True to Your Heart

"True to Your Heart" is the "end-credits song"[1] of Disney's 1998 animated film Mulan, and one of two singles released off the soundtrack. It was written by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel.

"True to Your Heart"
Song by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder
from the album Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Released1998
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Critics felt the song was vibrant but ultimately seemed out of place in the Mulan film and soundtrack.

Production

Matthew Wilder & David Zippel had written the song originally for Hanson, but the deal eventually fell through. They were subsequently asked to alter the song to give it a "Stevie Wonder feel".[1] The writers previously had the opportunity to work with famous performers like dubbing artist Marni Nixon, though were "excited and astonished" to work with Wonder.[1] Wilder recalled: "While sitting in the studio waiting for Wonder's arrival, some guy walks in and sets up a keyboard and then walks out with saying a word. After several hours passed, Wonder finally arrived. I peaked my head out into the hallway in time to see him floating down this long hallway in this floor-length dashiki. He looked like an African god."[1] Wilder and Zippel didn't have a clear collaboration in mind when calling Wonder into the studio. Initially they had asked him to play harmonica on the track. Wonder said that he liked the song, describing it as "a song I would've written back in the '70s and I’m into it" and offered to sing on it.[1]

Meanwhile, 98 Degrees had recently released their debut album with just one single "Invisible Man" and the album failed to chart. The band's next creative step following this was to explore the international markets of Asia and Europe and record "True to Your Heart" with Stevie Wonder for Disney's Mulan soundtrack which led them to wider recognition.[2]

Release

The song was released as the first single off the soundtrack[3] and was nominated for the 1998 Grammy Awards in the category of Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television. The song has different lyrics in the movie than on the soundtrack.[4] The song reached 51 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1998.

Sandy and Jr. interpreted the song in Portuguese as "Seu Coração".[5]

Raven-Symone recorded the song in 2004 for the soundtrack to Ella Enchanted and Disneymania 2.[6][7] Both versions were released on 2004's Mulan: Special Edition.[8]

Critical reception

MTV described it as a "celebratory tune that captures the mood of the film's conclusion" a la "Circle of Life".[3] Soundtrack.net felt the song "seems very out of place on this soundtrack".[9] NPO3FM deemed the song the "big breakthrough" of 98 Degrees.[10] DVDDizzy deemed it "catchy but out-of-left-field" and a "soundtrack anomaly", though added that the music video does a "good job at inspiring laughter".[7] CinemaBlend felt the singers were "crooning" in the song.[11] Billboard deemed it the 22nd best Disney Renaissance song, deeming it a "pretty promising combination" of artists, who "lived up to the hype with this playful, harmonica-flavored boy band jam".[12]

Animated Views deemed Raven-Symone's version "over-emoted".[13]

References
  1. "'Mulan': The story behind 'I'll Make a Man Out of You' and its other hit songs". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  2. "98[Degrees], rising". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  3. MTV News Staff. "98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder Stay "True" For Disney". MTV News. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  4. "The Music of Mulan". www.oocities.org. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  5. "Folha de S.Paulo – CD tem apenas cinco canções – 01/07/98". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  6. "Ella Enchanted CD 2004". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  7. "Mulan: Special Edition DVD Review". www.dvdizzy.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  8. Mulan: Special Edition – IGN, retrieved 2020-09-22
  9. "Mulan – by Jerry Goldsmith – Pick Of The Week". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  10. "98 Degrees". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  11. "Mulan: Special Edition". CINEMABLEND. 2016-05-27. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  12. "Every Song From the Disney Renaissance (1989–'99), Ranked: Critics' Take". Billboard. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  13. "Mulan: Special Edition – Animated Views". Retrieved 2020-09-22.
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