If I Can't Love Her

About If I Can't Love Her

"If I Can't Love Her" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical Beauty and the Beast (1994), a stage adaptation of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name. Sung by the Beast after he frightens Belle away from the castle, "If I Can't Love Her" details the character's struggles to love her. The song was first performed by American actor Terrence Mann, who both originated the role of the Beast on Broadway and recorded it for the show's original cast album. Since the Beast barely sings in the original film, Menken and Rice wrote "If I Can't Love Her" to give the Beast a proper solo number, as well as offer him character development and an opportunity to express his feelings about both Belle and his situation. A melancholy power ballad more operatic in style than the show's other songs, "If I Can't Love Her" is a lament about love both desired and lost. The song is later reprised after the Beast frees Belle and allows her to return home. Upon premiering in Beauty and the Beast, "If I Can't Love Her" received mostly positive reviews from theatre critics, who praised Menken and Rice's songwriting, and Mann's vocal performance. more »