| Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | ||||
| Released | November 25, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1990—1992 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Producer | Alan Menken | |||
| Walt Disney Animation Studios chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the Walt Disney Pictures film, Aladdin, released on cassette and compact disc in November 1992. A remastered reissue with altered lyrics and new artwork was released in 2001. A special edition reissue featuring two previously released demos and new artwork was released in 2004.
The music featured on the album earned composer Alan Menken an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, as well as a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. Menken also shared an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award for Song of the Year with Tim Rice for the song "A Whole New World".
Contents |
All music composed by Alan Menken.
| Original release (1992) and remastered reissue (2001) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Performer(s) | Length | |||||
| 1. | "Arabian Nights" (*) | Howard Ashman | Bruce Adler | ||||||
| 2. | "Legend of the Lamp" (dialogue performed by Robin Williams) | (score) | |||||||
| 3. | "One Jump Ahead" | Tim Rice | Brad Kane | ||||||
| 4. | "Street Urchins" | (score) | |||||||
| 5. | "One Jump Ahead (Reprise)" | Rice | Brad Kane | ||||||
| 6. | "Friend Like Me" | Ashman | Robin Williams | ||||||
| 7. | "To Be Free" | (score) | |||||||
| 8. | "Prince Ali" | Ashman | Robin Williams | ||||||
| 9. | "A Whole New World" | Rice | Brad Kane & Lea Salonga | ||||||
| 10. | "Jafar's Hour" | (score) | |||||||
| 11. | "Prince Ali (Reprise)" | Rice | Jonathan Freeman | ||||||
| 12. | "The Ends of the Earth" | (score) | |||||||
| 13. | "The Kiss" | (score) | |||||||
| 14. | "On a Dark Night" | (score) | |||||||
| 15. | "Jasmine Runs Away" | (score) | |||||||
| 16. | "Marketplace" | (score) | |||||||
| 17. | "The Cave of Wonders" | (score) | |||||||
| 18. | "Aladdin's Word" (includes cue from When You Wish upon a Star) | (score) | |||||||
| 19. | "The Battle" | (Score) | |||||||
| 20. | "Happy End in Agrabah" (**) | (Score) | |||||||
| 21. | "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)" | Rice | Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle | ||||||
(*) Lyrics revised for later pressings and remastered reissue.
(**) Version included on the original cassette release (1992) contains several alternate cues.
| Special Edition (2004) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Performer(s) | Length | |||||
| 22. | "Proud of Your Boy (Demo)" | Howard Ashman | Alan Menken | ||||||
| 23. | "High Adventure (Demo)" | Ashman | Alan Menken & Howard Ashman | ||||||
"Arabian Nights", performed by The Peddler (Bruce Adler), opens the film. Initially a longer composition, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's 1990 score treatment incorporated several reprises allowing The Peddler to comment on plot developments.
The original lyric "Where they cut off your ear/if they don't like your face" received complaints from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and other groups upon the film and soundtrack's initial release. A new lyric, "Where it's flat and immense/and the heat is intense", was recorded for subsequent soundtrack pressings and home video releases.[2] The subsequent line, "It's barbaric, but hey, it's home," was left intact.
An alternate version of the song utilizing lyrics from the original demo was later featured in The Return of Jafar, performed by Brian Hannan.[3] This version was also used as the main titles theme for the Aladdin television series.
Aladdin and the King of Thieves features a reprise performed by Adler originally recorded for the first film.
"Arabian Nights" pops up in the movie's underscore quite often, primarily used as a theme for Jafar.
"One Jump Ahead" is sung by Aladdin (Brad Kane) while he escapes from the guards carrying a stolen loaf of bread, explaining that this is the life he lives, he has no choice but to steal, much as he does not wish to. It replaced "You Can Count On Me", a song that would be used to introduce Aladdin but was considered too pokey[4].
Tim Rice and Alan Menken's biggest inspiration for "One Jump Ahead" was another cut song, "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim", that would feature Aladdin and three friends removed from the film. During the writing, Rice and Menken also came to a ballad in the same vein, used in a later scene as "One Jump Ahead (Reprise)".[5] The reprise, titled, "One Jump Ahead (Reprise)", is also used in the score as the theme for Aladdin.
A slow version of the song (the reprise, specifically) is heard in the underscore frequently as a theme for Aladdin.
"Friend Like Me" is sung by the Genie (Robin Williams) while he shows off his powers to Aladdin in a Cab Calloway-like musical, telling him that he is a friend unlike any other. It was the first scene in Aladdin to have its animation finished, and features some differences in character design.[6] This song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song; it was Ashman's last nomination.
During the movie's end credits, an instrumental reprise of the song is featured.
Alvin and the Chipmunks covered "Friend Like Me" for their 1995 Disney-themed album When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk.
"Prince Ali" is another flamboyant number sung by the Genie (Robin Williams) as he introduces Agrabah to Aladdin's royal alter ego, Prince Ali Ababwa with a giant caravan. During the song, Robin Williams imitates a Thanksgiving Parade commentor ("Don't they look lovely, June?"), Walter Brennan, and Ethel Merman. The film version cut a conceived intro for the song and two extra verses in the middle.[7]
A parody of "Prince Ali" sung by Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), while the villain uses his newly gained powers to reveal Ali is only a street rat, and sending him to the ends of the earth. The filmmakers liked Jonathan Freeman's singing, and wanted to give Jafar a song of his own, but they rejected Menken and Ashman's original composition for the scene ("Humiliate the Boy") and a new piece composed by Tim Rice ("Why Me"), as they were too long. Instead, they used a reprise of "Prince Ali." [4][7]
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken composed several songs for an initial story treatment of Aladdin prior to beginning work on Beauty and the Beast[8][9]. This story treatment incorporated several plot elements from the original folk tale and additional characters that were eliminated during later story development. Three songs from this score - "Arabian Nights," "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali" - survive in the final film.
Menken composed several additional songs for the subsequent story revisions following Ashman's 1991 death, prior to Tim Rice's involvement with the project[8].
Work tape, demo and master recordings of cut songs have been released in several formats, notably on the 1994 The Music Behind the Magic box set[8], the 2004 special edition soundtrack and the 2004 DVD release of the film[10].
1990 Original Score - music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman[8].
Additional Menken/Ashman demos[8]
Menken solo demos[8]
Alan Menken's score for Aladdin follows the compositional method also used in The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, with specific cues and motifs derived from the songs' melodies.
When Aladdin and Jasmine are together, it is usually accompanied by "A Whole New World."
Total time of unreleased score material excluding song instrumentals: 34 minutes and 29 seconds
Total time of unreleased score material including song instrumentals: 48 minutes and 51 seconds
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| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Beauty and the Beast |
Academy Award for Original Music Score 1992 |
Succeeded by Schindler's List |
| Preceded by Beauty and the Beast |
Golden Globe for Best Original Score 1992 |
Succeeded by Heaven & Earth |
| Big Three Film Music Awards (1992) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award Aladdin |
Golden Globe Aladdin |
BAFTA Award Schindler's List |
|