"Far Longer than Forever" | |
---|---|
Single by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne | |
from the album The Swan Princess: Music From The Motion Picture | |
Released | April 4, 1994 |
Recorded | 1994 |
Genre | Pop, R&B, Soul |
Length | 3:43 |
Label | Sony Wonder |
Composer(s) | Lex de Azevedo |
Lyricist(s) | David Zippel |
Producer(s) | Robbie Buchanan |
"Far Longer than Forever" is the theme song from the animated movie The Swan Princess . The song was written by composer Lex de Azevedo and lyricist David Zippel, with production by Robbie Buchanan. The song is performed by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne.
It was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song, but lost to "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John and Tim Rice from Disney's The Lion King . [1]
The Dreams Come True song "Eternity" was used as the B-side for this song. [2]
A writer for The New York Times noted, "The melody of 'Far Longer Than Forever'...echoes the first five notes of Beauty and the Beast. [3] [4] The Animated Movie Guide said the song had a theme of faith. [5] This commercial single was jointly released by Sony Wonder and Sony 550 Music. [6] MusicHound Soundtracks: The Essential Album Guide to Film, Television and Stage Music called the "seemingly mandatory big ballad" as "extremely annoying" due to "strik[ing] a totally different artistic note" in the contect of the film's musical landscape. [7] The Motion Picture Guide 1995 Annual: The Films of 1994 said the song was deserving of the Golden Globe. [8] Star-News deemed the song "insistent" noting that audiences may "quickly get [their] fill" of the tune [9]
It is sung within the context of the film as a love song, and again performed over the credits as an RnB ballad by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne. In the 1994 animated film, the song was performed by vocalists, Liz Callaway, as the singing voice of Princess Odette, and Howard McGillin, as the speaking and singing voice of Prince Derek. In the closing credits, a popular rendition of the song was performed by renowned R&B recording artists, Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne. Michelle Nicastro and Kenneth Cope sing a reprise of the song in the 1997 sequel The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain . [10]
The lyrics of the song revolve around the bond between two lovers who, although they are far apart, have faith that their love would eventually draw them together once again. In the film version, Princess Odette and Prince Derek are pledging their love for each other, despite the fact that distance and circumstances separate them. However, they truly believe that their love shared could overcome any barrier.
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1756 fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in turn an abridged version of the 1740 story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The film also incorporates ideas from the 1946 French film directed by Jean Cocteau. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton.
Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads including the hit singles "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "As Long As There's Christmas" with Roberta Flack, "A Whole New World" with Regina Belle, and "Beauty and the Beast" with Canadian singer Celine Dion. Bryson has contributed to two Disney animated feature soundtracks. Bryson is a winner of two Grammy Awards.
"A Whole New World" is the signature song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. A duet originally recorded by singers Brad Kane and Lea Salonga in their respective roles as the singing voices of the main characters Aladdin and Jasmine, the ballad serves as both the film's love and theme song. Lyrically, "A Whole New World" describes Aladdin showing the confined princess a life of freedom and the pair's acknowledgment of their love for each other while riding on a magic carpet.
Jeffrey Linton Osborne is an American singer-songwriter, musician and lyricist. He is the former drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/soul group L.T.D., with whom he began his musical career in 1970.
David Joel Zippel is an American musical theatre lyricist, director, and producer.
Regina Belle is an American singer-songwriter who started her career in the mid-1980s. Known for her singles "Baby Come to Me" (1989) and "Make It Like It Was" (1990), Belle is most notable for three hit duets, all with Peabo Bryson: "Without You", the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, recorded in 1987; "A Whole New World", the main theme of the Disney's animated feature film Aladdin recorded in 1992, with which Belle and Bryson won a Grammy Award and "I Just Can't Imagine" The theme song "Far Longer than Forever" from the animated movie The Swan Princess, performed with Jeffrey Osborne, was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1995 for Best Original Song.
"Beauty and the Beast" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for the Disney animated feature film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The film's theme song, the Broadway-inspired ballad was first recorded by British-American actress Angela Lansbury in her role as the voice of the character Mrs. Potts, and essentially describes the relationship between its two main characters Belle and the Beast, specifically how the couple has learned to accept their differences and in turn change each other for the better. Additionally, the song's lyrics imply that the feeling of love is as timeless and ageless as a "tale as old as time". Lansbury's rendition is heard during the famous ballroom sequence between Belle and the Beast, while a shortened chorale version plays in the closing scenes of the film, and the song's motif features frequently in other pieces of Menken's film score. Lansbury was initially hesitant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because she felt that it was not suitable for her aging singing voice, but ultimately completed the song in one take.
The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated musical fantasy film based on the ballet Swan Lake. Featuring Michelle Nicastro, Howard McGillin, Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, Sandy Duncan, and Steve Vinovich, the film is directed by former Disney animation director Richard Rich and scored by Lex de Azevedo. The film was distributed by New Line Cinema in the United States and by Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International outside the US. It was released theatrically on November 18, 1994, and grossed $9.8 million against a $21 million budget, becoming a box-office bomb, partly due to struggling competition with a re-release of The Lion King (1994). The film later became popular through home video releases and has since been followed by a series of direct-to-video sequels starting in 1997.
Alexis King de Azevedo is an American composer, songwriter, and pianist known primarily for his film scores and his work on The Swan Princess of which one of his songs was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. De Azevedo, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also produced the music for the LDS musical Saturday's Warrior.
Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on CD and cassette tape on October 27, 1992. The soundtrack was intertwined with demos, work tapes and unreleased masters, as well as original scores in 1994 in a four-disc box set entitled The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice. A remastered reissue with altered lyrics and new artwork was released on March 27, 2001. A special edition reissue featuring two previously released demos and new artwork was released on September 28, 2004. The Legacy Collection: Aladdin was released on September 9, 2022 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Aladdin.
The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain, alternatively known as The Swan Princess and the Secret of the Castle in European territories, is a 1997 American animated musical-fantasy-comedy film and the first direct-to-video sequel to the 1994 animated film The Swan Princess. Directed by Richard Rich, the film follows Derek and Odette's first anniversary of their wedding being disrupted by the actions of a wicked magician, Sir Clavius, who wants to find a magical orb, the source of the Forbidden Arts, and take over the world. The film was released on July 18, 1997. It is the only film in the series not distributed through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Chronologically, this film takes place after The Swan Princess: Christmas, since Odette mentions this as the first Christmas since her father's death.
Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album to the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. Originally released on October 22, 1991 by Walt Disney Records, the album's first half – tracks 2 to 9 – generally contains the film's musical numbers, all of which were written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, while its latter half – tracks 10 to 14 – features its musical score, composed solely by Menken. While the majority of the album's content remains within the musical theatre genre, its songs have also been influenced by French, classical, pop and Broadway music. Credited to Various Artists, Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features performances by the film's main cast – Paige O'Hara, Richard White, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, Robby Benson and David Ogden Stiers – in order of appearance. Additionally, the album features recording artists Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, who perform a pop rendition of the film's theme song of the same name, which simultaneously serves as the soundtrack's only single.
Hercules: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1997 Disney animated feature film Hercules. It contains the songs from the film written by Alan Menken and David Zippel, as well as the film's score composed by Alan Menken, and the score was orchestrated by Daniel Troob and Michael Starobin, with vocals performed by Lillias White, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Roger Bart, Danny DeVito, and Susan Egan among others. The album also includes the single version of "Go the Distance" by Michael Bolton.
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The Swan Princess: Music From The Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the Animated Feature The Swan Princess. It contains the songs from the film written by Lex de Azevedo and David Zippel, as well as the film's score composed and conducted by Lex de Azevedo, and additional score conducted by Larry Bastian. The score was orchestrated by Lex de Azevedo, Larry Bastian, and Larry Schwartz. The single "Far Longer than Forever" performed by Regina Belle and Jeffrey Osborne was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1995 for Best Original Song, but lost to "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" by Elton John and Tim Rice from Disney's The Lion King.
Tony Haynes is an American lyricist, songwriter, poet, music publisher, producer and author. Over the last four decades he has written lyrics to melodies composed by the biggest names in R&B and pop music. He has also authored children's books and produced children's music based on some of the most successful animated characters.
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The Swan Princess is an animated film series that began with the 1994 film The Swan Princess. There are twelve films in the series as of 2023.