All I Ask of You

"All I Ask of You" is a song from the 1986 English musical The Phantom of the Opera, between characters Christine Daaé and Raoul, originally played on stage by Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton, respectively.

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.

"All I Ask of You" has been covered by multiple artists, including The Shadows, Lloyd Webber's brother Julian, Elaine Paige, and Jackie Evancho.

Susan Boyle and Donny Osmond, Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson, and Marina Prior and Mark Vincent have also continued with duet versions of the song.

"All I Ask of You" was written and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, while Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe provided the lyrics for the track.

[1] It was created specifically for the 1986 English musical The Phantom of the Opera, which was developed by Lloyd Webber and served as a live adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel of the same name.

[7] 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.

The 7-inch single features the track plus B-side "The Phantom of the Opera Overture (Act II)", which is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

[11] Personnel working on the album for The Phantom of the Opera included recording engineer Martin Levan, conductor Michael Reed, Steve Pierce on clarinet, and Richard Wall on trumpet.

[3] 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.

[2] 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.

[27] American vocalist Jackie Evancho's version of "All I Ask of You" was included on her 2011 studio album Dream with Me and peaked at number four on Billboard's Classical Digital Songs component chart following its release.

[30] American singers Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson performed the duet for the former's musical-influenced seventh studio album, Stages (2015).

[33] Groban had previously performed "All I Ask of You" to David Foster during an audition to sing "The Prayer" live at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards with Celine Dion.

[49][50] The limited edition EP featured "On My Way to You", "Make No Mistake, He's Mine", "Since I Fell for You", and a large colored poster of Streisand from the Till I Loved You photoshoots.

He stated that Streisand "makes a powerful case [by] negotiating its octave vocal dives with a grand finesse while taking the song at a pleasingly brisk pace".

Andrew Lloyd Webber during an interview in 2008.
Andrew Lloyd Webber , co-writer and sole producer of "All I Ask of You".