Recorded 1958 Label Walt Disney | Genre Soundtrack | |
Published Walt Disney Music Company Released January 29, 1959 (1959-01-29) Writer(s) Jack Lawrence
Sammy Fain | ||
"Once Upon a Dream" is a song written in 1959 for the animated musical fantasy film Sleeping Beauty produced by Walt Disney. It is based on Tchaikovsky's ballet of the same name, more specifically the piece "Grande valse villageoise" ("The Garland Waltz"). It is the theme of Princess Aurora and Prince Philip and was performed by a chorus as an overture and third-reprise finale. Mary Costa and Bill Shirley, who were cast in the roles of Princess Aurora and Prince Philip, performed the song as a duet.
Contents
The song was covered by the American girl group No Secrets in 2003 for the two-disc DVD release, and by Emily Osment in October 2008 for the Platinum Edition release of the film, and also included on the compilation album Princess Disneymania. Lana Del Rey covered it in a "somber and sinister" mood for the 2014 film Maleficent.
Lana Del Rey version
"Once Upon a Dream" was covered by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey for the dark fantasy film Maleficent (2014), which serves as a prequel to and re-imagining of the original Sleeping Beauty (1959). The song was released on January 26, 2014; it was made available as a free digital download during its first week of availability by the Google Play Store. On February 4, the digital download was made available for purchase.
Critical reception
The cover received generally positive reception. Forbes called the cover "moody and low-key" while Stereogum described it as "swoony" and "spaced-out". Hypable said the cover was "much darker" than the original and pointed out the "slight radio effect" over Del Rey's and called her performance of the song "haunting": Spin said of the song snippet from the trailer "Smoky vocals, a bewitching come-hither delivery, and delicate piano turn the 1959 fairytale song into a haunting lullaby." Complex remarked that Del Rey's cover had a "somber and sinister" feel in comparison to the original.