Toon Talk Special: The 101 Greatest Disney Songs - Part 2 of 2
Page 2 of 12

#56 - "Be Our Guest"
Beauty & the Beast - 1991
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman

"And a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll
Be our guest, oui, our guest
Be our guest!"

Lead Vocals: Jerry Orbach as Lumiere and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts
Source Album: Beauty & the Beast Original Soundtrack
Alternate Track: Beauty & the Beast: The Broadway Musical Original Cast Recording, with Gary Beach as Lumiere and Beth Fowler as Mrs. Potts

Behind the Music:

• Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Song.

• Originally written to be sung to Belle's father Maurice when he first arrives at the Beast's castle.

#57 - "Beauty And The Beast"
Beauty & the Beast - 1991
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman

"Ever just the same, ever a surprise
Ever as before, ever just as sure
As the sun will rise"

Vocals: Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts
Source Album: Beauty & the Beast Original Soundtrack

Behind the Music:

• Menken: "In all our projects, we had never achieved the liftable ballad, (and) we were determined to have it this time."  I'd say they definitely got it right.
• Lansbury thought her character wouldn't sing a ballad, but she was convinced otherwise after hearing Ashman's vocals on the demo tape of this song.
• Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy award-winning Best Song.
• The end-title pop version, the first for a Disney film, was performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.  It became a Billboard Top 10 hit.
• Demo tracks of all the Beauty & the Beast songs are available on The Music Behind the Magic.

#58 - "Seize The Day"
Newsies - 1992
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Jack Feldman

"Proud and defiant
We'll slay the giant
Let us seize the day"

Lead Vocal: David Moscow as David Jacobs
Source Album: Newsies Original Soundtrack

Behind the Music:

• Two versions of the song appear in the movie, this one and a chorale that was accompanied by a percussive, Stomp-like dance number.

(c) Disney

#59 - "Friend Like Me"
Aladdin - 1992
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman

"Can your friends do this?
Do your friends do that?
Do your friends pull this out their little hat?"

Vocals: Robin Williams as the Genie of the Lamp
Source Album: Aladdin Original Soundtrack

Behind the Music:

• Ashman's inspirations for the Genie were jazz legends Cab Calloway and Fats Waller.
• Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Song.
• Like Beauty & the Beast the year before, the film won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy for Best Score, and another Grammy for Children's Album.
• Gilbert Gottfried's Iago warbles a sarcastic version of this song in The Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management attraction at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

#60 - "Prince Ali"
Aladdin - 1992
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman

"Prince Ali!
Handsome is he, Ali Ababwa
That physique!  How can I speak?
Weak at the knees"

Lead Vocals: Robin Williams as the Genie of the Lamp
Source Album: Aladdin Original Soundtrack

Behind the Music:

• Golden Globe nomination, Best Song.
• This was the second to the last song that Ashman wrote.
• Reprised later in the film by Johnathan Freeman's Jafar, with lyrics by Tim Rice.
• Demo tracks for all the Aladdin songs, including unused verses for this song, are available on The Music Behind the Magic.