The Phantom of the Opera (song)
[1] The song was originally recorded by Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley, which became a UK hit single in 1986, prior to the musical.In different shows, Sarah Brightman sings this song in different duets with other performers, Antonio Banderas, Chris Thompson, Alessandro Safina, Mario Frangoulis, Colm Wilkinson, Anthony Warlow, John Owen-Jones, Peter Jöback and Erkan Aki.[2] Lloyd Webber composed the music of what became the title track and gave an early demo recording, minus lyrics and vocals, to Mike Batt.After Batt expressed interest in working on the track, Lloyd Webber recorded another demo of it, with Brightman providing a wordless guide vocal.He then wrote a set of lyrics and reworked the music, giving what he originally perceived as a "languid romantic ballad" a "more up-tempo treatment" and a "more vigorous rhythm".[9][10] Although Harley was currently working on his own solo album, El Gran Senor, for Mickie Most's label Rak,[11] he "jumped at the chance" to record the song."[16] It has been suggested that, due to suffering from polio as a child, there were doubts as to whether Harley could effectively cope with the physical demands of the part.The single was released by Polydor Records on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl in the UK, Europe, North America, Australasia and South Africa.[4] On the back sleeve of the release, a short passage reads: "Ladies and Gentlemen, On this recording I have required that Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley perform the theme from the forthcoming musical, which I have instructed Andrew Lloyd Webber to write around my legend 'The Phantom of the Opera.'In his book Phallic Frenzy: Ken Russell and His Films, author Joseph Lanza felt the video "packs in the gist of the musical's message and story in just over four minutes.called the track "strong Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff (orchestrally-orientated rock/pop)" and "interesting, even if the rock element isn't played up as much as I'd have liked"."[25] Karen Swayne of Number One was negative in her review, stating that Brightman and Harley, now "older and wiser", had "taken to more boring adult pursuits" by singing on the track, with the results being "unlistenable".[26] Tamsin Fontes of the Mid Sussex Times remarked that "La Brightman warbles shrilly like a demented canary and ageing Cockney Rebel, Steve Harley, finds a new vocation as the lovesick phantom".In 1990, the songwriter Ray Repp sued Lloyd Webber, saying he had plagiarised the "Phantom of the Opera" melody from his 1978 song "Till You".[38] Lloyd Webber denied this, saying he had taken parts from his own earlier work, "Close Every Door", and that both songs included elements of compositions by Bach, Grieg and Holst.