Colors of the Wind

"Colors of the Wind"
Single by Vanessa Williams
from the album Pocahontas
Released	May 23, 1995
Format	CD single, cassette
Recorded	1995
Genre	Ballad, Adult contemporary
Length	4:20
Label	Walt Disney
Writer(s)	Alan Menken (music) Stephen Schwartz (lyrics)[1]
Certification	Gold
Vanessa Williams singles chronology
"The Way That You Love" (1995) "Colors of the Wind" (1995) "You Can't Run" (1995)

"Colors of the Wind" by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, was the 1995 Oscar-winner for Best Original Song from the Disney animated feature film, Pocahontas.^[1] It also won the Golden Globe in the same category as well as the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Movie. The song poetically presents the Native American viewpoint that the earth is a living entity where humankind is connected to everything in nature.

The song was performed within the movie's narrative by Judy Kuhn as the singing voice of Pocahontas. Singer/actress Vanessa Williams recorded a version for the end credits which was successfully released as a single and became one of Williams' biggest hits in 1995,^[1] earning a gold disc for sales of 500,000 copies, and reaching number four on the U.S. charts. For her version, Williams received a Grammy nomination as Best Pop Female Vocal Performance in 1996 (she lost to Annie Lennox's "No More I Love You's").^[2]

Lyrics

Described as a "stirring anthem to animism",^[3] this song is Pocahontas' exhortation to John Smith about the wonders of the earth and nature, including the spirit within all living things, encouraging him not to think of them as things he can conquer or own, but rather as beings to respect and live with in harmony. She also urges him to accept humans who are different in appearance and culture and to learn from them.

The first line of the chorus tells of the wolf crying to the "blue corn moon"^[4] with the second line varying with the verse context. The second time the chorus is sung in the single version, the second line becomes "Or let the eagle tell you where he's been" from the original "Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned," likely because the latter phrase refers to imagery in the movie of a fictitious constellation which resembles a bobcat. The third line tells of singing with the voices of the mountains, as the fourth line concludes with the title imagery of painting with the colors of the wind.

Cover versions

Due to the popularity of the song, many versions of it exist by different artists and in several languages. Cover artists include:

• Sara Ramirez
• Simone Egeriis (Danish)
• Edyta Górniak (Polish)
• Daniela Mercury and Kika Tristão (Brazilian Portuguese)
• Rita (Hebrew)
• Susana Félix (Portuguese)
• Sumi Jo (Korean)
• Jennifer Rush (German)
• Fiona Tzavara (Greek)
• Anita Skorgan (Norwegian)
• Daniela Castillo (Chilean Spanish)
• Arja Koriseva (Finnish)
• Winnie Hsin (Mandarin)
• Coco Lee (Mandarin)
• Pia Douwes (Dutch)
• Tuba Önal (Turkish)
• Ashanti (feat. Lil' Sis Shi Shi) on Disneymania and Disneyremixmania
• Ning Baizura
• Whitney Houston
• Michael Crawford
• Christy Carlson Romano on Disneymania 3
• ATC
• The Chipettes
• The Backyardigans (even though they're not Disney, they have rights to Disney Songs)
• Princess Presto & Wonder Red (Also not Disney, but have rights)
• Danielle White
• Peter Broggs
• Peter Moon
• Lea Salonga on Songs from The Screen
• Amy Jo Johnson
• Arturo Sandoval
• Pam Tillis
• Vanessa Hudgens on Disneymania 5 and Princess Disneymania
• ACIDMAN, a J-Rock band also played a remixed version of the song for their album Equal
• Gheorghe Zamfir (Instrumental)
• Thia Megia on the tenth season of American Idol.
• Ivana Wong
• Brian Wilson on his upcoming album entitled "In The Key Of Disney". It is being released Oct. 25th, 2011

Charts

Peak positions Chart (1995) Peak position Australian ARIA Singles Chart[5] 16 Irish Singles Chart[6] 16 New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[7] 25 UK Singles Chart[8] 21 US Billboard Hot 100[9] 4 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[9] 2 US Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks[9] 10 US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[9] 53 Chart (1996) Peak position Dutch Top 40[10] 9 Gfk Dutch Charts[11] 9 Flanders Ultratop 50[12] 38

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position US Billboard Hot 100[13] 31

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 137. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
2. ^ Rockonthenet.com
3. ^ Kempley, Rita. "‘Pocahontas’: A Hit or Myth Proposition" Washington Post. June 23, 1995
4. ^ The phrase "blue corn moon" has no actual meaning in Indian lore. It was made up by composer Stephen Schwartz because he liked the sound of it. What is a blue corn moon? Yahoo Answers. Retrieved 2009-08-24
5. ^ "australian-charts.com". http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
6. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results for Vanessa Williams". http://www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
7. ^ "charts.org.nz - Vanessa Williams - Colors Of The Wind". http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
8. ^ "everyhit.com search results for Vanessa Williams". http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
9. ^ ^{a b c d} "Allmusic - Vanessa Williams - Billboard Singles". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5835/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
10. ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 1, 1996". http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=5554. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
11. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Vanessa Williams - Colors Of The Wind". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
12. ^ "ultratop.be - Vanessa Williams - Colors Of The Wind". http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Vanessa+Williams&titel=Colors+Of+The+Wind&cat=s. Retrieved December 6, 2008 (2008-12-06). 
13. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1995. Retrieved 2010-08-27.