Shooting Star (Disney song)

"Shooting Star" is a song written for the 1997 Disney animated film Hercules. The song, with a central theme of feeling disconnected,[1] was written by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and replaced by "Go the Distance". It was the first song that was written for the character of Hercules.[2]

"Shooting Star"
Song by Roger Bart
Genreshow tune
Composer(s)Alan Menken
Lyricist(s)David Zippel
Producer(s)Alan Menken

For his Hercules audition, Roger Bart sang the deleted song "Proud of your Boy" from Aladdin and "Shooting Star"; Menken cried during his audition.[1] The production team recorded the full track with Hercules' singing voice Roger Bart and the full orchestra before replacing it.[3] Menken's original concept for the sonic palette of the movie was Candide, though when it was decided to switch to gospel it was decided that the song felt "too wistful, with not enough drive".[3] They thought it made Hercules seem too soft and decided they wanted to emphasise the "muscularity of his journey". As a result, the duo of songwriters wrote "Go the Distance".[3] Bart said that when the song was cut and they decided to write him a new song, he was "thrilled and flabbergasted and grateful".[1]

Bart connected to the song because of his own disorientation as a young actor, saying "That the song was so much about feeling out of place but also connected to a part of yourself that's very strong inside. That even though you feel like you didn't belong where you were at that moment, you knew it wasn't just you. There was something about yourself that was going to be okay in all of this, even though you knew this was where you were not supposed to be right now."[2]

Menken said, "It's a very sweet song and it's very much a heartfelt 'I wish I knew where I belong' [song]".[3]

A single version was recorded by Boyzone as "Baby Can I Hold You"/"Shooting Star", which reached a peak of number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Similar to "Proud of Your Boy" from Aladdin, "Written in Stone" and "Keep 'Em Guessing" from Mulan, and "Human Again" from Beauty and the Beast, this deleted song was reinstated in the stage adaption of the film: the 2019 musical Hercules.

References
  1. "Roger Bart Chased Hercules in the '90s, and Now It's Chasing Him | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  2. "Original 'Hercules' voice actor Roger Bart talks going the distance, playing Hades on stage". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  3. Fierberg, Ruthie (November 27, 2019). "Genesis of a Song: Alan Menken Plays Through How He Wrote 'Go the Distance' for Disney's Hercules". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  4. "baby can i hold you/shooting star | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
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