Pocahontas (soundtrack) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	June 1, 1995
Recorded	1994–1995
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	55:08
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Alan Menken Stephen Schwartz
Walt Disney Animation Studios chronology
The Lion King (1994) Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack (1995) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Singles from {{{Name}}}

The Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the music album from the 1995 Disney animated movie, Pocahontas. Walt Disney Records released it on June 1, 1995. You could buy it on CD and audio cassette.

This album has all the songs and instrumental music from the film. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz wrote all the music. David Friedman was the conductor. Many famous voices sing on the soundtrack. These include Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Jim Cummings, David Ogden Stiers, and Bobbi Page.

Two songs from the soundtrack became big hits. "Colors of the Wind" was sung by Vanessa Williams. The movie's love song, "If I Never Knew You", was performed by Jon Secada and Shanice. The Pocahontas soundtrack won two Oscars. It won for Best Original Score (all the music) and Best Original Song (for "Colors of the Wind").

For the movie's 20th birthday, the soundtrack was updated. It became part of The Legacy Collection series. This new version has the full soundtrack in order. It also includes six demo recordings. It comes as a two-disc set. The first disc has 28 songs, and the second has 14. This special edition includes "If I Never Knew You" sung by Judy Kuhn and Mel Gibson. This version was cut from the original movie and soundtrack. It was added back into the movie for its 10th anniversary. Then it was finally put on this new soundtrack edition.

Making the Music

The music for Pocahontas is one of the biggest and most detailed scores ever for a Disney animated film. Alan Menken wrote the music for this Disney movie. He had worked with Howard Ashman before. Sadly, Ashman passed away before Pocahontas was made. So, Menken started working with Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz wrote the words for the songs.

People at Disney suggested Schwartz to Menken. Menken said that Schwartz's style was perfect for the movie's music. He felt Schwartz's writing mixed theater, folk, and classic styles. Menken said, "I just really felt that he and I would be able to find a voice that was unique to the two of us together, and we did."

The first song they wrote together was "Colors of the Wind." Jim Pentecost, the movie's producer, said this song was very powerful. It helped define what the movie would be about. The song was written early in the story's development. Jim Pentecost explained, "When Stephen came up with the title 'Colors of the Wind' and developed his lyric, it helped greatly to tell us what this movie should be."

Menken and Schwartz created this soundtrack from their strong feelings. They found a way to share these feelings through music. Schwartz said they knew what they wanted to say. They wanted to show who Pocahontas was. They found parts of themselves that connected with her character. This helped them create the movie's music.

Song List

All lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz, all music composed by Alan Menken.

Awards and Success

The Pocahontas soundtrack is most famous for "Colors of the Wind". This song won many big awards. It won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award.

As a single song, "Colors of the Wind" was very popular. It reached number 4 on the U.S. pop charts in 1995. It was one of Vanessa Williams's biggest hits. The Pocahontas soundtrack sold millions of copies. It earned a "multi-platinum" award from the Recording Industry Association of America. This means it sold over 3 million copies.

Pocahontas was the fifth Disney animated movie soundtrack to sell over 3 million copies. Other successful Disney soundtracks included The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

The soundtrack also won an Oscar for Best Musical or Comedy Score. It sold 2.3 million copies in just two months in 1995. It even reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Album Chart Performance

Single Chart Performance

See also

In Spanish: Pocahontas (banda sonora) para niños