Someday My Prince Will Come

Last updated
"Someday My Prince Will Come"
Song by Adriana Caselotti
from the album Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Recorded1937
Genre Soundtrack
Length1:53
Label Walt Disney
Composer(s) Frank Churchill
Lyricist(s) Larry Morey

"Someday My Prince Will Come" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . It was written by Larry Morey (lyrics) & Frank Churchill (music), and performed by Adriana Caselotti (Snow White's voice in the movie). It was also featured in the 1979 stage adaptation of the 1937 animated musical movie. In AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, it was ranked the 19th greatest film song of all time.

Contents

Production

Conception

Adriana Caselotti was cast in the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs after interrupting a phone conversation her father – a voice coach – was having on the phone with a talent scout. The scout was casting the upcoming film and noted that a previous candidate had sounded like a 30-year-old, so was let go; Caselotti picked up the extension and recommended herself. Only 18 at the time, Disney thought she sounded like a 14-year-old, which is what he wanted, and he offered her the part. She worked on the film for a nominal fee for three years while the film was in production. [1]

Composition

Meanwhile, Frank Churchill was chosen as the film's composer, who was instructed by Walt Disney to write something "quaint" in order to "appeal more than the hot stuff". The song sees Caselotti perform with "piercing top notes" and "mushy vibrato". The chord structure that underpins the melody has an atypical quality, that led it to become popular within jazz circles. A long-time partner of Disney, after hearing that his work on Bambi was monotonous and uninteresting, he died at a piano from a gunshot wound in 1942. [1] The song is typically played in the key of B-flat major.

Context

This song first appears 57:40 into the movie, when Princess Snow White sings a bedtime song about how the prince she met at the castle will someday return for her. Later in the film, Snow White sings a reprise while making a pie and a more formal version with a chorus is heard when the prince and Snow White leave for his castle at the film's end.

Release

Aftermath

After the film's release, the song became popular outside the context of the narrative as a jazz standard. The first performance was within the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1943, played by a band known as the Ghetto Swingers. After World War II, it was performed by jazz musicians such as Dave Brubeck, who included it on his 1957 album Dave Digs Disney. Another popular recording came from Miles Davis in 1961, who named his album after the song. [1]

Critical reception

The Financial Times wrote that the song "spelt out the tantalising promise of love and nurture". [1]

Legacy

The American Film Institute listed this song at No. 19 on their list of the 100 greatest songs in movie history. Following "When You Wish Upon A Star" from Pinocchio at No. 7, this is the second-highest ranked song from a Disney movie out of four, with the other two being "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast at No. 62 and "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King at No. 99. The song was then briefly sung on the 1971 sitcom All in the Family by Edith Bunker in the episode "Archie's Weighty Problem".

Selected covers

Jazz covers

Pop covers

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i> (1937 film) Animated Disney film

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is the first full-length traditionally animated feature film and the first Disney animated feature film. The production was supervised by David Hand, and the film's sequences were directed by Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, and Ben Sharpsteen.

<i>Someday My Prince Will Come</i> (Miles Davis album) 1961 studio album by Miles Davis

Someday My Prince Will Come is the seventh studio album by Miles Davis for Columbia Records, catalogue CL 1656 and CS 8456 in stereo, released in 1961. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in Manhattan, New York City, it marked the only Miles Davis Quintet studio recording session to feature saxophonist Hank Mobley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriana Caselotti</span> American actress and singer (1916–1997)

Adriana Elena Loretta Caselotti was an American actress and singer. Caselotti was the voice of the title character of the first Walt Disney animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, for which she was named a Disney Legend in 1994, making her the first female voice-over artist to achieve this.

<i>Disney Sing-Along Songs</i> Series of compilations of Disney songs with on-screen lyrics

Disney Sing-Along Songs is a series of videos on VHS, betamax, laserdisc, and DVD with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows, and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are sometimes displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse icon as a "bouncing ball". Early releases open with a theme song introduction containing footage featuring Professor Owl and his class, seen originally in 1953 in two Disney shorts, Melody and Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom. Professor Owl hosts some of the videos, while either Jiminy Cricket or Ludwig Von Drake host others. Later volumes, as well as the two Christmas videos, do not feature a host at all. Scenes with Jiminy Cricket and Ludwig Von Drake were taken from television programs, including the Walt Disney anthology television series and The Mickey Mouse Club, which featured the characters in the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heigh-Ho</span> 1938 song by Roy Atwell, Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig, Scotty Mattraw

"Heigh-Ho" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, written by Frank Churchill (music) and Larry Morey (lyrics). It is sung by the group of Seven Dwarfs as they work at a mine with diamonds and rubies, and is one of the best-known songs in the film. It is also the first appearance of the seven dwarfs. The other Dwarf Chorus songs are "Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum" and "The Silly Song".

D-TV was a series of music videos created by The Walt Disney Company and produced by Charles Braverman and edited by Ted Herrmann which premiered on May 5, 1984, by taking hit songs of the past and putting them together with various footage of vintage Disney animation, created out of the trend of music videos on cable channel MTV, which inspired the name of this series.

"Whistle While You Work" is a song with music written by Frank Churchill and lyrics written by Larry Morey for the 1937 animated Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was performed in the film by voice actress Adriana Caselotti as Snow White. It also is featured in the 1979 stage adaptation. It is set to appear in the upcoming 2024 live-action remake of the original film, performed by Rachel Zegler as the titular character.

"If You Can Dream" is the first song that was originally written and recorded specifically for the Disney Princess media franchise. It was written, produced, and arranged by Robbie Buchanan and Jay Landers. It was first released on the album Disney Princess: The Ultimate Song Collection.

<i>Ultimate Disney Princess</i> 2006 compilation album by Various artists

Ultimate Disney Princess is a three-disc compilation album set consisting of a wide range of popular Disney songs, mainly those sung by or related to the Disney Princesses.

"With a Smile and a Song" is a popular song. The music was written by Frank Churchill, the lyrics by Larry Morey. The song was published in 1937. Credit is also sometimes (e.g.) given to Leigh Harline. The song was sung by Adriana Caselotti in the Walt Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It also featured in the stage adaptation from the film.

"The Silly Song", also known as "The Dwarfs' Yodel Song", is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sung by Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig, Roy Atwell, and Scotty Mattraw. This features an instrument septet. The Seven Dwarfs yodel in this song. The melody is taken from the Irish folk song "Peggy Lettermore".

<i>Disney Princess: The Ultimate Song Collection</i> 2004 compilation album by Various Artists

Disney Princess: The Ultimate Song Collection is a 2004 album that is a compilation of various Disney Princess songs, including the original song "If You Can Dream", that has since been featured on several other Disney compilation albums. It was released on September 21, 2004, by Walt Disney Records, and went on to peak at #4 on Billboard's Top Kid Audio chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow White (Disney character)</span> Title character from Disneys 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White is a fictional character and a main character from Walt Disney Productions' first animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). She was originally voiced by Adriana Caselotti. The character of Snow White was derived from a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe with the best-known version being the 1812 tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a musical with music by Frank Churchill and Jay Blackton, lyrics by Larry Morey and Joe Cook, and book by Joe Cook. Adapted from Walt Disney Productions' 1937 animated musical film of the same name – which in turn had been based on the classic 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm – about a princess banished from her kingdom by her vain stepmother, and she comes to live with seven dwarfs in their woodland home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow White Grotto</span>

Snow White Grotto is an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, which originally opened on April 9, 1961, Tokyo Disneyland at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan in 1983, and at Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong in 2005. It is a wishing well located at the east of Sleeping Beauty Castle for Disneyland and west of Castle of Magical Dreams for Hong Kong Disneyland and Cinderella Castle for Tokyo Disneyland. Guests can throw a coin and make a wish in front of the grotto.

<i>The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song</i> 1992 compilation album by Various artists

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.

<i>Dave Digs Disney</i> 1957 studio album by Dave Brubeck Quartet

Dave Digs Disney is a 1957 studio album by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. It features jazz renditions of songs from the animated Disney films Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is one of Brubeck's most popular albums. The album was reissued in 2011, with remastered recordings and two bonus tracks: "Very Good Advice" and "So This Is Love".

<i>Snow White</i> (2024 film) Upcoming American musical fantasy film by Marc Webb

Snow White is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Marc Webb, from a screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Marc Platt Productions, it is a live-action remake of Walt Disney's 1937 animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which itself is loosely based on the 1812 fairy tale of the same title by the Brothers Grimm. The film stars Rachel Zegler as the title character and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.

"Someday My Prince Will Come" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

"One Song" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Pizzichini, Lilian (2016-07-08). "The Life of a Song: 'Someday My Prince Will Come'" . Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 381. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
  3. Nastos, Michael G. "Jazz in the Garden". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  4. "Snow White"
  5. Ayu-Vogue.net - a tribute to Ayumi Hamasaki Archived 2009-02-07 at the Wayback Machine