The Little Mermaid (1989 soundtrack)

The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedOctober 19, 1989
GenreBroadway musical-style soundtrack, film score, classical music, calypso
Length43:18
LabelWalt Disney
ProducerAlan Menken
Howard Ashman
Robert Kraft
Walt Disney Animation Studios chronology
Oliver & Company: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(1988)
The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(1989)
The Rescuers Down Under: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(1990)
1997 Re-release
2006 Special Edition
Singles from The Little Mermaid: Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
  1. "Poor Unfortunate Souls"
    Released: 1989
  2. "Part of Your World"
    Released: October 13, 1989
  3. "Under the Sea"
    Released: December 13, 1989
Singles from The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack (Special Edition)
  1. "Kiss the Girl"
    Released: September 4, 2006 (Radio Disney)

The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. It contains the songs from the film written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as the film's score composed by Alan Menken. The score was orchestrated by Thomas Pasatieri. The score’s orchestral recording was conducted by JAC Redford, who also contributed much to the music composition. The album has achieved multi-platinum sales and won the Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children. The album includes recordings of the music that won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television ("Under the Sea"), the Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Under the Sea") and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

The soundtrack was first released by Walt Disney Records on October 19, 1989, on both CD and cassette tape.[1] The album was also included in a four-disc box set entitled The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice, which was released on November 22, 1994.[2] The box set included work tapes and demos intertwined into the finished original soundtrack.[3] The soundtrack (without the demos and work tapes) was re-released with different artwork, on October 14, 1997,[4] and it was released internationally on October 31, 2000, in a double pack with The Little Mermaid II soundtrack.[5] On October 3, 2006, a new two-disc special edition version of the soundtrack was released to correspond with the two-disc Platinum Edition DVD release of The Little Mermaid. The first disc remains identical to the original release, yet with remastered audio while the newly added second disc is composed of various newly recorded versions of the film's songs by different artists, such as Ashley Tisdale, Raven-Symoné, The Jonas Brothers, and Jessica Simpson. It also included two music videos, as well as new cover art.[6] The Legacy Collection: The Little Mermaid was released as a two-disc album on November 24, 2014, to coincide with the film's twenty-fifth anniversary.[7]

  1. ^ CD and cassette tape reference:
    • "The Little Mermaid (Audio Cassette): Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
    • "Little Mermaid: Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  2. ^ "Music Behind Magic: Menken / Ashman / Rice". Amazon. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  3. ^ "Music Behind Magic: Menken / Ashman / Rice: Track Listings". Amazon. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  4. ^ "The Little Mermaid: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Amazon. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  5. ^ "The Little Mermaid & Little Mermaid II (Special Edition Double Pack)". Amazon. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "The Little Mermaid: Alan Menken, J.A.C. Redford, Ashley Tisdale, Daughters of Triton, Jessica Simpson, Jodi Benson, Jonas Brothers, Pat Carroll, Raven-Symoné, Rene Auberjonois, Samuel Wright, Ship's Chorus: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  7. ^ "Walt Disney Records To Release Into The Woods Collectible Music Products Exclusively At Newly Launched Disney Music Emporium Site" (Press release). Burbank, California: PRNewswire. November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.