emma thompson sang the theme song to beauty and the beast.
who sang the theme song to beauty and the beast?
emma thompson
"beauty and the beast" is a song written by lyricist howard ashman and composer alan menken for the disney animated feature film "beauty and the beast" (1991). the film's theme song, the broadway-inspired ballad was first recorded by british-american actress angela lansbury in her role as the voice of the character mrs. potts, and essentially describes the relationship between its two main characters belle and the beast, specifically how the couple has learned to accept their differences and in turn change each other for the better. additionally, the song's lyrics imply that the feeling of love is as timeless and ageless as a "tale as old as time". lansbury's rendition is heard during the famous ballroom sequence between belle and the beast, while a shortened chorale version plays in the closing scenes of the film, and the song's motif features frequently in other pieces of menken's film score. lansbury was initially hesitant to record "beauty and the beast" because she felt that it was not suitable for her aging singing voice, but ultimately completed the song in one take.
beauty and the beast (disney song)
"beauty and the beast: original motion picture soundtrack" continues to be best remembered for spawning the dion-bryson single, which established itself as an instant classic. the success of song is believed to have established dion as a bankable recording artist. before agreeing to record "beauty and the beast", dion had been fired from recording the theme song of "an american tail: fievel goes west" in favor of the more well-known linda ronstadt. although both singles were released around the same time, the success of dion's song ultimately eclipsed ronstadt's "dreams to dream". biography.com referred to "beauty and the beast" as dion's "real breakthrough into pop music stardom". according to lifetime, the song "cemented her international success," while "people" wrote that the release of "beauty and the beast" is when the singer truly went "global". in the wake of "beauty and the beast"'s success, young fans who had not yet learned dion's name would simply refer to her as "beauty and the beast". the commercial success of "beauty and the beast" ultimately earned dion a $10 million recording contract with sony music international; the song was then included on dion's successful self-titled studio album, serving as the record's "cornerstone". american musician prince was so moved by dion's performance on "beauty and the beast" after hearing it on the radio that he personally wrote a song for her to include on the album. according to filmtracks.com, "beauty and the beast" offered "a glimpse at a forthcoming mega-movie song presence for celine dion". evidently, the singer has since recorded the theme songs of several blockbuster films, including "when i fall in love" from "sleepless in seattle" (1993), "because you loved me" from "up close & personal" (1996) and finally her signature song "my heart will go on" from "titanic" (1997). "beauty and the beast" has since appeared on several of dion's greatest hits albums, while the singer has returned to disney as a special guest to host various segments for certain "beauty and the beast" re-releases.
beauty and the beast (disney song)