Once Upon a Dream (Sleeping Beauty)

"Once Upon a Dream"
Song by Mary Costa and Bill Shirley from the album Sleeping Beauty
Released January 29, 1959
Label Walt Disney
Writer Jack Lawrence, Sammy Fain[1]
Producer George Bruns

"Once Upon a Dream" is a song based on Tchaikovsky's homonymous ballet The Sleeping Beauty, more specifically the piece "Grande valse villageoise (a.k.a. The Garland Waltz)", that was written in 1959 for the animated musical fantasy film Sleeping Beauty produced by Walt Disney and based on La Belle au bois dormant by Charles Perrault and based also on Little Briar Rose by The Brothers Grimm. It's the theme of Princess Aurora and Prince Philip and was performed by a chorus as an overture and third-reprise finale. Mary Costa and Bill Shirley, who were cast in the roles of Princess Aurora and Prince Philip, performed the song as a duet. The song was covered by the American girl group No Secrets in 2003 for the two-disc DVD release, and by Emily Osment in 2008 for the Platinum Edition release.

Emily Osment version

"Once Upon a Dream"
Song by Emily Osment from the album Princess Disneymania
Released September 12, 2008
Length 3:33[2]
Label Walt Disney

"Once Upon Dream" was sung as a remake by Emily Osment for the Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition. It was released on October 7, 2008,[3] and also included on the compilation album Princess Disneymania.

Lana Del Rey version

"Once Upon a Dream"
Single by Lana Del Rey
Released January 26, 2014
Length 3:23
Label Walt Disney
Writer(s) Jack Lawrence
Producer(s) Dan Heath
Lana Del Rey singles chronology
  • "Once Upon a Dream"
  • (2014)
  • "West Coast"
  • (2014)

"Once Upon a Dream" was covered by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey for the dark fantasy film Maleficent (2014), which serves as a prequel to and re-imagining of the original Sleeping Beauty (1959). The song was released on January 26, 2014; it was made available as a free digital download during its first week of availability by the Google Play Store.[4] On February 4, the digital download was made available for purchase.[5] Angelina Jolie, who plays the film's lead role, picked Del Rey herself to perform the song.[6]

Critical reception

The cover received generally positive reception. Forbes called the cover "moody and low-key"[7] while Stereogum described it as "swoony" and "spaced-out".[8] Hypable said the cover was "much darker" than the original and pointed out the "slight radio effect" over Del Rey's and called her performance of the song "haunting":[9] Spin said of the song snippet from the trailer "Smoky vocals, a bewitching come-hither delivery, and delicate piano turn the 1959 fairytale song into a haunting lullaby."[10] Complex remarked that Del Rey's cover had a "somber and sinister" feel in comparison to the original.[11]

Chart positions

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 96
France (SNEP)[13] 122
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 71
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 51
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] 60
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[17] 5


References

  1. ↑ "Disney: Once Upon a Dream". AllMusic. Rovi. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/princess-disneymania-mw0000799641
  3. ↑ "Emily Osment 'Once Upon a Dream' - Crushable". Crushable. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Lana Del Rey’s ‘Maleficent’ Track to Debut During Grammys Read more: Lana Del Rey's 'Maleficent' Track to Debut During Grammys - Disney News by Stitch Kingdom StitchKingdom.com - The #1 unofficial source for news on Disney". Stitchkingdom.com. January 23, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Once Upon a Dream". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ Charalambous, Sophia (January 27, 2014). "Lana Del Rey's rendition of Once Upon A Dream for Maleficent premieres at Grammys in 90-second sneak peek trailer". Daily Mail. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ Mendelson, Scott (January 26, 2014). "Lana Del Rey Covers 'Once Upon A Dream' For Angelina Jolie's 'Maleficent'". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ Nelson, Michael (January 26, 2014). "Lana Del Rey – "Once Upon A Dream"". Stereogum. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ Sims, Andrew (January 26, 2014). "Lana Del Rey’s ‘Once Upon A Dream’ released – listen!". Hypable.com. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ McGovern, Kyle. "Hear Lana Del Rey's Creepy 'Once Upon a Dream' Cover in 'Maleficent' Trailer". Spin. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ X, Dharmic (January 26, 2014). "Listen to Lana Del Rey's Cover of "Once Upon A Dream" as The "Maleficent" Theme Song". Complex. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Pandora Archive: Week Commencing 26 May 2014 – ARIA Chartifacts" (PDF). Pandora Archive (Australian Recording Industry Association) (1265): 2. May 26, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Lana Del Rey – Once Upon A Dream" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 24, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Lana Del Rey – Once Upon a Dream". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 – 7th June 2014". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Lana Del Rey Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 for Lana Del Rey. Retrieved February 15, 2014.

External links