you're not convinced that I'm invincible
Put me to the test!
I'd love to lay this rivalry to rest!
Go ahead and zap me with the big surprise
Snap me in a trap, cut me down to size
I'll make a big escape
It's just a piece of cake
You're only second rate!
You know, your hocus-pocus isn't tough enough
And your mumbo-jumbo doesn't measure up
Let me pontificate
Upon your sorry state
You're only second rate!
Zaba-caba-dabra!
Granny's gonna grab ya!
Alakazam-da-mus
And this thing's bigger than the both of us!
So spare me your tremendous scare!
You look horrendous in your underwear!
And I can hardly wait
To discombobulate
I'll send ya back and packing in a shipping crate
You'll make a better living with a spinning plate
You're only second rate!
Trivia[]
- Even though Jafar performs a song in the original movie, it should be noted that it was only a reprise of Prince Ali, therefore, this one is his official "villain song".
- Although he intended to have his own songs in the original movie called "Why Me?" and "Humiliate the Boy", both were cut for varied reasons.
- A snippet of the song is heard instrumentally in Aladdin and the King of Thieves, during the song "There's a Party Here in Agrabah" when the Genie appears with a mask of Jafar, saying the line "Without Jafar and all of his malice".
- There are many cultural references in this song:
- When Jafar says "You've got a lot to learn about the genie game," a chalkboard reads "2+2=5". This may be a reference to 1984, a novel written by George Orwell. In Part One, Chapter Seven, the protagonist wonders if the state will declare 2+2=5 true, as he also ponders on whether everyone believing it makes it true.
- "I'll make a great escape" is a reference to a mass escape from the Nazi prison camp Luftstalag III in 1944, or to the 1950 book The Great Escape or (most likely) the popular 1963 film of the same name.
- At one point, Genie and Abu run into a grandmother in a rocking chair, facing away. When "she" turns around, "she" reveals "herself" to be Jafar. This is a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho where the protagonist is in a similar situation but the grandmother is a mere skeleton.
- "Alakazomnibus" is a "portmanteau word" combining "alakazam" and "omnibus."
- "This thing's bigger than the both of us" was a cliché line from 20th century romantic fiction, often used by a villainous character attempting to seduce another into an illicit relationship by suggesting that it was somehow "fated" and irresistible.
- "You'll make a better living with a spinning plate" refers to certain novelty acts, such as Erich Brenn, who would spin multiple china plates on thin poles without allowing them to fall off; such acts were tremendously popular from the early days of vaudeville down to the 1960's or so, but were considered hopelessly dated and hokey by the time The Return of Jafar was made.