<P> `` 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 . `` Beauty and the Beast '' was subsequently recorded as a pop duet by Canadian singer Celine Dion and American singer Peabo Bryson , and released as the only single from the film 's soundtrack on November 25 , 1991 . </P>
<P> `` 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 . `` Beauty and the Beast '' was subsequently recorded as a pop duet by Canadian singer Celine Dion and American singer Peabo Bryson , and released as the only single from the film 's soundtrack on November 25 , 1991 . </P>
who sings the original beauty and the beast song
who sings the original beauty and the beast song
British - American actress Angela Lansbury
British - American actress Angela Lansbury