"On My Own" is a
solo from the 1980 musical ''
Les Misérables ''for the part of
Éponine. Beginning in the key of D major,
modulating
In music, modulation is the change from one tonality ( tonic, or tonal center) to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature (a key change). Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as ...
to
Bb major
BB, Bb, or similar, may refer to:
In arts and entertainment
*BB, abbreviation for a catalogue of works by Béla Bartók
* ''BB'' (album), by Mod Sun (2017)
*"BB Talk", 2015 song by Miley Cyrus
* BB (Transformers), a character in the franch ...
, then ending in F major, this is the most important song for the role of Éponine. In the song, she expresses her unrequited love for her best friend,
Marius, and how she dreams of being at his side but knows his love is for
Cosette and not for her.
The solo did not exist in the original French show that opened in 1980. When the English version was written, the music for "On My Own" was adapted from the original French solo "L'Air de la Misère" which was sung by Fantine about her misery and suffering. In turn, Éponine's original French solo, "L'un Vers L'autre", was dropped in the English version. In the later 1991 Parisian version, the title was "Mon Histoire" (My story). However, "On My Own" has become one of the most famous songs in the musical, and Éponine one of its most popular characters.
The first actress to play Éponine (English version) on stage was
Frances Ruffelle
Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", f ...
; her version of "On My Own" is preserved on both the Original London and Broadway cast albums.
It has appeared in many famous events outside of ''Les Misérables''.
Michelle Kwan skated to "On My Own" during the 1997 Skate America competition as well as the 1998 Tokyo Golden Gala.
Tom Fletcher danced with
Amy Dowden
Amy Dowden (born 10 August 1990) is a Welsh professional ballroom and Latin American dancer from Caerphilly, Wales, best known for her appearances on the BBC One television show ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Dowden joined the BBC series in 2017, an ...
in
Strictly Come Dancing (series 19)
''Strictly Come Dancing'' returned for its nineteenth series with a launch show on 18 September 2021 on BBC One, with the live shows beginning on 25 September. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman returned as hosts, while Rylan Clark-Neal returned to ...
to "On My Own" sung by
Shan Ako
The fifteenth and final series of the British television music competition '' The X Factor'' began airing on ITV on 1 September 2018, presented by Dermot O'Leary. Simon Cowell returned alongside new judges Louis Tomlinson, Ayda Field (credite ...
.
The character of Joey Potter in ''
Dawson's Creek'', played by
Katie Holmes
Kate Noelle Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American actress. She first achieved fame as Joey Potter on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003).
Holmes made her feature film debut in 1997 with a supporting role in Ang Lee ...
, sang this song at a talent show phase of a beauty show, (Season 1, Episode 12) in which she participated. In the
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
of ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
'', the character of
Rachel Berry
Rachel Barbra Berry is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists, alongside Mr. Schue in the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot epi ...
, played by
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...
, sang this song as her audition piece for the ''New Directions''
glee club, this version charted at number 42 in Ireland and 73 in the UK. Singer Joey Sontz recorded "On My Own" for his debut album "Chasing The Dream" in 2012.
For her audition for ''
Miss Saigon'', the then 17-year-old
Lea Salonga
Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyin ...
chose to sing the song and was later asked to sing "Sun and Moon" from Miss Saigon, impressing the audition panel.
Salonga has sometimes credited "On My Own" as the starting point of her international career.
[Pierce, Scott]
"Stars reveal song that changed their lives in new TV series"
''The Salt Lake Tribune
''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
History
...
'', 30 March 2012, accessed 10 July 2016
References
1980 songs
Songs from musicals
Songs with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
Torch songs
Works based on Les Misérables
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