Josh Gad Forgot The Lyrics to Let It Go During Live Frozen Performance

Frozen star Josh Gad admits he doesn't know the lyrics to 'Let It Go' and once found himself in a tricky position during a live performance.

Josh Gad Forgot The Lyrics to Let It Go During Live Frozen Performance

Josh Gad reveals that during a live performance of the hit Frozen song “Let It Go,” he flubbed it because he forgot the lyrics. Gad starred in the hit Disney film as the sentient snowman Olaf that was created by Elsa (Idina Menzel) after she accidentally plunged the kingdom of Arendelle into an eternal winter. Upon its release in 2013, Frozen proved to be a massive hit with critics and audiences alike, earning nearly $1.3 billion at the box office. It would later spawn a sequel on top of various shorts.

Along with the film’s financial success, the animated musical’s soundtrack proved to be just as popular. The official Frozen album sold over four million copies and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. However, its single “Let It Go,” as sung by star Menzel, proved even more popular than the album and film, selling over 10.9 million copies. It was also certified eight times platinum by the RIAA and won a Grammy, Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. For many, Frozen‘s “Let It Go” is a go-to Disney classic.

However, there is someone major who doesn’t know the words. During a recent interview with Good Morning America, Gad admits to messing up a live performance of the Frozen song “Let It Go” because he does not know the lyrics. While on stage at Carnegie Hall in April to honor the Frozen songwriting duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez along with other cast members, he found himself in a rather difficult position when it came time to perform the song. Read how Gad describes the experience below.

“So, there’s a problem with this, people assume that because I’m in Frozen that I know the lyrics to ‘Let It Go.’ What’s funny: I don’t know the lyrics to ‘Let It Go.’ So, there was a little monitor, but everybody was like, ‘Yeah, Josh, just move over, you know it already, we don’t even need this.’ [Laughs] I was like, ‘Yeah. Alright, let’s go guys. Let’s sing it.’ And so I’ve got the mic, and I’m doing, ‘The stars are bright, and the mountains are light, and you know that things are nice,’ just making up lyrics. Not a single word was correct. It was a disaster. And of course — this is a true story — I had the only working mic on the stage. Kids were like, ‘Did they rewrite this?'”

According to Gad, since Olaf never sang “Let It Go” in Frozen or its 2019 sequel, he never committed the lyrics to memory. Although Gad’s snowman character was created during the song’s magical sequence, he did not actually participate in the performance of the song. In Frozen, Olaf only performed the song “In Summer,” a tune about his deep desire to experience the warmth of the summer season. Therefore, despite being a large part of the Frozen family, Gad hasn’t had much need to learn Elsa’s showstopping number.

Botched live performances can unfortunately become a stain on the careers of musical artists. In this case, though, it seems all is well. Although Gad’s story sounds like an embarrassing experience, the actor was on stage with over a dozen of his colleagues, all affected by what sounds like a microphone issue, and Gad appeared to genuinely find the moment humorous. Although the actor was not a part of the most popular song from Frozen, perhaps he should memorize its lyrics just in case he finds himself in the middle of another major performance.