Reflection (song)
"Reflection" is a song written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel for the soundtrack of [Walt Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney Animation Studios|Disney]'s 1998 animated film Mulan. In the film, the song is performed by Tony Award winner, Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga as the film's titular character. "Reflection" has received highly positive reviews, with critics highlighting its emotional writing and Salonga's vocals. Despite not being released as a single, nor making any chart, the song would later be certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for equivalent sales of 2,000,000 units in the United States, and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry for equivalent sales of 200,000 units in the United Kingdom. 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.
A pop version of the song was recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera at the age of 17 for the [Mulan (1998 soundtrack)|Mulan (1998 film)|Mulan soundtrack], and was featured in the end credits. Its structure differed from previous versions in that it added a bridge and an additional chorus prior to the coda. The song became Aguilera's solo debut single, found critical and commercial success, gained her credibility amongst established writers and producers, and was included on her eponymous debut album, released in 1999. The song peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and was also released alongside an accompanying music video, which was included on the DVD release of the film, alongside the original song's video. After its release, Aguilera has performed the track on multiple tours and televised performances. Aguilera also recorded a Spanish language version of the song which was featured on and titled her second studio album, Mi Reflejo. In 2020, Aguilera re-recorded the song for the live-action adaptation of Mulan, released that same year.
Use in ''Mulan''
For the 1998 animated film Mulan, the song was recorded by Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga as the film's titular character, Fa Mulan. "Reflection", which lasts for two minutes and twenty-seven seconds was written and produced by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, and is 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. The recording that was actually used within the film was substantially shorter than a version they initially recorded with Salonga, which had an additional verse and chorus before the coda.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.
In 2015, Salonga revealed that she was asked to re-record the song back in 1996, in its shortened form, as the producers saw that the first version was not moving the story along.
Christina Aguilera versions
1998 version
Background and recording
In December 1997, Disney was looking for a vocalist to sing the song "Reflection" for their movie-in-the-works, Mulan. The RCA label suggested American singer Christina Aguilera for the track. Within forty-eight hours of the initial call from the company, Disney officials congratulated Aguilera and told her she "got the deal". It took about seven days to record the song. Remembering how the accompaniment for the ballad was recorded, Aguilera told Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "It's enough to bring tears to your eyes, hearing a 90-piece orchestra playing your song. It was amazing." It was conducted by the Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith. "Reflection" was Aguilera's second official studio track ever recorded, after the single "All I Wanna Do", a duet with Japanese singer-songwriter Keizo Nakanishi.After she was asked to hit E5, the highest note required by Disney, 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. After successfully hitting the note, which she called "the note that changed my life", she was given the opportunity to record the song and subsequently signed a record deal with RCA Records.
Serving as her debut solo single, Aguilera's version of "Reflection" was released to adult contemporary radio on June 15, 1998. The song was released as a CD single in Japan on September 18, 1998. 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. The label laid the foundation for the album immediately and started presenting Aguilera with tracks for her debut album, which was later pushed to a January 1999 release. Her self-titled debut album was eventually released on August 24, 1999, and "Reflection" was included on the album's track list. It was later included on the compilation Disneymania and in remixed form on Disneymania 4.
In a 2024 interview for Spotify, Aguilera opined that "Reflection" has "stood the test of time", and added: " People love that song so much because it's about not being seen and that's been a part of my career."
Reception
Aguilera's rendition of "Reflection" received acclaim. Toronto Sun editor Jane Stevenson called it an "adult-contemporary hit" which started the singer's career. Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly noted Aguilera has a "who-am-I musings" persona in the song, while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented that "Matthew Wilder and David Zippel's full-fledged songs are flat and unmemorable." By contrast, in retrospect, Billboard's Chris Malone complimented the song as a "classic ballad". Billboard later placed "Reflection" at number twenty-three on its list of the 100 Greatest Disneyverse Songs of All Time, commenting: "Largely thanks to Christina Aguilera’s breakthrough rendition of the hit, 'Reflection' has become an anthem for young people — especially women — who are working towards being unapologetically themselves." Attitude ranked "Reflection" at number twelve on its list of Aguilera's seventeen best songs, calling it "finely crafted", and AXS placed it at number eight on a similar, top ten list. "Reflection" was nominated for Outstanding Performance of a Song for Feature Film at the 1999 ALMA Awards."Reflection" charted at number 86 on the South Korea International chart, and peaked at number 19 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States. After the success of the track, Aguilera's record label RCA decided to fund her debut album, and eventually funded more than they had predicted initially.
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. 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. The singer also performed "Reflection" on MuchMusic's Intimate and Interactive on May 17, 2000. An ABC special in 2000, featuring a performance of the song, was recorded and released in a DVD titled My Reflection. The song was later included in the setlist for Aguilera's Vegas residency Christina Aguilera: The Xperience. In 2024, Aguilera performed the song at the end of her 25th anniversary Spotify special and was released as part of an extended play titled The 25th Anniversary of Christina Aguilera .International versions
- Aguilera's version of the song was re-dubbed into a number of languages to be featured in their respective foreign soundtracks released in 1998. In 2000, Aguilera herself recorded her Spanish-language version of "Reflection", titled “Mi Reflejo” which was adapted by Rudy Pérez for her second studio album of the same name. As both Spanish soundtracks had been released two years earlier, each featuring their end-credits version, Aguilera's version was not featured in either of them.
- For the Hispanic-American market, the song was titled “Reflejo” and performed in Spanish-language by Mexican singer Lucero. In her Korean version of the song, titled "내안의 나를", Korean American singer Lena Park went up to an A5. Hong Kong-American singer and actress Coco Lee performed a Mandarin version of the song titled "自己", after she was called to voice the character of Mulan in the Mandarin dubbing distributed in Taiwan.
Legacy
In 2025, Cardi B was a guest on Call Her Daddy and revealed that "Reflection" was "as inspiration to find her purpose in life".Track listing
- Australian CD single
- "Reflection" – 3:34
- "Honor To Us All" – 3:03
- Japan CD Mini single
- "Reflection" – 3:34
- "Reflection" – 2:27
- Taiwan CD Mini single Promo
- "Reflection" – 3:34
- "True To Your Heart" – 4:17
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| South Korea International | 86 |
| US Adult Contemporary | 19 |