Alan Menken & Disney
Richard White, Paige O’Hara, The Chorus of Beauty and the Beast & Disney
Paige O’Hara
Jesse Corti & Richard White
Jesse Corti & Richard White
Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach & The Chorus of Beauty and the Beast
Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury & David Ogden Stiers
Angela Lansbury & David Ogden Stiers & Jerry Orbach &
The Chorus of Beauty and the Beast & Richard White
Angela Lansbury
Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman
Céline Dion & Peabo Bryson
Alan Menken
This demo version of what would become the show-stopping sequence “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, was recorded by the song’s lyricist Howard Ashman.
The song was originally sung to Maurice, Belle’s father, when he first stumbled into the castle. All references to this early concept are re...
[HOWARD ASHMAN (as LUMIÈRE), spoken]
Esteemed Monsuier, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax. Pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents: your dinner!
(sung)
Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, monsiuer
And we'll provide the rest
Soup du jour
Hot hors d'oeuvres
Why, we only live to serve
Try the grey stuff, it's delicious
Don't believe me? Ask the dishes
They can sing, they can dance
After all, Sir, this is France
And a dinner here is never second best
Go on, unfold your menu
Take a glance and then you'll
Be our guest
Oui, our guest
Be our guest!
Beef ragout
Cheese soufflé
Pie and pudding, en flambé
We'll prepare and serve with flair
A culinary cabaret!
Yes you're cold
Yes you're wet
But we'll help you to forget
You won't know outside is storming
When the silverware's performing
We tell jokes! I do tricks
With my fellow candlesticks
And it's all in perfect taste
That you can bet
Come on and lift your glass
You've won your own free pass
To be our guest
If you're stressed
It's fine dining we suggest
Life is so unnerving
For a servant who's not serving
He's not whole without a soul to wait upon
Ah, those good old days when we were useful...
Suddenly those good old days are gone
Ten years we've been rusting
Needing so much more than dusting
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!
Most days we just lay around the castle
Flabby, fat and lazy
You walked in and oops-a-daisy!
[HOWARD ASHMAN (as MRS. POTTS)]
It's a guest! It's a guest!
Sake's alive, well I'll be blessed!
Wine's been poured and thank the Lord
I've had the napkins freshly pressed
With dessert, he'll want tea
And my dear that's fine with me
While the cups do their soft-shoein'
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing
I'll get warm, piping hot
Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?
Clean it up! We want the company impressed
We've got a lot to do!
Is it one lump or two?
For you, our guest!
(He's our guest!)
She's our guest!
(Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!)
[HOWARD ASHMAN (AS LUMIÈRE)]
Be our guest! Be our guest!
Our command is your request
It's been years since we've had anybody here
And we're obsessed
With your meal, with your ease
Yes, indeed, we aim to please
While the candlelight's still glowing
Let us help you, we'll keep going
Course by course, one by one
'Til you shout, "Enough! I'm done!"
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest
Tonight you'll prop your feet up
But for now, sir eat up
Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Please, be our guest!
Be Our Guest (Demo) was written by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman.