Beauty and the Beast (Disney song)
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| “Beauty and the Beast” | ||
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| Single by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson from the album Celine Dion and Beauty and the Beast |
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| Released | December 30, 1991 | |
| Format | CD single, cassette single, vinyl single | |
| Recorded | Right Track Recording, The Plant Recording Studios | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 4:04 (Album Version) 3:30 (Edit) |
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| Label | Columbia, Epic | |
| Writer(s) | Alan Menken, Howard Ashman | |
| Producer | Walter Afanasieff | |
| Certification | Platinum (Japan) Gold (United States) |
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| Céline Dion singles chronology | ||
| "L'amour existe encore" (1991) |
"Beauty and the Beast" (1991) |
"Je danse dans ma tête" (1992) |
| Alternate cover | ||
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"Beauty and the Beast" is the leading single from the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack and the first hit single from Céline Dion's eponymous album. It was performed in the movie by Angela Lansbury and sung over the movie's closing credits by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson. The Dion-Bryson single was released on December 30, 1991 in the United States and the next year in the rest of the world.
The song is a ballad about the love developing between Belle and the Beast. It was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman. It was one of Ashman's last works before he died of AIDS in 1991.
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[edit] Versions
During the film, "Beauty and the Beast" is performed by Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts, and is heard whilst Belle and the Beast dance in the castle ballroom. Another version is performed by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson at the end of the film. This was also the version released on a CD single and is also included on Dion's self-titled album (1992). A music video, directed by Dominic Orlando, was released in January 1992.
Lansbury, Dion and Bryson all performed the song live on stage during the 64th Academy Awards. Dion and Bryson performed it also at the Grammy Awards in 1993.
In 1998, a version of the song, called "Beauty and the Bees", was made for the 3D movie It's Tough to be a Bug!'s queue at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disney's California Adventure. A short arrangement of "Beauty and the Beast" can be heard in Kingdom Hearts II video game. The song was included later on Céline Dion's compilation All the Way… A Decade of Song (1999).
A brief minor version can be heard in the score of Enchanted, which, not coincidentally, was also composed by Alan Menken.
[edit] Reception
"Beauty and the Beast" was very successful on the charts around the world. It was Dion's first international hit. The single reached #9 in the U.S. (#8 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales and #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay) and hit top ten in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It was certified gold in the U.S. for selling over 500,000 copies, and platinum in Japan (100,000 copies sold). Thanks to its success, the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack was certified 3x platinum in the U.S., for selling over 3,000,000 copies.
[edit] Awards
"Beauty and the Beast" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992, marking Menken and Ashman's (posthumously) second win after the 1989 award for "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. A couple of months before, it had also won the 1992 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It also went on winning two Grammy Awards in 1993, for the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The song was also nominated for two other important Grammys: Record of the Year and the Song of the Year. In Canada, "Beauty and the Beast" won a Juno Award for the Single of the Year.
[edit] Formats and track listings
Promotional Only 1-track single
- "Beauty and the Beast" (Edit) – 3:30
2-track CD-single
- "Beauty and the Beast" – 4:04
- "The Beast Lets Belle Go" (instrumental) – 2:19
4-track CD-single - (CA)
- "Beauty and the Beast" – 4:04
- "The Beast Lets Belle Go" (instrumental) – 2:19
- "Des mots qui sonnent" – 3:56
- "Délivre-moi" – 4:19
[edit] Official versions
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"Beauty and the Beast" (1991) "Beauty and the Beast" was largely influenced by classical music, which became a key feature of Dion's later work. - Problems playing the files? See media help.
- "Beauty and the Beast" (edit) – 3:30
- "Beauty and the Beast" (album version) – 4:04
[edit] Charts
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[edit] References
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| Preceded by "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" from Dick Tracy |
Academy Award for Best Original Song 1991 |
Succeeded by "A Whole New World" from Aladdin |
