Witness the incredibly powerful duet between two musical legends, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. If Disney is famous for one thing, it’s having tremendously fun and catchy songs that ensure kids want to rewatch their movies over and over again. It’s only natural that other studios would want a piece of that action.
So, in 1998, Dreamworks released Prince of Egypt. It’s a retelling of the Moses bible story, and when it came to its main song When You Believe, they clearly decided it was time to go big or go home. They hired not one but two of the greatest divas of all time to perform it, Mariah Carey and the late, great Whitney Houston.
Although the media did their best to stoke rumours of a feud between them, both Mariah and Whitney (before her death) insisted these were lies. Following Whitney’s tragic death in 2012, Mariah spoke about their relationship on Good Morning America. She explained, “I don’t think people could ever understand our relationship … there was always this supposed rivalry in the beginning and then we did the duet and we became friends.”
It’s lucky for us that whatever the truth is, these outstanding singers were able to come together for this song. The song’s theme is that if your belief is strong enough, you can make miracles happen. The music is used to fantastic effect in the movie as Moses performs his greatest miracle, the parting of the Red Sea.
What’s even more amazing is how perfectly Whitney and Mariah’s voices blended and harmonised during their duet. Both have powerful voices, and it would have been easy for each to attempt to outdo the other. Instead, they sing in a way that showcases and enhances the other’s voice. Even if you have no interest in religion or the movie, this wonderful song works and can be enjoyed in its own right.
It is undoubtedly still extremely popular on YouTube. The official music video has been viewed a mind-boggling 387 million times! It’s impossible not to be moved by the song’s power and emotion. It’s unlikely there will ever be a duet like this again, so why not give it another watch?