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}} "Beauty and the Beast" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures’ 30th animated feature film ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991). The film's theme song, the Broadway and rock-inspired ballad was originally recorded by English actress Angela Lansbury as the voice of the character Mrs. Potts, and essentially narrates the developing romantic relationship between main characters Belle and the Beast. Additionally, the song's lyrics imply that the feeling of love is timeless and ageless – a "tale as old as time." "Beauty and the Beast" was later 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 album on November 16, 1991. Despite her experience in film, theatre and music, Lansbury was initially hesitant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because she felt that it did not suit her aging singing voice well, but ultimately recorded it in one take. To promote the film, Disney decided to release "Beauty and the Beast" as a single, and first recruited solely Dion to record a pop version of it in order to accommodate their budget. However, fearing that the relatively unknown Canadian singer would not attract a large audience in the United States on her own, the studio subsequently hired Bryson as her duet partner. At first Dion was also hesitant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because she had just recently been fired from recording the theme song of ''An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'' (1991). First heard during the film's end credits, the single was produced by Walter Afanasieff and arranged by Robbie Buchanan, and additionally included on Dion's second English-language studio album. A music video directed by Dominic Orlando was also released. Both the film and single versions of the song were successful,garnered a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, the Dion-Bryson version despite mixed reviews, became an international success on the pop and adult contemporary charts, peaking at number nine on the United States' ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In addition to returning Disney songs to the pop charts after a thirty-year absence – the song was the first in Disney history to undergo a complete pop transformation – the success of "Beauty and the Beast" also established Dion as a bankable recording artist during the 1990s. ''Beauty and the Beast'' was among the first animated films to use computer-generated imagery, a relatively new technology at the time that is featured prominently throughout the film's "ballroom sequence," during which Belle and the Beast dance to the title song. The scene has been praised extensively for both its visuals and innovative use of computer animation, which ultimately paved the way for the successful computer-animated films of Pixar Animation Studios. Considered to be one of Disney's best songs, "Beauty and the Beast" has since been covered by several artists, including actress Paige O'Hara, who famously voices Belle in the film. In the film's Broadway musical adaptation, the song was debuted by actress Beth Fowler, who originated the role of Mrs. Potts. In 2004, the American Film Institute recognized "Beauty and the Beast" as one of the greatest songs in film history, ranking it at number 62. == Writing and recording == "Beauty and the Beast" was written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken in 1990. The songwriters had envisioned the song as "the height of simplicity,"〔 and specifically drew influence from Broadway music. Due to Ashman's ailment, pre-production was relocated to a hotel in Fishkill, New York near Ashman's residence to accommodate the lyricist; the majority of the film's music was written in the hotel's conference room. Out of all the songs he has written, Menken believes that he spent the most time composing "Beauty and the Beast". The song was first recorded by English actress Angela Lansbury, who provides the voice of the character Mrs. Potts, an enchanted teapot. The songwriters first introduced "Beauty and the Beast" to Lansbury via a demo recording, which was accompanied by a note asking her if she would be interested in singing it. Although a seasoned film and theatre performer who had previously done her own singing for Disney in the film ''Bedknobs and Broomsticks'' (1971), Lansbury, who was accustomed to singing more uptempo songs, was hesitant to record the ballad because she was unfamiliar with the style in which it was written, which she considered rock music. Although she admitted the song was "lovely," Lansbury worried that her aging singing voice was not particularly strong enough to record "Beauty and the Beast", specifically expressing concern about sustaining its longer notes. Questioning the songwriters' choice in her, Lansbury suggested that they recruit someone else, to which they responded that she simply "sing the song the way () envisioned it."〔On October 6, 1990,〔 "Beauty and the Beast" was recorded in a studio in New York with a live orchestra because the songwriters preferred to record everyone together as opposed to having the singers and instrumentalists record separately.〔 However, on the day of Lansbury's recording session, the actress' flight was delayed due to a bomb threat, forcing an emergency landing in Las Vegas. Unaware of her whereabouts, the filmmakers had considered rescheduling the session until Lansbury finally telephoned the studio upon arriving safely in New York, reassuring them that she was on her way. At the behest of one of the directors, Lansbury recorded a demo of the song for them to use as back up in the event that no one else was available to sing it on her behalf, or no character other than Mrs. Potts was deemed suitable.〔 Ultimately, Lansbury's version, which was recorded in one take, wound up being the one used in the final film. For her performance, Lansbury imitated a cockney accent. Producer Don Hahn recalled that the actress simply "sang 'Beauty and the Beast' from beginning to end and just nailed it. We picked up a couple of lines here and there, but essentially that one take is what we used for the movie." Lansbury's performance moved everyone in the studio to tears;〔 the actress believes that recording the song helped her gain perspective on Mrs. Potts' role in the film. To the studio's surprise, ''Beauty and the Beast'' received three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. Concerned that this would divide votes and ultimately result in a draw, Disney decided to promote the film's title song ahead of its co-nominees "Belle" and "Be Our Guest" by releasing "Beauty and the Beast" as a single;〔 Ashman and Menken had intentionally written the song so that it could potentially experience success outside of ''Beauty and the Beast''.〔 Thus, "Beauty and the Beast" became the first Disney song to be arranged into a pop version of itself and played over its film's end credits. Menken referred to this feat as a "turning point" in his career because it was also the first time one of his compositions had undergone such a transformation. Producer Walter Afanasieff was hired to produce the pop version of the song, while both he and musician Robbie Buchanan arranged it. The instrumentals recorded at the Californian studio The Plant Recording Studios, vocals were added at The Power Station in New York, while mixing was completed at The Record Plant in Los Angeles.〔http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1845903〕 Menken explained that Afanasieff "molded (song ) into something very different than I ever intended," appreciating the fact that the producer "made it his own."〔 Actress Paige O'Hara, who voices Belle in the film, had initially expressed interest in recording the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast", but Disney executives ultimately dismissed her voice as "too Broadway." Unable to afford to hire a "big singer" at the time, Disney settled upon Canadian singer Celine Dion.〔 Although Dion had amassed success throughout Canada, she was relatively unknown to the American audience at the time, thus the studio doubted that she would make much of an impact in the United States on her own and subsequently recruited American singer Peabo Bryson, who was a more well-known artist at the time, to record the song alongside her in the form of a duet.〔 A consistent presence on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart since 1975, Bryson had already established himself in the United States, and was known for his penchant for duets with artists like Roberta Flack〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Best of Peabo Bryson () )〕 Disney contacted Dion's manager René Angélil about having her record "Beauty and the Beast" while the singer was on tour in England. Having enjoyed Dion's previous albums, Menken personally wrote the singer a letter of approval. At first Dion was hesitant to commit due to prior unsuccessful experiences with the film industry; she had just recently been fired from recording "Dreams to Dream" from the animated film ''An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'' (1991) in favor of American singer Linda Ronstadt, the latter of whom had previously recorded the very successful theme song of ''An American Tail'' (1986) with James Ingram. Naturally, Ronstadt was producer Steven Spielberg's first choice, who declined at first; the singer only agreed to record "Dreams to Dream" after first hearing Dion's rendition of it. Devastated by her abrupt termination, Angélil had to steadily convince his client to record "Beauty and the Beast", by which she was eventually moved enough to sing after being exposed to Lansbury's rendition.〔 Born and raised in the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, Dion had just barely begun to learn English at the time. Attributing her involvement in the single to the relevant parties, in the liner notes for her 1992 album Céline Dion the singer wrote: "thank you to (Disney Pictures President of Music ) Chris Montan and Glen Brunman for involving me in ''Beauty and the Beast''", "To Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, you have created a new highpoint in my career", and "To Walter Afanasieff...you were able to bring out the best in me.〔 Meanwhile, Bryson became involved with the song via Walt Disney Records Senior Vice President Jay Landers, who was friends with Montan. The Dion-Bryson version of "Beauty and the Beast" was released on November 16, 1991, and was coupled with the Menken-composed instrumental piece ''The Beast Lets Belle Go'' as the B side.〔http://www.discogs.com/C%C3%A9line-Dion-Peabo-Bryson-Beauty-And-The-Beast/release/3116028〕 Released on the Sony Music Entertainment label Columbia Records, the single's copyright is owned by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution〔http://www.discogs.com/C%C3%A9line-Dion-And-Peabo-Bryson-Beauty-And-The-Beast/release/1758444〕 (Walt Disney Music and Wonderland Music).〔 The only single from the film's soundtrack, the song appears alongside Lansbury's original on the album. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Beauty and the Beast (Disney song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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