"Go the Distance" is a song from

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's 1997 animated feature film, ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

''. It was written by composer

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for '' The Little Mermaid'' (1989), '' Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ' ...

and lyricist

David Zippel David Joel Zippel (born May 17, 1954) is an American musical theatre lyricist, director, and producer. Early life and education Zippel was born and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Falling in lo ...

, and originally recorded by American actor

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award n ...

in his film role as the singing voice of

. American singer-songwriter

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

recorded a pop version of the song for the film's end credits, which was also included on his eleventh studio album '' All That Matters'' (1997). In the Spanish version, the song is performed by Hercules voice actor

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, both in the movie and in the credits; this version is included on Martin's album '' Vuelve''. Both the song and its reprise featured in a stage production of ''Hercules'', performed upon the Disney Wonder during 2007/2008.

Production

"Go the Distance" was one of two songs written for Hercules in the film, the second being "

Shooting Star Shooting star refers to a meteor. Shooting star may also refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Shooting Star'' (2015 film), a 2015 Bulgarian short film * ''Shooting Star'' (2020 film), a 2020 Canadian short film * ''Shooting Stars'' ...

", which failed to make the final cut. However, "Shooting Star" is included on the ''Hercules'' soundtrack CD, sung by

Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Steph ...

. The score for the original version of the song can be found in the

Songbook.

Critical reception

Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks deemed "Go the Distance" to be ''Hercules''s "only redeeming song" out of an unsatisfactory soundtrack. However, he criticized

's version for his "whiny voice", which Clemmensen expressed had a tone that is "remarkably irritating", while he considered

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

's pop version to be "finely tuned". The book ''Ways of Being Male'' felt that the phrase "go the distance" is a prime example of the way themes are "couched in the language of sport and competition" throughout the film.

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

deemed it "one of Disney's great anthems/motivational mantras for all aspiring athletes and deities." MoviePilot suggests that the shooting star during "Go the Distance" is actually

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part o ...

and

Jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely culti ...

's magic carpet ride. The Globe and Mail likened it to Duddy's Leaving St. Urbain Street, while BoingBoing compared it to ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

s "

Just Around the Riverbend "Just Around the Riverbend" is a song from the 1995 Disney animated film ''Pocahontas''. Synopsis In the film, "Just Around the Riverbend" serves as Pocahontas' "I want" song, where she decides if she will follow tradition and the safe choice, or ...

". Vulture deemed it "inspiring".

Awards and chart placings

The song was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...

and the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...

. Both awards, however, went to " My Heart Will Go On", a song by

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

from ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'', a film directed by

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

. "Go the Distance" peaked at #24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and went to #1 on the

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

chart, Bolton's ninth song to top this chart.

Versions

Film version

The song was recorded by American actor

in his film role as the singing voice of

. "Go the Distance" is performed in the film by Hercules (age 15) who possesses god-like strength and finds it increasingly hard to fit in with his peers. The song serves as Hercules' prayer to the Gods to help him find where he truly belongs. His prayers are answered, as he is revealed to be the long-lost son of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...

, king of the gods. Hercules is also told that he must become a true hero in order to rejoin his father on

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...

. The number is later reprised when Hercules sets off on his quest to become a true hero, proclaiming that he wants to "go the distance" in order to prove himself.

Michael Bolton version

American singer-songwriter

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

recorded a pop version of the song for the film's end credits. This version, produced by

Walter Afanasieff Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...

and Bolton himself, was later included on Bolton's eleventh studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, '' All That Matters'' (1997). Bolton's version was released as a commercial single by

Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its ...

on May 20, 1997. It peaked at number 24 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for Bolton's version was directed by

Dani Jacobs Dani Jacobs (born April 16, 1963) is a British music video director and editor. Background Jacobs was born in London, United Kingdom. He went to University of Manchester to study physics but left to pursue his interests in film. He worked at Th ...

. Sections of it were filmed in the Great Hall of the Brooklyn Museum and feature Bolton performing the song, intercut with scenes from ''Hercules''.

Vocal Spectrum Vocal Spectrum is a barbershop quartet from St. Charles, Missouri. In 2004, Vocal Spectrum won the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Collegiate Quartet Contest, and on July 8, 2006, they became International Champions, winning the socie ...

did a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of this Bolton's version.

Credits and personnel

* Michael Bolton – lead vocals *

– keyboards, synth bass * Dan Shea – additional keyboards, computer programming * David Gleeson – Synclavier programming *

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...

– guitar, guitar solo *

Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mit ...

– guitar *

John Robinson John Robinson may refer to: Academics *John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist * John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood'' * John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist *Joh ...

– drums * Jeremy Lubbock – orchestra arrangement and conductor * Jesse Levy – orchestra contractor * Sandy Griffith – backing vocals *

Claytoven Richardson Claytoven Richardson (born 1956, in Berkeley, California) is an American singer, instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and author. Biography Born Clayton D. Richardson on May 23, 1956. Larry Batiste, a childhood friend (and later business p ...

– backing vocals * Jeanie Tracy – backing vocals

Charts

Ricky Martin version

recorded a Spanish-language version of "Go the Distance" from ''

'' soundtrack, called "No Importa la Distancia" (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

: "No Matter the Distance"). It was released as a single on July 1, 1997. Later, it was included on Martin's 1998 album '' Vuelve''. A music video was also released. The song reached number ten on the

Latin Pop Songs Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...

in the United States. Martin's version was met with unfavorable reactions from music critics.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

's Jose F. Promis called "No Importa la Distancia" "pure schmaltz" In the ''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

'', Ramiro Burr found "No Importa la Distancia" to be "sappy", while ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' editor Mario Tarradell criticized the song as an "unwelcome dose of sugary pap".

Charts

=Formats and track listings

= European CD single #"No Importa la Distancia" performed by

– 4:51 #"Já Não Há Distancia" performed by Ricky Martin – 4:45 European CD maxi-single #"No Importa la Distancia" performed by Ricky Martin – 4:51 #"Já Não Há Distancia" performed by Ricky Martin – 4:45 #"Go the Distance" (Cast Version) performed by

– 3:13

We Love Disney

The song was covered in different languages for the series '' We Love Disney'' by: *

Harrison Craig Harrison Craig (born 7 September 1994) is an Australian singer who won the second series of ''The Voice Australia''. Craig was coached in the program by British singer Seal. Craig has had three songs on the ARIA Singles Chart top 10 with his c ...

for '' We Love Disney, Australia'' in 2014 *

Jean-Baptiste Maunier Jean-Baptiste Maunier (, born 22 December 1990) is a French actor and singer. He is best known for his role in the 2004 French film ''Les Choristes''. Early life Jean-Baptiste Maunier was born to Thierry Maunier, a cameraman, and Muriel Maunier. ...

for ' in 2014 *Andrea Nardinocchi for ' in 2015 *

David Bisbal David Bisbal Ferre (born 5 June 1979) is a Spanish singer, songwriter, and actor. He gained his initial fame as a runner-up on the interactive reality television show ''Operación Triunfo''. He has since released five studio albums, all of whi ...

for '' We Love Disney, Latin America'' in 2016

Certifications

Other appearances

In April 2020 during

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Disney Broadway Stars performs ''Go the Distance'' while self-isolating.

References

{{authority control 1997 songs 1990s ballads 1997 singles Columbia Records singles Disney Renaissance songs Disney songs Hercules (franchise) Lucas Grabeel songs Michael Bolton songs Pop ballads Ricky Martin songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff Songs with music by Alan Menken Songs with lyrics by David Zippel Songs written for animated films Sony Discos singles Walt Disney Records singles Song recordings produced by Alan Menken

Production

Critical reception

Awards and chart placings

Versions

Film version

Michael Bolton version

Credits and personnel

Charts

Ricky Martin version

Charts

=Formats and track listings

We Love Disney

Certifications

Other appearances

See also

References