<P> 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 . In order to promote the film, Disney decided to release "Beauty and the Beast" as a single, and first recruited solely Dion to record a radio - friendly version of it . However, the studio was concerned that the then - relatively obscure singer would not attract a large enough audience in the United States on her own, so they hired the more prominent Bryson to be her duet partner . At first Dion was also hesitant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because she had just recently been fired from recording the theme song of the animated film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). First heard during the film's end credits, the single was produced by Walter Afanasieff who also arranged it with Robbie Buchanan, and included on Dion's self - titled album . The single was accompanied by a music video . Directed by Dominic Orlando, it combined footage of the singers recording the song at The Power Station with excerpts from the film . </P> <P> Both versions of "Beauty and the Beast" were very successful, garnering both a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as Grammy Awards for Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals . The single was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year . Lansbury's performance has been universally lauded by both film and music critics . While the Dion - Bryson version received mixed reviews from critics who felt that it was inferior to Lansbury's original, the single became a commercial success, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the better - known of the two renditions . In addition to returning Disney songs to the pop charts after a thirty - year absence, the success of "Beauty and the Beast" also launched Dion's career and established her as a bankable recording artist . After "Beauty and the Beast" became the first Disney song to undergo a complete pop transformation, several contemporary artists were inspired to release their own radio - friendly renditions of Disney songs throughout the decade . Considered to be among Disney's best and most popular songs, "Beauty and the Beast" has since been covered by numerous artists . In 2004, the American Film Institute officially recognized "Beauty and the Beast" as one of the greatest songs in film history, ranking it 62nd . </P> <P> The song is also featured in the 2017 live - action adaptation; sung by Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts during the film and also as a duet cover version by Ariana Grande and John Legend during the end credits . Grande and Legend's version of the song is an homage to the cover performed by Dion and Bryson for the 1991 film . </P> <P> "Beauty and the Beast" was written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken in 1990 . Intending for the song to be "the height of simplicity", the songwriters drew much of its influence from Broadway music . Due to Ashman's failing health, some of Beauty and the Beast's pre-production was relocated to a hotel in Fishkill, New York near Ashman's residence to accommodate the ailing lyricist . Out of all the songs he has written for Beauty and the Beast, Menken devoted the most time to the title song . The track was first recorded by British - American actress Angela Lansbury, who voices the character Mrs. Potts, an enchanted teapot . The songwriters first introduced "Beauty and the Beast" to Lansbury as a demo recording, which was accompanied by a note asking her if she might possibly be interested in singing it . Although a seasoned film and stage performer who had previously done her own singing for Disney in the musical film Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Lansbury, who was more accustomed to performing uptempo songs, was hesitant to record the ballad because of its unfamiliar rock style . Although she liked the song, Lansbury also worried that her aging singing voice was no longer strong enough to record "Beauty and the Beast", and was especially concerned about having to sustain its longer notes . Lansbury suggested that the songwriters ask someone else to sing "Beauty and the Beast", but they insisted that she simply "sing the song the way (she) envisioned it ." </P>

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