Reflection (song)

"Reflection" is a song written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel for the soundtrack of Disney's 1998 animated film Mulan. In the film, the song is performed by Tony Award winner, Philippine singer and actress Lea Salonga as Fa Mulan. An accompanying music video for "Reflection" was included as a bonus to the Disney Gold Classic Collection DVD release of the film in February 2000.

This article is about the Disney's Mulan song. For other uses, see Reflection (disambiguation).

"Reflection"
Song by Lea Salonga
from the album Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
ReleasedJune 25, 1998
Recorded1997
Length2:27
LabelWalt Disney
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Matthew Wilder

A single version of the song was recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera and became her debut single. She was 17 at the time it was released. The single's commercial success funded Aguilera's debut album from RCA, in addition to gaining her credibility amongst established writers and producers. Releases of the single were limited, which resulted in the track charting only on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. An accompanying music video for the song was included on the DVD release of Mulan. Aguilera has performed the track on four televised performances, including at the CBS This Morning show, which saw her gain the attention of songwriter Diane Warren. A later, the remix by Eric Kupper was released.

Use in Mulan

In the film Mulan, the song is recorded by Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga as the title character Mulan. "Reflection", which lasts for 2:27 [1] was written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, in the key of A major. Salonga's vocal range spans from the low-note of G♯3 to the high-note of D5 in a moderately slow tempo of 119 beats per minute.[2] Irving Tan from Sputnikmusic labelled "Reflection" a "decent" song.[3]

The song is performed after Mulan returns home following a humiliating and failed attempt to impress her matchmaker. The lyrical content expresses the way Mulan feels about wanting to show the world who she really is instead of pretending to be who she is not, but is afraid to disappoint her family by doing so. This scene takes place at Mulan's home in its surrounding gardens and ends in her family temple, where she removes her makeup to reveal her true appearance.

Christina Aguilera version
"Reflection"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
ReleasedJune 15, 1998
RecordedFebruary 1998
Genre
Length3:33
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Matthew Wilder
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Reflection"
(1998)		 "Genie in a Bottle"
(1999)

Aguilera approached record label RCA, then having financial difficulties, and was told to contact Disney.[4] After being given the opportunity to record "Reflection", it was reported she had gained a record deal with RCA Records.[5] After she was asked to hit E5, the highest note required for "Reflection", she thought that the song could be the gateway into an album deal. Aguilera spent hours recording a cover of Whitney Houston's "Run to You", which included the note she was asked to hit.[4] After successfully hitting the note, which she called "the note that changed my life", she was given the opportunity to record the song.[6] Due to the success around the recording of "Reflection", RCA wished for Aguilera to record and release an album by September 1998 to maintain the "hype" surrounding her at that time.[6] The label laid the foundation for the album immediately and started presenting Aguilera with tracks for her debut album, which they later decided would have a January 1999 release.[6] "Reflection" was adopted as a track on the album.

Serving as her debut single, Aguilera's version of "Reflection" was released to adult contemporary radio on June 15, 1998.[7] The song was released as a CD single in Japan on September 16, 1998.[8]

Reception

Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly noted Aguilera has a "who-am-I musings" persona in the song,[9] while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented that the "Matthew Wilder and David Zippel's full-fledged songs [on Mulan] are flat and unmemorable."[10] "Reflection" peaked at number 19 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[11][12] After the success of the track, Aguilera's record label RCA decided to fund her debut album (costing over one million dollars), and eventually funded more than they had predicted initially.[13]

Live performances

Aguilera performed the song on television four times, first on the CBS This Morning, and then on the Donny & Marie show; neither of these performances were directed at her demographic of teen viewers.[11] Whilst watching the show on This Morning, Aguilera gained the attention of songwriter Diane Warren, who was astonished by such a young performer being as "polished" as she was. Warren later stated that she had seen the potential in Aguilera.[13] The singer also performed "Reflection" on MuchMusic's Intimate and Interactive on May 17, 2000.[14] An ABC special in 2000, featuring a performance of the song, was recorded and released in a DVD titled My Reflection.[15] The song was later included in the setlist for Aguilera's Vegas residency The Xperience.

International versions

Aguilera's version of the song was re-dubbed into a numer of languages to be featured in their respective foreign soundtracks released in 1998. In 2000, Aguilera herself recorded her own Spanish-language version of "Reflection" titled "Mi Reflejo" which was adapted by Rudy Pérez for the album of the same name.[16] As both Spanish soundtracks had been released two years earlier, each featuring their own end-credits version, Aguilera's version was not featured in either of them.[17][18] In her Korean version of the song, titled "내안의 나를" ("Naeane naleul"), Korean American singer Lena Park went up to an A5.[19] Hong Kong-American singer and actress Coco Lee performed a Mandarin version of the song titled "自己" ("Zìjǐ"), after she was called to voiced the character of Mulan in the Mandarin dubbing distributed in Taiwan.[20][21][22]

2020 live action version
"Reflection (2020)"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Mulan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
ReleasedAugust 28, 2020
Length3:38
LabelWalt Disney
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Harry Gregson-Williams
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Loyal Brave True"
(2020)		 "Reflection (2020)"
(2020)

Although the live action remake was announced not to be a musical, on February 27, 2020, Aguilera announced that she had recorded a new version of the song for the upcoming movie, which was going to be featured in the movie soundtrack.[23] Film composer Harry Gregson-Williams provided the orchestra for Aguilera's re-recorded version, and film director Niki Caro directed the music video.[24]

Later that year, Coco Lee also announced that she was going to re-record the Mandarin end-credits version of the song, as she had already done in 1998.[25][22] On March 8, 2020, Coco's Mandarin version was also covered by actress Liu Yifei for the soundtrack of the live-action,[26] while a brand-new Japanese and Korean versions were recorded by singers Minami Kizuki and Lee Su-hyun respectively.[27][28] On September 4, a Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu versions were released on the Indian Vevo channel, with Indian singer Nithayashree Venkataramanan performing the song both in Tamil and Telugu, even though no such versions of the animated movie were ever released.[29][30][31]

In December 2020, PopSugar UK's Kelsie Gibson named the release of "Reflection" as one of the top 15 nostalgic moments of the year.[32]

Track listing
  • Australian CD single
  1. "Reflection" (performed by Christina Aguilera) – 3:34
  2. "Honor To Us All" (performed by Beth Fowler, Lea Salonga, Marnie Nixon) – 3:03
  • Japan CD Mini single
  1. "Reflection" (performed by Christina Aguilera) – 3:34
  2. "Reflection" (performed by Lea Salonga) – 2:27
  • Taiwan CD Mini single Promo
  1. "Reflection" (performed by Christina Aguilera) – 3:34
  2. "True To Your Heart" (performed by 98 Degrees & Stevie Wonder) – 4:17
  • US CD single Promo[33]
  1. "Reflection" – 3:34

Charts

Other versions

The group Mannheim Steamroller covered the song on their 1999 album, Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. Michael Crawford covered this song in The Disney Album. His rendition replaces the word "girl" with "man". Singer and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks performed the song on the Dedication Week of the sixth season of the show, with the performance she moved forward to the next round.[45] Jackie Evancho also covered the song on her fourth studio album, Songs from the Silver Screen.[46] In La Voz... Argentina (the Argentinian version of The Voice), the Spanish version of the song was covered by Sofia Rangone.[47] During the Chinese competition show Singer 2018, British Singer Jessie J performed a rearranged version of the song, during episode 11, gaining her fifth first place.

Notes
  1. Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Mulan: Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  2. "Digital Sheet Music – Lea Salonga Reflection (from 'Mulan')". Walt Disney Publishing Company. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  3. Tan, Irving. "Review: Soundtrack (Disney) - Mulan". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  4. Dominguez 2003, p. 43
  5. Dominguez 2003, p. 38
  6. Dominguez 2003, p. 44
  7. "Disney's Mulan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 110 (19): 20. May 9, 1998. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  8. "リフレクション" [Reflection] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015.
  9. Johnson, Beth (August 20, 1999). "Christina Aguilera (1999)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (June 2, 1998). "Mulan Soundtrack Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  11. Dominguez 2003, p. 45
  12. Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Adult Songs 1961-2006. Record Research, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7.
  13. Dominguez 2003, p. 46
  14. "Christina Aguilera Live". Intimate and Interactive. May 17, 2000. Event occurs at 60. MuchMusic.
  15. "Amazon.com: Christina Aguilera – My Reflection: Christina Aguilera, Dr. John, Brian McKnight, Bow Wow, Lawrence Jordan (II), Paul Hunter: Movies & TV". June 5, 2001. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  16. Erlewine, Stepehn. "Reflection: Overview". Allmusic. Rovi. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
  17. Various artists, Mulan, retrieved March 16, 2020
  18. Mulan - 1998 Latin American Spanish Soundtrack, retrieved March 16, 2020
  19. "NAVER VIBE(바이브)". vibe.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  20. 李玟的《自己》 (in Chinese), retrieved December 8, 2020
  21. 花木蘭 (DVD) (in Chinese). Taiwan: Disney. 1998.
  22. "YESASIA: Mulan Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (OST) (Taiwan Bonus Track Version) CD - Movie Soundtrack, Coco Lee, Universal Music Taiwan - Western / World Music - Free Shipping". www.yesasia.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  23. "Original 'Reflection' singer Christina Aguilera has recorded new material for live-action 'Mulan'". EW.com. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  24. Romano, Nick (August 28, 2020). "Christina Aguilera finally drops 'Reflection' video for Mulan". EW.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  25. 迪士尼影業 (August 20, 2020). "《花木蘭》經典主題曲〈自己〉配唱花絮". YouTube.
  26. 顾馨. "Chinese version of 'Reflection' released for upcoming 'Mulan' - Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  27. "「ムーラン」日本版主題歌「リフレクション」 by 城南海さん（60秒）". YouTube. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  28. 디즈니 (August 23, 2020). "[뮬란] 숨겨진 내 모습(Reflection) 티저 MV". YouTube.
  29. DisneyMusicIndiaVEVO (September 4, 2020). "Sunayana Sarkar - Parchhaayi (From "Mulan"/Audio Only)". YouTube.
  30. DisneyMusicIndiaVEVO (September 4, 2020). "Nithayashree Venkataramanan - Naalone nene (From "Mulan"/Audio Only)". YouTube.
  31. DisneyMusicIndiaVEVO (September 4, 2020). "Nithayashree Venkataramanan - Yen Bhimbham (From "Mulan"/Audio Only)". YouTube.
  32. Gibson, Kelsie (December 11, 2020). "15 Nostalgic Moments That Took Us to Any Year but 2020". PopSugar UK. Group Nine Media. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  33. Reflection (CD single liner notes). Christina Aguilera. Hollywood Records. 1998. 03MS32900.CS1 maint: others (link)
  34. "No hype, no gloss, no pretense... just me, Stripped". Freewebs. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  35. "Divas of South Africa & America − South African Divas Singles". Geocities. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  36. "Gaon Singles Chart (International)" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  37. "Top 30 Singles Chart Philippines". Music Weekly Asia. Music Services Asia Pte Ltd. September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  38. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100: 04 September 2020 – 10 September 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  39. "RIAS International Top Charts Week 37". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original on September 15, 2020.
  40. "Hit FM 聯播網 – 統計日期：9月28日~10月4日" (in Chinese). Hit FM. Voice of Taipei Broadcasting. September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  41. "DIGITAL SONG SALES – The week of September 12, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  42. "LYRICFIND GLOBAL – The week of September 12, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  43. "LYRICFIND U.S. – The week of September 12, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  44. "年度百首單曲: 1998" (in Chinese). Hit FM. Voice of Taipei Broadcasting. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  45. "Top 20". American Idol (television show). Jordin Sparks. 2007.CS1 maint: others (link)
  46. "Songs from the Silver Screen". Target Corporation. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  47. "Termino Una etapa en 'La Voz Argentina'". Diario Show (in Spanish). August 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012.

References
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