"True to Your Heart" is the "end-credits song" of Disney's 1998 animated film ''

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

'', and one of two singles released off the soundtrack. It was written by

Matthew Wilder Matthew Wilder ( Weiner; January 24, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. In early 1984, his single "Break My Stride" hit No. 2 on the ''Cash Box'' chart and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

and

David Zippel David Joel Zippel (born May 17, 1954) is an American musical theatre lyricist, director, and producer. Early life and education Zippel was born and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Falling in lo ...

and performed by American recording artists

98 Degrees 98 Degrees (stylized as 98°) is an American pop and R&B vocal group consisting of four vocalists: the group's founding member Jeff Timmons, brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, and Justin Jeffre. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, Cali ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

. The song was also included on the band's second album, ''

98 Degrees and Rising ''98 Degrees and Rising'' is the second album released by American boy band 98 Degrees. It was recorded at Blue Wave Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and released by Motown on October 20, 1998. The album features the singles " Becaus ...

''. Critics felt the song was vibrant but ultimately seemed out of place in the ''Mulan'' film and soundtrack.

Production

Matthew Wilder & David Zippel had written the song originally for

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ba ...

, but the deal eventually fell through. They were subsequently asked to alter the song to give it a "

feel". The writers previously had the opportunity to work with famous performers like dubbing artist Marni Nixon, though were "excited and astonished" to work with Wonder. Wilder recalled: "While sitting in the studio waiting for Wonder's arrival, some guy walks in and sets up a keyboard and then walks out with saying a word. After several hours passed, Wonder finally arrived. I peaked my head out into the hallway in time to see him floating down this long hallway in this floor-length dashiki. He looked like an African god." Wilder and Zippel didn't have a clear collaboration in mind when calling Wonder into the studio. Initially they had asked him to play harmonica on the track. Wonder said that he liked the song, describing it as "a song I would've written back in the '70s and I’m into it" and offered to sing on it. Meanwhile,

had recently released their debut album with just one single "Invisible Man" and the album failed to chart. The band's next creative step following this was to explore the international markets of Asia and Europe and record "True to Your Heart" with Stevie Wonder for Disney's ''Mulan'' soundtrack which led them to wider recognition.

Release

The song was released as the first single off the soundtrack and was nominated for the

1998 Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Rock icon Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and R. Kelly were th ...

in the category of Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television. The song has different lyrics in the movie than on the soundtrack. The song reached 51 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1998. Sandy and Jr. interpreted the song in Portuguese as "Seu Coração".

Raven-Symoné Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday () (née Pearman; born December 10, 1985), also known mononymously as Raven, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She has received several accolades, including five NAACP Image Awards, two Kids ...

recorded a cover of the song in 2004 for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

to ''

Ella Enchanted ''Ella Enchanted'' is a Newbery HonorDisneymania 2''. Both versions were released on 2004's Mulan: Special Edition.

Track listing

*UK CD single #"True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:18 #"True To Your Heart" (Instrumental) – 4:16 #"Was It Something I Didn't Say" (performed by 98 Degrees) – 5:02 *UK & European CD maxi single #"True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:15 #"True To Your Heart" (Instrumental) – 4:15 #"True To Your Heart" (98° Vocal Version) (performed by 98 Degrees) – 4:15 *European CD single #"True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:15 #"True To Your Heart" (Instrumental) – 4:15 *Australian CD single #"True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:15 #"I'll Make A Man Out Of You" (performed by Donny Osmond) – 3:21 *Japanese CD single #"True To Your Heart" (LP Version) (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:16 #"Because Of You" (LP Version) (performed by 98 Degrees) – 4:56 #"Because Of You" (Radio Edit) (performed by 98 Degrees) – 3:55 *French Promo CD single #"True To Your Heart" (Radio Edit) (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:15 *US Promo CD single #"True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:16 *UK & European Promo CD single #"True To Your Heart" (Radio Edit) (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:15 *UK Promo CD single #"True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:15 *Japanese Promo CD single #"True To Your Heart" (LP Version) (performed by 98 Degrees, Stevie Wonder) – 4:16 #"Because Of You" (LP Version) (performed by 98 Degrees) – 4:56 #"Because Of You" (Radio Edit) (performed by 98 Degrees) – 3:55

Critical reception

''MTV'' described it as a "celebratory tune that captures the mood of the film's conclusion" a la "

Circle of Life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King''. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) and Lebo M. (opening vocals ...

". Soundtrack.net felt the song "seems very out of place on this soundtrack". NPO3FM deemed the song the "big breakthrough" of 98 Degrees. ''DVDDizzy'' deemed it "catchy but out-of-left-field" and a "soundtrack anomaly", though added that the music video does a "good job at inspiring laughter". CinemaBlend felt the singers were "crooning" in the song. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' deemed it the 22nd best Disney Renaissance song, deeming it a "pretty promising combination" of artists, who "lived up to the hype with this playful, harmonica-flavored boy band jam". ''Animated Views'' deemed Raven-Symone's version "over-emoted".

References

External links

* {{Disney Renaissance Disney Renaissance songs Songs from Mulan (franchise) Songs with lyrics by David Zippel Songs written by Matthew Wilder Stevie Wonder songs Motown singles Walt Disney Records singles 98 Degrees songs 1998 songs 1998 singles 1990s ballads Vocal collaborations