Surface Pressure

**Surface Pressure** is a song sung by Luisa Madrigal (Jessica Darrow) in Disney's 2021 animated feature film, *Encanto*.

In the song, which adds Luisa expresses on how being the "rock of the family" is not what it seems and that she struggles with the pressure being put on her, with everyone relying on her. Furthermore, this song deepened Luisa's character with her sense of responsibility, as stated by co-writer and director Jared Bush.*[citation needed]*

## Lyrics

I'm the strong one, I'm not nervous

I'm as tough as the crust of the earth is

I move mountains, I move churches

And I glow 'cause I know what my worth is

I don't ask how hard the work is

Got a rough indestructible surface

Diamonds and platinum, I find 'em, I flatten 'em

I take what I'm handed, I break what's demanded,

But!

Under the surface

I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus

Under the surface

Was Hercules ever like "Yo, I don't wanna fight Cerberus"?

Under the surface

I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service

A flaw or a crack

The straw in the stack

That breaks the camel's back

What breaks the camel's back? It's

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa

Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'till you just go pop, whoa-oh-oh

Give it to your sister, your sister's older

Give her all the heavy things we can't shoulder

Who am I if I can't run with the ball?

If I fall to

Pressure like a grip, grip, grip and it won't let go, whoa

Pressure like a tick, tick, tick 'til it's ready to blow, whoa-oh-oh

Give it to your sister, your sister's stronger

See if she can hang on a little longer

Who am I if I can't carry it all?

If I falter

Under the surface

I hide my nerves, and it worsens, I worry something is gonna hurt us

Under the surface

The ship doesn't swerve

Has it heard how big the iceberg is?

Under the surface

I think about my purpose, can I somehow preserve this?

Line up the dominoes

A light wind blows

You try to stop it topplin'

But on and on it goes!

But wait

If I could shake the crushing weight of expectations

Would that free some room up for joy

Or relaxation, or simple pleasure?

Instead we measure this growing pressure

Keeps growing, keep going

'Cause all we know is

Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa

Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'til you just go pop, whoa-oh-oh

Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt her

And see if she can handle every family burden

Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks

No mistakes just

Pressure like a grip, grip, grip and it won't let go, whoa

Pressure like a tick, tick, tick 'til it's ready to blow, whoa

Give it to your sister and never wonder

If the same pressure would've pulled you under

Who am I if I don't have what it takes?

No cracks, no breaks

No mistakes, no pressure

## Trivia

* The song is inspired by Latino reggaeton music.
* The ship during the part "The ship doesn't swerve, has it heard how big the iceberg is?" is a reference to the *Titanic*. The fact that the ship hit an iceberg and sank is still the same as the film and the real event, the only difference is that the ship itself is named *Madrigal*, as seen on the starboard.
	+ During that portion of the song, the donkeys in the background are playing instruments. This is another reference to the *Titanic* film.

## Videos

Jessica Darrow - Surface Pressure (From "Encanto")Jessica Darrow - Surface Pressure (From "Encanto"-Audio Only)Lin-Manuel Miranda - Surface Pressure (From "Encanto"-Instrumental-Audio Only)Instrumental version