"Candle on the Water" is a torch song written by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn for Walt Disney Pictures' 1977 live-action/animated film Pete's Dragon . [1] Originally recorded by Helen Reddy, who plays Nora in the film, the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1977, [2] though it lost to "You Light Up My Life".
The setting for the song is entirely on the lantern-room balcony of the lighthouse in which Nora and her father, Lampie, live. Nora sings the song to her fiancé Paul, who has been lost at sea for over a year but Nora believes will one day return.
Leading into the song, one night Lampie scolds Nora, telling her to accept that Paul is no doubt dead and will never return, only to apologize for his outburst and excuse himself. Dismayed, Nora retires to the lighthouse balcony and sings toward the ocean, assuring Paul that she is still waiting for him out there.
"Candle on the Water" was originally intended to be the only song featured in the film, but when it met with such acclaim, the decision was made to turn the film into a musical. According to Helen Reddy, she was told by Kasha and Hirschhorn that "they deliberately placed religious and spiritual symbols within the song."[ citation needed ]
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary [3] | 27 |
In 1979, the song was covered by Swedish singer Kikki Danielsson, translated in Swedish as "Jag är ditt ljus på mörka vatten" by Swedish translator Doreen Denning (sv), for Danielsson's album Rock'n Yodel . [4]
On December 14, 2014, an audio-only cover of Candle On The Water was uploaded to the ミラクルミュージカル official YouTube page and Soundcloud. The track was dedicated to the memory of Diem Brown and Trevelyn Grace Campbell, fans of Tally Hall. [5]
"Candle on the Water" has been sung on the DisneyMania 4 album by Anneliese van der Pol. It was also sung briefly by Kristin Chenoweth and an unidentified a cappella group in the dramedy Pushing Daisies in the episode "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy". [6]
This song was also performed by Okkervil River for the 2016 remake of Pete's Dragon . [7]
Pete's Dragon is a 1977 American live-action/animated musical fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey, produced by Jerome Courtland and Ron Miller, and written by Malcolm Marmorstein. Based on the unpublished short story "Pete's Dragon and the USA " by Seton I. Miller and S. S. Field, the film stars Sean Marshall, Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Jeff Conaway, Shelley Winters, and the voice of Charlie Callas as Elliott.
Cinderella Castle is a fairy tale castle at the center of two Disney theme parks: the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort. Based on Cinderella's fairy tale castle from Disney's 1950 animated feature film, both serve as the symbol and flagship attraction for their respective theme parks. Along with Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Castle is a main symbol of The Walt Disney Company.
Sleeping Beauty Castle is a fairy tale castle at the center of Disneyland and formerly at Hong Kong Disneyland. It is based on the late 19th century Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. It appeared in the Walt Disney Pictures logos from 1985 to 2006 before being merged with Cinderella Castle, both familiar symbols of The Walt Disney Company. The version at Disneyland is the only Disney castle whose construction was overseen by Walt Disney.
"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for the 1940 Disney animated film Pinocchio, based on the children's fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi. The original version was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and in the final scene of the film. The recording by Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released by Victor Records as catalogue number 261546 and 26477A and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number BD 821.
Joel Hirschhorn was an American songwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song on two occasions. He also wrote songs for a number of musicians, including Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. Hirschhorn was born in the Bronx and attended the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. After graduating, Hirschhorn became a regular performer on New York's nightclub circuit, both as a solo singer and as a member of the rock & roll band, The Highlighters.
"Blue Yodel no. 8, Mule Skinner Blues" is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers. The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, acquiring the de facto title "Mule Skinner Blues" after Rodgers named it "Blue Yodel #8".
Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic is a five-volume compilation series, each containing 25 songs compiled from Disneyland and Walt Disney World, various Disney films in animation and live-action, and the Walt Disney anthology television series. Each volume was released individually on CD and cassette between 1995 and 1998. Volume I was released on March 28, 1995, Volume II on September 12, 1995, Volume III on July 2, 1996, Volume IV on July 15, 1997 and Volume V on September 22, 1998. In 2000, a box set was released containing volumes 1 - 3, followed by a box set containing volumes 1 - 4 in 2001, Finally, a box set containing all five volumes packaged in a slipcase was released by Walt Disney Records in Australia, Japan, North America and Europe in 2003.
Alfred Kasha was an American songwriter, whose songs include "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno.
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Donald Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous, temperamental, and pompous personality. Along with his friend Mickey Mouse, Donald was included in TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002, and has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character.
Wesley Tuttle was an American country music singer. He was raised in California and took up music at age four, relearning to play the guitar and ukulele after losing all but the thumb and one finger on his left hand. He contributed the yodeling to the "Silly Song" in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and later backed Tex Ritter on guitar. He married actress Marilyn Myers in 1947 and acted with her in several Western films, in addition to recording the duet "Never" with her. Eyesight problems forced Tuttle into retirement in the 1970s. Wesley's last recording was in 1997, when he sang a verse of Detour on The Old Cowhands CD, "A Tribute to Wesley Tuttle".
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights ~Christmas~ is the Christmas version of the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights. It opened in 2007 and runs during the holidays. The parade includes the regular floats and characters dressed up for the holidays. The soundtrack is almost identical to the regular, but has a holiday theme.
The Disney Collection: the Best-Loved Songs from Disney Motion Pictures, Television, and Theme Parks is a series of albums which were released three times. The first was a two-volume set released in 1987 from Disneyland Records. The second time was released in 1991 as a three-volume set from Walt Disney Records. The third time was released in 2006 as a four-volume set also from Walt Disney Records. It doesn't include songs from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, and The Sword in the Stone.
The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song is a 1992 three disc set of Disney songs spanning eight decades that were originally recorded from 1928 to 1991.
Pete's Dragon is a 2016 American fantasy adventure film directed by David Lowery, written by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks, and produced by James Whitaker. The film is a live-action remake of Disney's 1977 live-action/traditionally animated musical film of the same name, although the 2016 live-action film is not a musical. The film stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, and Robert Redford. The film tells the story of an orphaned feral boy who befriends a dragon in the Pacific Northwest, and the ensuing repercussions of their discovery by the town's residents.
Live in London is the first live album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in 1978 by Capitol Records and, as with her previous release, did not reach Billboard magazine's Top LP's & Tapes chart. On June 25, 2002, the album was released for the first time on compact disc.
I Am Woman: The Essential Helen Reddy Collection is a compilation album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in 1998 by Razor & Tie and, in addition to the title track, includes three additional songs written or cowritten by Reddy as well as rare compilation appearances by "Bluebird", "The Fool on the Hill", and two recordings from her brief time with MCA Records.
The Woman I Am: The Definitive Collection is a compilation album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in 2006 by Capitol Records in conjunction with the publication of her autobiography The Woman I Am: A Memoir. Unique to this best-of disc are the live recordings of "The West Wind Circus" and "Mama" from her 1978 concert LP Live in London and the Sunset Boulevard tune "Surrender" from her 1998 album Center Stage.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an enclosed roller coaster at Epcot at Walt Disney World, manufactured by Dutch company Vekoma. Based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Guardians of the Galaxy films, it is the first attraction at Walt Disney World to feature characters from the Marvel Universe. Opened on May 27, 2022, it is Epcot's first roller coaster and Disney's first backwards-launched roller coaster. It replaced the Universe of Energy pavilion, which closed on August 13, 2017.
Pete's Dragon (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2016 film of the same name directed by David Lowery. The album featured three original songs written for the film, as well as four existing tracks, and recorded by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, St. Vincent, Leonard Cohen, Bosque Brown, The Lumineers, Lindsey Stirling, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and Okkervil River. It also featured a new rendition of "Candle on the Water", the only song that was used from the 1977 original film, and also consisted 20 tracks from the original score composed by Daniel Hart. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on August 12, 2016.