Colors of the Wind

"Colors of the Wind"
Single by Vanessa Williams
from the album Pocahontas
Released May 23, 1995
Format CD single, cassette
Recorded 1995
Genre Ballad, Adult contemporary
Length 4:20
Label Walt Disney
Writer(s) Alan Menken (music)
Stephen Schwartz (lyrics)[1]
Certification Gold
Vanessa Williams singles chronology
"The Way That You Love"
(1995)		 "Colors of the Wind"
(1995)		 "You Can't Run"
(1995)

"Colors of the Wind" by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, was the 1995 Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film, Pocahontas.[1] It also won the Golden Globe in the same category as well as the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Movie. The song poetically presents the Native American viewpoint that the earth is a living entity where humankind is connected to everything in nature.

The song was performed within the movie's narrative by Judy Kuhn as the singing voice of Pocahontas. Singer/actress Vanessa Williams recorded a version for the end credits which was successfully released as a single and became one of Williams' biggest hits in 1995,[1] earning a gold disc for sales of 500,000 copies, and reaching number four on the U.S. charts. For her version, Williams received a Grammy nomination as Best Pop Female Vocal Performance in 1996 (she lost to Annie Lennox's "No More I Love You's").[2]

Contents

Melody

The first two notes of Alan Menken's melody span a musical interval of a major sixth. Overall, the span of the melody reaches an eleventh. Because the melody spans a slightly larger range than some instruments, such as the Native American Flute, can reach, alternate versions of the melody have been arranged that span a more modest interval[3].

Lyrics

Described as a "stirring anthem to animism",[4] this song is Pocahontas' exhortation to John Smith about the wonders of the earth and nature, including the spirit within all living things, encouraging him not to think of them as things he can conquer or own, but rather as beings to respect and live with in harmony. She also urges him to accept humans who are different in appearance and culture and to learn from them.

The first line of the chorus tells of the wolf crying to the "blue corn moon". The phrase "blue corn moon" has no actual meaning in Native American folklore. It was made up by composer Stephen Schwartz because he liked the sound of it. [5] with the second line varying with the verse context. The second time the chorus is sung in the single version, the second line becomes "Or let the eagle tell you where he's been" from the original "Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned," likely because the latter phrase refers to imagery in the movie of a fictitious constellation which resembles a bobcat. The third line tells of singing with the voices of the mountains, as the fourth line concludes with the title imagery of painting with the colors of the wind.

Cover versions

Due to the popularity of the song, many versions of it exist by different artists and in several languages. Cover artists include:

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[6] 16
Irish Singles Chart[7] 16
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[8] 25
UK Singles Chart[9] 21
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 4
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[10] 2
US Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks[10] 10
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[10] 53
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Dutch Top 40[11] 8
Gfk Dutch Charts[12] 9
Flanders Ultratop 50[13] 38

Year-end charts

Chart (1995) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 31

References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 137. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  2. ^ Rockonthenet.com
  3. ^ Clint Goss (2011). "Colors of the Wind for the Native American Flute". Flutopedia. http://Flutopedia.com/song_ColorsOfTheWind.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-23. 
  4. ^ Kempley, Rita. "‘Pocahontas’: A Hit or Myth Proposition" Washington Post. June 23, 1995
  5. ^ What is a blue corn moon? Yahoo Answers. Retrieved 2009-08-24
  6. ^ "australian-charts.com". http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  7. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results for Vanessa Williams". http://www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  8. ^ "charts.org.nz - Vanessa Williams - Colors Of The Wind". http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  9. ^ "everyhit.com search results for Vanessa Williams". http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  10. ^ a b c d "Allmusic - Vanessa Williams - Billboard Singles". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5835/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  11. ^ "Zoeken naar: Artiest: Vanessa Williams (in Dutch)". DutchCharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?cat=s&artist=Vanessa+Williams&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts. Retrieved 2011-12-27. 
  12. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Vanessa Williams - Colors Of The Wind". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  13. ^ "ultratop.be - Vanessa Williams - Colors Of The Wind". http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
  14. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1995. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 
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