A Change in Me (Beauty and the Beast)

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Braxton, as Belle, singing "A Change in Me".
Braxton, as Belle, singing "A Change in Me".

"A Change in Me" is a solo song from the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast, sung by the character Belle. It was written by Tim Rice and Alan Menken. The song was not included in the original Broadway production. It was introduced during 1998 when R&B singer Toni Braxton joined the Broadway cast, and, although it was added solely for Braxton only, it has been included in the script ever since. Because of this, the song was never included on the Original Broadway Cast recording; however, Susan Egan, the original Broadway Belle, recorded a version of the song and included it on her album, So far...

[edit] Meaning

It is played in the key of A major. The song is about Belle's internal transformation, the kind that each of the main characters, Belle, the Beast and Gaston, all go through. It describes how she no longer maintains her childhood dreams and has realized that she likes life how it is: "I never thought I'd leave behind/my childhood dreams, but I don't mind/I'm where and who I want to be."

[edit] Versions

The song, "A Change In Me", has been recorded by various artists:

  • Susan Egan, So Far. Egan was the first "Belle" in the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast.
  • Ashley Brown, Disney's On the Record. Brown recorded the song when she was cast as "Kirsten" in the national tour of the Disney revue On the Record.

The Coda (ending) of the song was changed in 2005 when *Ashley Brown joined the cast as Belle. It was made bigger to be similar to the ending that Ashley sang when she played Kirsten in On the Record. It now ends with belted notes and a grander orchestration.