"All I Ask of You" is a song from the 1986 English musical ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'', between characters

Christine Daaé Christine Daaé is a fictional character and the female protagonist of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' and of the various adaptations of the work. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera and Viscount Raoul de Chagny both fall ...

and Raoul, originally played on stage by

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United State ...

and

Steve Barton ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

, respectively. It was written by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

, Charles Hart and

Richard Stilgoe Sir Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe (born 28 March 1943) is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician, and broadcaster who is best known for his humorous songs and frequent television appearances. His output includes collaborations with Andrew ...

, and solely produced by Lloyd Webber. An operatic pop piece, its lyrics serve as dialogue between the two characters and discuss themes such as commitment and romance. Like Lloyd Webber's song "

The Music of the Night "The Music of the Night" (also labelled as just "Music of the Night") is a major song from the 1986 musical ''The Phantom of the Opera''. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Initially made ...

", "All I Ask of You" was compared to the music found in

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's 1910 opera '' La fanciulla del West''. Critically, the song has generally been regarded as one of the finest cuts made for ''The Phantom of the Opera''. It was released as a single by

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

on 26 September 1986 on 7" and 12", performed by Brightman and

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million ...

. The song achieved commercial success in several territories, including in Ireland and South Africa, where it topped the charts and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number three. It was later certified Silver in the latter country for shipments of 250,000 copies. "All I Ask of You" has been covered by multiple artists, including

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

, Lloyd Webber's brother Julian,

Elaine Paige Elaine Jill Paige (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professiona ...

, and

Jackie Evancho Jacqueline Marie Evancho ( ; born April 9, 2000) is an American classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age. Since 2009, she has issued a platinum-selling EP and nine albums, including three ''Billboard'' 200 top 10 ...

Susan Boyle Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the Britain's Got Talent (series 3), third series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from '. Bo ...

and

Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and go ...

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

and

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of '' American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her de ...

, and Marina Prior and Mark Vincent have also continued with duet versions of the song. A notable cover of "All I Ask of You" was recorded by

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

for her studio album '' Till I Loved You'' (1988). It was released as the record's second single on 15 December 1988 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

as a 7", 12", and CD. It was generally noted as a standout track on ''Till I Loved You'' and was commercially successful, entering the charts in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and on the United States'

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

Background and release

"All I Ask of You" was written and produced by

, while Charles Hart and

provided the lyrics for the track. It was created specifically for the 1986 English musical ''

'', which was developed by Lloyd Webber and served as a live adaptation of

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...

's 1910 novel of the same name. It is performed by characters

and Raoul, where the former protests and asks for love of the latter. The song appears towards the end of Act I, immediately after it is revealed that the two characters "have met again and felt a sexual attraction". The single version of "All I Ask of You" is performed by

and

, although Richard's vocals are replaced by

's during the musical production and its accompanying inclusion on the live album. In the early 2000s, Lloyd Webber was sued by the estate of

for similarities between the former's song "

" (1986), also from ''The Phantom of the Opera'', and a melody titled "Quello che tacete" which was used in Puccini's 1910 opera '' La fanciulla del West''. The matter was settled out of court between the two parties soon after the lawsuit was revealed. However, author John Snelson, who wrote a biography on Lloyd Webber in 2009, further compared "All I Ask of You" to the same aforementioned melody, citing similar "motivic connections" and "operatic and emotional cross-references" as his evidence.

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United State ...

, an English-based record label, first released "All I Ask of You" as a single on 26 September 1986. It was distributed in several formats. The 7" single features the track plus

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"The Phantom of the Opera Overture (Act II)", which is performed by the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

. The 12" version features the same two aforementioned songs, but it includes a second B-side " Only You", which was featured in Lloyd Webber's 1984 musical ''

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope o ...

''. Along with its placement as the 13th track on the album for ''The Phantom of the Opera'', a

reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

of "All I Ask of You" follows on the track listing. During the reprise, lead character

the Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

, voiced by

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...

, provides vocals. Besides the accompanying live album to the musical, Richard and Brightman's version of "All I Ask of You" was not featured on any

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

until Richard released '' Private Collection: 1979–1988'' in November 1988. Brightman did not include "All I Ask of You" on any albums either until her compilation titled '' The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection'' was released in the United States in 1997.

Composition and lyrics

Personnel working on the album for ''The Phantom of the Opera'' included recording engineer

Martin Levan Martin Levan is a music producer and sound engineer who, during the 1980s and 1990s, designed the sound for many of the major musicals in the West End of London. Early career Levan began his career as the tea boy at Morgan Studios, London in 19 ...

, conductor Michael Reed, Steve Pierce on clarinet, and Richard Wall on trumpet. The

was headed by Lloyd Webber and David Cullen whereas the musical direction was led by

Harold Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

and David Caddick. "All I Ask of You" is a

piano ballad A ballade (from French '' ballade'', , and German ''Ballade'', , both being words for "ballad"), in classical music since the late 18th century, refers to a setting of a literary ballad, a narrative poem, in the musical tradition of the , or to a o ...

; according to the official sheet music published by

Alfred Publishing Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, it is written in the key of D♭ major with the partners' vocals ranging from A♭₃ to A♭₅. It contains a

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

with a "heartfelt"

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

consisting of 60

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. Author Ethan Mordden described the track's genre as operatic pop and noted the high vocals achieved by the singers. Lyrically, Daaé's character is singing about her desire for romance when she demands, "Say you love me every waking moment". In exchange, Raoul claims that he can fulfill her wants as long as she will "let imbe erfreedom". In an additional comparison to Puccini's opera, John Snelson claimed that the song's lyrics contained similar symbolism to the music found in ''La fanciulla del West''; however, he stated that there were several differences between the two works. Although they both featured romantic symbolism, Snelson wrote that Puccini's work was much longer and contained a vocal-heavy delivery when compared to Lloyd Webber's work.

Reception

Author and music historian Ethan Mordden stated that the song contains "lyrical magnificence" and noted that its brilliance helped it "accomplish wonderful things" on stage. The song was described as one of the biggest and most commercially successful hits from ''The Phantom of the Opera'' by the staff at ''Show Music''. "All I Ask of You" was commercially successful in several territories internationally. In the United Kingdom, it became Richard's 52nd top ten single by peaking at number three on 4 October 1986. Its success allowed it to be listed on the year-end chart in that country, where it was ranked at number 31. The song was later certified Silver by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

on 1 October 1986 for shipments of 250,000 physical copies. It topped the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

for one week, replacing

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. ...

's cover of " In the Army Now" (1986). The song reached the same peak in South Africa on the country's

Springbok Radio Springbok Radio (spelled ''Springbokradio'' in Afrikaans, ) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1986. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financi ...

chart, while in Australia, it peaked at number 24, according to the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

Track listings

7" single * A1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:11 * B1 "The Phantom of the Opera Overture (Act II)" (performed by the

) – 2:42 12" single * A1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:11 * B1 "The Phantom of the Opera Overture (Act II)" (performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) – 2:42 * B2 " Only You" – 3:37

Charts

Weekly charts Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

Several musicians have created their own versions of "All I Ask of You".

created an instrumental version of the song in 1989 for their covers album, '' Steppin' to the Shadows''. As a duet,

Stephanie Lawrence Stephanie Lawrence (16 December 1949 – 4 November 2000) was a British musical theatre actress. Background Stephanie Lawrence was born in 1949 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. She was the daughter of a Welsh singer, to whom sh ...

and

Carl Wayne Carl Wayne (born Colin David Tooley; 18 August 1943 – 31 August 2004) was an English singer and actor. He is best remembered as the lead singer of The Move in the 1960s. Early days Wayne was born in Winson Green, Birmingham, and grew up in ...

included it on ''The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection'' in 1991. It is covered by Webber's younger brother and

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, ...

player Julian on the 2001 album, ''

Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber ''Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber'' is a 1989 album by British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber interpreting songs written by his older brother, the popular musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. The album was recorded with the Royal Philharmo ...

''. A separate choral arrangement of "All I Ask of You" appears on

The King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...

s ''Chanson d'Amour'' (1992).

released a solo version for ''Essential Musicals'' in 2006. American vocalist

's version of "All I Ask of You" was included on her 2011 studio album ''

Dream with Me ''Dream with Me'' is the second full-length album (first on a major label) by American singer Jackie Evancho. It was released on June 3, 2011 on digital download format, and on June 14, 2011 in the standard CD format.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 adverti ...

''s Classical Digital Songs component chart following its release. On

's album '' Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage'' (2012), she and featured artist

recorded a cover of "All I Ask of You"; in addition, Boyle also recorded two other Lloyd Webber compositions. American singers

and

performed the duet for the former's

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

-influenced seventh studio album, '' Stages'' (2015). After its release, it entered and peaked on the Pop Digital Songs in the United States at number 32. Groban had previously performed "All I Ask of You" to

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

during an audition to sing " The Prayer" live at the

41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill received the most nominations with 10, setting a record for the most no ...

with

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

. Marina Prior and Mark Vincent, both Australian vocalists, covered it for their 2016 collaborative effort, '' Together''.

Barbra Streisand version

Background and release

American singer

recorded a cover of "All I Ask of You" for her 29th studio album, '' Till I Loved You'' (1988). It was released as the album's second single on 15 December 1988 by

. ''Till I Loved You'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

chronicling the different stages during a romantic relationship, where the beginning songs detail the good times and the final tracks discuss a painful breakup; accordingly, "All I Ask of You" was placed as the record's sixth track. It was produced by frequent Streisand collaborator

Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business ...

. Considering its placement on ''Till I Loved You'', it was noted by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''s Stephen Holden as the only song that is not a "nontheatrical pop tune". Streisand would later include her cover on two of her

s: '' A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More'' in 1989 and ''

The Essential Barbra Streisand ''The Essential Barbra Streisand'' (retitled ''The Ultimate Collection'' in some European countries) is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features ...

'' in 2002. Streisand's cover was released physically in several formats by Columbia Records. The standard edition 7" release featured B-side track "On My Way to You" while the promotional version used "All I Ask of You" as both the A-side and B-side. In Spain, a 7" record with no B-side was distributed. Three different

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

s (EPs) were released in the United Kingdom. The 7" and 12" varieties included tracks such as " Somewhere", "

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remember ...

", " Send In the Clowns, "On My Way to You", "Life Story", and "Emotion"; both of these editions were also released on CD. The limited edition EP featured "On My Way to You", "

Make No Mistake, He's Mine "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" is a song written by Kim Carnes, recorded as a duet with Barbra Streisand in 1984. The duet was subsequently recorded as "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" by Ronnie Milsap and Kenny Rogers in 1987. Both versions of the s ...

", "

Since I Fell for You "Since I Fell for You" is a blues ballad composed by Buddy Johnson in 1945 that was first popularized by his sister, Ella Johnson, with Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra. A version by Annie Laurie with Paul Gayten and His Trio in 1947 led to its ...

", and a large colored poster of Streisand from the ''Till I Loved You'' photoshoots.

Reception

Stephen Holden called the song one of the "moments of sweeping majesty" on ''Till I Loved You''. He stated that Streisand "makes a powerful case ynegotiating its octave vocal dives with a grand finesse while taking the song at a pleasingly brisk pace". ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

''s Paul Grein highlighted the song as the greatest track on the album. He compared its dramatics to Streisand's 1981 single "Memory" and later wrote, "but tis much warmer and less grandiose. It's one of Streisand's greatest recordings". The single did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, but it did reach the same publication's

. "All I Ask of You" also entered the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In the former country, it peaked at number 56 after entering at number 79. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 77 and spent five weeks charting.

Track listings and formats

Standard 7" single * A1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 * B1 "On My Way to You" – 3:43 Promotional 7" single * A1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 * B1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 Spain 7" single * A1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 United Kingdom 7" and CD EP * A1/1. "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 * A2/2. " Somewhere" – 4:51 * B1/3. "

" – 3:52 * B2/4. " Send In the Clowns" – 4:39 United Kingdom 12" and CD EP * A1/1. "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 * A2/2. "On My Way to You" – 3:43 * B1/3. "Life Story" – 5:02 * B2/4. "Emotion" – 4:59 United Kingdom 12" limited edition EP * A1 "All I Ask of You" – 4:02 * A2 "On My Way to You" – 3:43 * B1 "

" – 4:12 * B2 "

" – 3:23

Charts

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:All I Ask of You 1980s ballads 1986 singles 1986 songs 1988 singles Barbra Streisand songs Columbia Records singles Polydor Records singles Pop ballads Sarah Brightman songs Songs from The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) Songs with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Male–female vocal duets Songs with lyrics by Charles Hart (lyricist)

Background and release

Composition and lyrics

Reception

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Cover versions

Barbra Streisand version

Background and release

Reception

Track listings and formats

Charts

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography