A Dream is a Wish - Michelle Shocked



All this week (except Wednesday) we have been celebrating the 60th anniversary of Cinderella. I have chosen to post a cover of a different song from Cinderella each day. Today I am posting the most famous of all the songs from the film, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes has become one of Disney's most well known songs, possibly second to When You Wish Upon a Star. Lyrically, these two songs are very similar, both reflecting the philosophy that Walt Disney injected in everything he did.

The song has been covered in a variety of different styles, like pop, big band, mo-town, jazz, and also folk, as you can hear in today's cover by MICHELLE SHOCKED

You can find this song on her 2005 Disney tribute album, GOT NO STRINGS.

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, cinderella, folk, got no strings, michelle shocked

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  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Kimberly Locke



KIMBERLY LOCKE was part of American Idol season two. You remember, the one with Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard? Kimberly Locke came in third place. But under the tutelage of Randy Jackson, Locke has had a pretty good career as an R&B singer.

While many of her singles place in the top 10 on the US Adult Contemporary charts, it is her Christmas music that has been her greatest success. Her cover of Up on the Housetop broke records for how fast it moved up the charts in 2005. She did it again in 2006 with her version of Jingle Bells and then a third time in 2007 with Frosty the Snowman! Realizing her knack for Christmas songs, she recorded a full album of Christmas tunes in 2007.

But that's not all she's done. Locke has worked extra hard to make sure her career didn't stop after Americal Idol, and she has done an amazing job. Multiple albums, a modeling career, television appearances and tons of charity work! In 2005, she recorded A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes for DISNEYMANIA 3. The cover is nothing really special, but it does show off her voice, which is what got her to where she is in the first place.

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, cinderella, disneymania 3, kimberly locke, pop

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  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Linda Ronstadt
Starting out her career in the 60s as the lead singer for the folk rock band The Stone Poneys, LINDA RONSTADT made a solid career for herself in the 70s, topping the charts and becoming known as the Queen of Rock.

As the 80s hit, Ronstadt branched out from the world of rock 'n' roll to Broadway where she won a Tony award for her role in Pirates of Penzance. She continued to record hit records through the 80s, and when the 90s rolled around she was recording albums in many different styles, including pop, rock, latin, jazz, country and adult contemporary.

In 1995, Linda Ronstadt recorded A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes in both English and Spanish for THE MUSIC OF CINDERELLA. The album features the classic songs from the film reworked by the days top pop stars and has a newly recorded score. Ronstadt's version of the song has become one of the well-known and best-loved covers of this song.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes Linda Ronstadt 1995

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, adult contemporary, cinderella, linda ronstadt, music from the park, music of cinderella

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  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Kei Kobayashi
KEI KOBAYASHI has been surrounded by jazz his whole life. His dad, a jazz pianist, and his mom, a jazz vocalist, kept him constantly surrounded by the music they loved.

When he was sixteen he performed with Herbie Hancock in a benefit performance for victims of the Kobe earthquake. This was his big break. Soon after he released his indie album PS I Love You which sent Kobayashi into a bidding war between major labels!

He has now signed with Toshiba EMI and has released a few albums including JUST YOU in 2000 which includes a nice jazz cover of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes Kei Kobayashi 2000

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, cinderella, jazz, just you, kei kobayashi

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  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Michael Bolton
It's the second Friday of the month and you know what that means! Terrible Track Friday! I've got one today that will make your ears cringe.

If you're a Disney fan then you know that MICHAEL BOLTON provided the music for Hercules in 1997. However, did you know that he recorded a version of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes in 1991 for SIMPLY MAD ABOUT THE MOUSE?

I can't say that I am much of a fan of Michael Bolton. I like his song writing but his voice leaves something to be desired. My least favourite part of the Hercules soundtrack is the pop version of Go the Distance. I chose this track today because he goes the distance with his normally strained voice and ends up sounding like he's clenched his butt cheeks together so hard he could turn a lump of coal into a diamond in there! The result is a nails-on-a-chalkboard like sound that is his voice.

Don't want to listen to the whole thing? Then at least skip to 2:30 to hear what I'm talking about.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes Michael Bolton 1991

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, adult contemporary, cinderella, michael bolton, pop, simply mad about the mouse, terrible

  ¶ 6:40 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Daniel Bedingfield
Out of all the genres of music to cover Disney songs, my favourite has to be the Big Band style. This probably stems from playing baritone sax in the jazz band at high school. This style, which was popularized in the 20s, is different than small jazz combos like the Dave Brubeck Quartet whose songs are made up of improvised solos. Big bands are made up of one or two dozen musicians that have arrangements of the music. The focus is not on the improvised solos but rather the arrangement that people could dance to.

This week at Covering the Mouse I will be posting a big band cover of several different Disney songs. Today's big band cover is by UK pop star DANIEL BEDINGFIELD.

Bedingfield has been on the scene since 2001 but has already scored four #1 singles and three other Top 10 singles in the UK! Not bad for a guy that only had two albums out! He and his sister, Natasha, hold the Guinness World Record for being the only siblings to have had solo number-ones in UK chart history.

His last album was released in 2004 but he has three more albums newly recorded that he is now waiting to be released. When this happens I'm sure we will hear more number ones!

In 2004, Daniel recorded A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes for DISNEYMANIA 2. It is by far the best track on the album and the best version of this song that I have heard. The big band arrangement is fun to listen to and the weird time change at the end of the chorus always throws me but makes the song interesting and unique.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes Daniel Bedingfield 2004

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, big band, cinderella, daniel bedingfield, disneymania 2, jazz

  ¶ 7:32 AM 5 Comments Links to this post

  A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Diana Ross & the Supremes
One of my readers, Liz Orbitron, has requested that I post more Disney Princess songs. So seeing that this is request week, I will post a cover of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella. Disney Princess songs like Some Day My Prince Will Come, A Whole New World and Part of Your World get covered a lot so I have many. I'll start posting them on a more regular basis.

The song I have chosen for today is a track from an unreleased album from DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES. The idea for a Disney album, called DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES SING DISNEY CLASSICS, came about in 1966 and recording began in 1967. But the recording was cut short when Florence Ballard was fired from the group. Recording picked up again and four more tracks were recorded with Ballard's replacement, Cindy Birdsong, but the album was shelved again.

A total of 14 tracks were recorded for this album and all but three have been released on various compilation albums. From what I have heard, this album is fantastic! It was recorded in a period of transition for the group from the classic motown sound to a more pop-based sound and showtunes style. All of these styles are represented on this album. I hope that one of these days we'll see DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES SING DISNEY CLASSICS hit the shelves.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes Diana Ross & the Supremes 1967

Labels: a dream is a wish your heart makes, cinderella, diana ross, motown, supremes, supremes sing disney classics

  ¶ 7:52 AM 1 Comments Links to this post