Who wrote A Change in Me and why was it added?

Alan Menken and Tim Rice wrote it in 1998 specifically for Toni Braxton’s Broadway run as Belle, and it remained because audiences and producers embraced it.

When did Susan Egan record her version?

She recorded the first English-language studio version for her 2002 album So Far..., released by JAY Records.

Was the number on the original Broadway cast album?

No. It was added four years into the run, after the original album; later, it appeared on international cast recordings and Disney’s stage revue On the Record.

Did the 2017 live-action film include the song?

No, but its themes echo in the film’s original ballad Days in the Sun.

Where did the song first surface on television?

On The Rosie O’Donnell Show on October 7, 1998, performed by Toni Braxton.

A Change in Me Lyrics – Disney's Beauty And The Beast

A Change in Me Lyrics

Susan Egan

BELLE
There's been a change in me
A kind of moving on
Though what I used to be
I still depend upon
For now I realize
That good can come from bad
That may not make me wise
But oh it makes me glad

And I, I never thought I'd leave behind
My childhood dreams
But I don't mind
For now I love the world I see
No change of heart
A change in me

For in my dark despair
I slowly understood
My perfect world out there
Had disappeared for good
But in it's place I feel
A truer life begin
And it's so good and real
It must come from within
And I, I n?ver thought I'd leave b?hind
My childhood dreams
But I don't mind
I'm where and who I want to be
No change of heart
A change in me

No change of heart
A change in me

Last Update: August, 23rd 2025

Song Overview

A Change in Me lyrics by Susan Egan — Susan Egan is singing the ‘A Change in Me’ lyrics on her studio cut from *So Far...*.

Personal Review

This is Belle grown up - the moment a bookish heroine speaks like an adult who has lived. Susan Egan’s recording trims the Broadway air into a pop-ballad line, and the lyrics land like a journal entry you never meant to show anyone. One-sentence snapshot: a woman recognizes her past, chooses her present, and names it out loud - no change of heart, a change in self.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Susan Egan performing A Change in Me — Studio stillness, Broadway backbone.

The hinge of the arc is acceptance.

“There’s been a change in me - a kind of moving on.”

The lyric declares agency without fuss, shifting Belle from dreamer to decision-maker. In the show, she tells her father who she is now; on record, Egan narrows the spotlight to voice and breath.

The song reframes hardship as fuel.

“For now I realize that good can come from bad.”

That line is the thesis - not denial, but reorientation. You hear why the number stayed in every subsequent staging after its 1998 debut.

Message

Self-knowledge as love story.

“No change of heart - a change in me.”

The romance happens, sure, but the transformation belongs to Belle.

Emotional tone

Earnest, grounded, quietly exultant. A pop-ballad sheen without saccharine - steady pulse, uncluttered phrasing.

Historical context

Written to welcome Toni Braxton to Broadway in 1998, premiered on The Rosie O’Donnell Show October 7, then baked into every production running at the time. Egan’s studio cut arrived March 2002.

Production

Egan’s album So Far... was produced by John Yap for JAY Records, with Craig Barna leading the studio forces; release is documented at label and discography sources.

Instrumentation

Piano-forward pop orchestration with symphonic sweetening - strings to bloom phrases, rhythm section tucked under vowels - keeping the lyric front and center.

Verse Highlights

Scene from A Change in Me by Susan Egan — The arc in miniature - a breath, a tilt, a lift.

Opening stanza

Statement of theme, no overture needed. The first couplet names transition; the cadence keeps it conversational.

Middle turn

“Good from bad” moves the song from lament to learning. Harmony rises a notch - not fireworks, just light through the curtains.

Closing refrain

Repetition locks in identity. “No change of heart” clears out melodrama so the last title hit feels earned, not shouted.

Key Facts

Featured: solo performance by Susan Egan.
Producer: John Yap (album). Track leadership/arrangements credited to Craig Barna.
Composer: Alan Menken. Lyricist: Tim Rice.
Release Date: March 19, 2002 (Egan’s studio version on So Far...).
Genre: Pop ballad, show tune.
Instruments: piano, strings, rhythm section with orchestral sweetening.
Label: JAY Records (JAY Productions Ltd.).
Mood: reflective, resolute, hopeful.
Length: ~3:49 (album listing).
Track #: 9 on Egan’s So Far....
Language: English. Album recorded in New York City (session sources note).
Music style: contemporary musical-theatre ballad with pop phrasing.
Creation note: written for Toni Braxton’s 1998 Broadway engagement; premiered live on TV October 7, 1998.
Covers & appearances: international cast albums (Manila 2005, Madrid 2008, Barcelona 2009); Ashley Brown on Disney’s On the Record.

Questions and Answers

Who wrote A Change in Me and why was it added?: Alan Menken and Tim Rice wrote it in 1998 specifically for Toni Braxton’s run as Belle, then kept it in the show because it worked so well.
When did Susan Egan record her version?: She recorded the first English-language studio version for her debut album So Far..., released March 2002 on JAY Records.
Was the number on the original Broadway cast album?: No - it was added four years into the run, so it isn’t on the 1994 OBCR. It later appeared on several international cast recordings and Disney’s revue On the Record.
Did the 2017 live-action film include the song?: It didn’t - but the film’s “Days in the Sun” nods to similar themes of growth and perspective.
Where did the song first surface on television?: Toni Braxton premiered it on The Rosie O’Donnell Show on October 7, 1998, in full Belle costume.

How to Sing?

Range & key: commonly performed around E3–C5 for a mezzo/soprano, often set in A major for audition cuts; published sources also circulate in D major, so choose the key that fits your mix.

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