Ariana Grande + John Legend = Disney's New Celebrity Duet

Things I was not happy to learn about today:

Ariana Grande and John Legend are, most likely, doing the "celebrity duet version" of "Beauty and the Beast" for the new live-action film.

PC: Seventeen

Grrrr.

Okay. Here's the thing. Celebrity versions of iconic Disney songs are nothing new. While I think Demi Lovato's version of "Let It Go" was probably one of the only versions where the Disney-version actually did better (which...Idina Menzel. Yes.), there's usually a celebrity-version that soars to the top of the charts and gets a lot of radio airplay. Christina Aguilera did a version of "Reflection" for the Mulan soundtrack, (there was also a 98 Degrees song that played at the end of the film), Carrie Underwood recorded "Ever Ever After" for Enchanted, Vanessa Williams did a version of "Colors of the Wind" for Pocahontas, and, in the early '90s, apparently Peabo Bryson was the go-to guy for Disney.

I remember his version of "A Whole New World" with Regina Belle playing on the radio, and I definitely remember his version of "Beauty and the Beast" with Celine Dion. That was an "it" song of the early '90s:

Look at the '90s style!

Still. John Legend? I approve. And I'm sure that when Disney was thinking back on this version, they may have thought, "Wow! We had Celine Dion! A great 90's pop-star and total diva. Who's an equivalent now?" and yes, Ariana Grande is a logical, equivalent choice.

But...I don't know. She did a cover of "Zero to Hero" for the We Love Disney album and...maybe I'm just overly picky, but I was not impressed. I'm sure this is a minority opinion, but it was lacking something for me. Yes, it was technically perfect, and the choir in the back definitely helps with the soul, but it fell flat. There's some emotion missing, some deeper connection with the lyrics that makes me hesitant about tackling "Beauty and the Beast."

Ariana Grande Covers "Zero To Hero"

A couple months ago, when D23 announced a new album, We Love Disney, which is basically a compilation of classic Disney songs covered by pop stars, I was ecstatic.

(c) D23

I mean, not only is Tink all over it -- how adorable is that packaging? -- it's almost like a free pass to listen to Disney music without judgment: "Um, yes, I am listening to Disney music, but it's NE-YO, so, you know, it's legit." 

And I wanted to love the album--I really did. I just...some songs...I can't. 

Take, for instance, Ariana Grande's cover of "Zero to Hero" from Hercules. I love that movie -- and I love the music even more. When Meg sings "I Won't Say I'm in Love" -- it's such a realistic song that's so applicable in real life. And the Muses? Basically rock every song they sing, no matter how anachronistic it is. (Yes, ancient Greece did not have soul singers. I know. Although--I did have a student once write a kick-ass paper on how incorporating the Muses, and specifically portraying them as African-American religious soul singers, was a way to impose a traditional Christian message on an otherwise "pagan" film. Great argument.)

But I digress. Point is -- all the songs The Muses sing are soulful and fun and full of attitude. And Ariana Grande's cover just...wasn't. 

I'll admit I'm not her biggest fan to begin with -- I don't particularly like her music and she seems to not only have a not-great reputation but also seems to have somehow achieved diva-status (and not in a good way, if there is such a thing). 

But this cover just pales in comparison to the original, IMHO. I haven't done extensive research on reviews of the album, but a quick Google search seems to indicate I'm in the minority here:

E! Online listened to the whole album and ranked each song -- Grande's cover is #3 on their list:

"We should mention that Hercules is our favorite Disney movie, so that fact might have pushed us to put this cover song so high on the list. However, this would have been ranked high regardless. Ariana Grande covering a Gospel-esque track? Forget about it. Those high notes give us life."

Even Entertainment Weekly calls it "soulful" and says Grande is "channeling her inner Greek goddess." Yes, she can sing. Yes, she can hit the notes. But that's not enough to make it a good cover. 

I don't know--maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe the intent of the album wasn't to make "true" covers which capture the spirit and emotion of the original songs (e.g. internal conflict and realization in "Let It Go," yearning ad curiosity in "Part Of Your World," etc.). And maybe nothing will be as good as the originals in my mind....although, I say that, and I actually like Demi Lovato's version of "Let It Go" (from the original soundtrack) and Jason Derulo's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from this album. 

Take a listen to the original and Ariana Grande's cover below and decide for yourself!