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) the scene "strikes a balance between melodic and narrative sophistication, as well as being equal parts sweet and sinister." Gothel later reprises the song "in indelible fashion." According to the song's official sheet music, which has been published by Walt Disney Music Publishing at Musicnotes.com, "Mother Knows Best" is a "brash," upbeat Broadway musical-inspired show tune written in the key of F major at a moderate tempo of 66 beats per minute, performed "with rubato." At a total length of three minutes and ten seconds – the second-longest song on the film's soundtrack, behind "I See the Light" – Io9