Mother Knows Best (song) siren motif" for Gothel's appearance and personality. A "big" musical number, "Mother Knows Best" begins within the first fifteen minutes of "Tangled" during the film's first act when, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Rapunzel finally summons enough courage to ask Gothel for permission to travel and see the floating lanterns in person. Gothel, whose eternal youth and beauty solely relies on the safety and protection of Rapunzel's magical hair, denies this request by sarcastically reminding her that "mother knows best," warning her ward that "the world is full of wicked people who want to steal her hair's magic,"
Mother Knows Best (song) can continue exploiting her hair's regenerating abilities to remain youthful. "Mother Knows Best" is eventually reprised in a more sinister, vengeful manner by Gothel after Rapunzel, having left the tower, openly defies her for the first time. Menken and Slater deliberately wrote "Mother Knows Best" in the style of an old-fashioned Broadway musical number after directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno specifically asked that they provide the film with one. Musically, "Mother Knows Best" directly contrasts with the more pop-oriented singer-songwriter style of Rapunzel's songs, which are performed by pop singer Mandy Moore. A Tony Award-winning Broadway performer, Murphy recorded