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"The Music of the Night" (also labelled as just "Music of the Night" and originally labeled as "Married Man") is a major song from the 1986 musicalThe Phantom of the Opera. The music was written byAndrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics byCharles Hart andRichard Stilgoe.[1] Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway,[2] "The Music of the Night" has appeared on many cast recordings of the musical,[3] sold millions of copies worldwide, and has been translated into many languages.
"The Music of the Night" is sung immediately following "The Phantom of the Opera", afterthe Phantom luresChristine Daaé to his lair beneath the Opera House. He seduces Christine with "his music" of the night, his voice putting her into a type of trance. He sings of his unspoken love for her and urges her to forget the world and life she knew before. The Phantom leads Christine around his lair, eventually pulling back a curtain to reveal a mannequin dressed in a wedding gown resembling Christine. When she approaches it, it suddenly moves, causing her to faint. The Phantom then carries Christine to a bed, where he lays her down and goes on to write his music.
Sarah Brightman declared, at the LondonRoyal Albert Hall concert in 1997,[4] that the song was originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber for her, the first time he met her. That version had different lyrics and was called "Married Man". The lyrics were later rewritten, and the song was added toThe Phantom of the Opera.
A year beforeThe Phantom Of The Opera opened atHer Majesty's Theatre, the original version of the song was performed at Andrew Lloyd Webber's own theatre at Sydmonton, along with the first drafts of the show.[5] The audience were a specially gathered group of Webber's acquaintances. The Phantom was played byColm Wilkinson.[6] The lyrics were very different from the ones used in the three variations of the song, as lyricistCharles Hart had not yet become involved in the project.
Due to similarities between the song and a recurring melody inGiacomo Puccini's 1910 opera,La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West), the Puccini estate filed lawsuit against Webber, accusing him of plagiarism. An agreement was settled out of court, and details were not released to the public.[7]
To promoteThe Phantom of the Opera's opening in London, the production's producers,The Really Useful Group, filmed a video starring Crawford andSarah Brightman (who did not sing).
The song has also been covered by many artists.
| "The Music of the Night / Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byMichael Crawford andSarah Brightman | ||||
| from the album The Phantom of the Opera | ||||
| A-side | "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" | |||
| Released | January 9, 1987 (1987-01-09) | |||
| Genre | Stage & Screen | |||
| Length | 5:12 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriter | Andrew Lloyd Webber | |||
| Producer | Andrew Lloyd Webber | |||
| Sarah Brightman singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Polydor released"The Music of the Night" byMichael Crawford and"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" bySarah Brightman as adouble A-sidesingle on 9 January 1987.[10] The single was released to promote the musicalThe Phantom of the Opera. A re-recording of the song was included on Crawford's albumWith Love / The Phantom Unmasked (1989).
Source:[11]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Music of the Night" | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" | 2:57 |
UK 12" Single [POSPX 803]
Source:[12]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Music of the Night" | 5:12 |
| 2. | "All I Ask of You" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "The Phantom of the Opera" | 4:17 |
| Chart (1987) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) | 7[13] |
| "The Music of the Night" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBarbra Streisand andMichael Crawford | ||||
| from the albumBack to Broadway | ||||
| B-side | "Children Will Listen" | |||
| Released | 15 January 1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:37 | |||
| Label | Columbia Records | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Barbra Streisand singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1993, American singerBarbra Streisand and British actorMichael Crawford released a duet version of "The Music of the Night". It is taken from Streisand's twenty-sixth studio album,Back to Broadway (1993), and peaked at number 54 on theUK Singles Chart. This version was also later included on Crawford's own albumA Touch of Music in the Night (1993).
The duet received favorable reviews from music critics. Ron Fell from theGavin Report declared it as "the year's most triumphant duet".[14] BritishLennox Herald wrote, "Familiar song which might be a hit again, given the high profiles of both stars."[15] Pan-European magazineMusic & Media said it's "easily the most beautifully executed song" off theBack To Broadway album, adding, "It will hypnotise anyone with a taste for real voices into playing it."[16] A reviewer fromPeople Magazine found thatStreisand, "crossing cadenzas withBroadway's first Phantom",Michael Crawford "goes for grandeur instead of intimacy and winds up with grandiosity."[17]The Stage stated that they both are "squeezing the last drop" out of "Music of the Night".[18] Richard Harrington fromThe Washington Post declared it as "an anthemic duet in which Crawford's warm, theatrical subtlety is overwhelmed by Streisand's undiminishable power (just listen to her attempt to make real the phrase "tremulous and tender")."[19]
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) | 54 |
