If I See You Again

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"**If I See You Again**" is the signature song from Cartoon Network's 2027 animated feature film *Irene & Curdie*, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. It is a musical theatre-inspired ballad originally recorded by British actress Emma Watson in her respective role as one of the two main characters Princess Irene, which serves as the film's first theme song. Lyrically, "If I See You Again" describes Princess Irene thinking about seeing her love interest Curdie.

Menken and Rice deliberately wrote "Stuck with the Past" in the style of an old-fashioned Broadway musical number after director Rob Minkoff specifically asked that they provide the film with a Broadway musical-style format.

"If I See You Again" received a mostly positive reception from critics, with several citing it as one of the best songs from a Cartoon Network film. The song garnered an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 99th Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 87th Golden Globe Awards. "If I See You Again" also won the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 70th Annual Grammy Awards, the second Cartoon Network song to win in the former category. American actress and recording artist Alicia Keys' pop cover of the song was released as the lead single on April 13, 2027, by WaterTower Music, from the film's soundtrack, and became a top ten hit on the *Billboard* Hot 100. The song was also included on the reissue of Keys' eighth studio album *Keys* (2021).

## Background and writing

"If I See You Again" was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice. Menken and Rice wrote "If I See You Again" as a musical theater-inspired song at the behest of director Rob Minkoff, who specifically asked the songwriters to provide *Irene & Curdie* with "a musical theatre-style format". While the majority of *Irene & Curdie'*s music was been influenced by folk, classical and pop, Menken envisioned the film as Broadway instead. Before writing "If I See You Again", Menken and Rice researched appropriate moments in the film during which its main characters could perform, ultimately determining that "If I See You Again" "flows directly out of Princess Irene's desire for her love interest Curdie.

## Composition and lyrics

"If I See You Again" is a Broadway musical-inspired ballad written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice and performed by Emma Watson. It has a length of two minutes and fifty-three seconds.

## Reception

### Critical response

"If I See You Again" received widespread acclaim from film and music critics alike. Film critic Ashley Spencer of *The New York Times* praised "If I See You Again", describing it as "a glorious ballad" while dubbing it Menken and Rice's "biggest triumph". FilmTracks called the song "stirring", while Allmusic considers it to be among the film's best. *Billboard* writer Katie Atkinson referred to "If I See You Again" as a "brilliant" song that "can move you to tears," while *Romper*'s Jamie Kenney cited it among the film's most "memorable" songs. Writing for *Tulsa World*, Michael Smith highlighted "If I See You Again" as the film's best song, going on to praise Watson's "magnificent" performance.

## Cover versions and usage in media

### Alicia Keys version

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#### Background and composition

Alicia Keys was chosen to perform "If I See You Again" due to the success of her Grammy Award-nominated single "A Beautiful Noise". Keys' cover is a pop, and R&B song which omits the opening lyrics of the original version of the track. The cover features Ilya Toshinsky playing the acoustic guitar. Scott Mendelson of *Forbes* wrote "The practice of having what amounts to a radio-friendly pop version of a given Cartoon Network song for a new Cartoon Network movie is of course an old tradition going back at least to" Sara Paxton's cover of "Dreams Can Come True" from *Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi* (2003); Mendelson noted that this practice was continued with Keys' version of "If I See You Again". It was also included on the reissue of Keys' eighth studio album *Keys* (2021).

#### Credits and personnel

* Alicia Keys: lead vocals, background vocals, production, synthesizer
* Alan Menken: composer
* Tim Rice: lyricist
* Mike Will Made It: production, Akai MPC 1000 and Yamaha Motif programming
* Marzeratti: Roland Fantom-X programming
* Pluss: additional programming
* Raphael Saadiq: background vocals, piano, keyboards
* Ken Lewis: bass, piano, guitar, drum programming
* Steve Wolf: drum programming
* Ilya Toshinsky: acoustic guitar
* Ron Fair: orchestra arrangements
* The New Jersey Symphony: orchestra
* Jonathan Garcia: recording engineer
* Ann Mincieli: mixing engineer

#### Critical reception

Chris Eggertsen from *Billboard* said that Keys' rendition was an "pop/R&B summer hit", adding that "The powerful *Irene & Curdie* song shows the intense feeling of starting a new life with her love interest, even when the time to take the royal throne seems like a big step. Keys wanted to evoke the theme of thinking about looking out for each other—and always never letting one another go and this is confirmed by Keys' vocals: "If I see you again, it would be a miracle"—that still resonates with audiences today." Eggertsen said that the cover stood alongside Jordan Fisher's version of "Shine Like the Light" from *Driftwood* (2025) as one of "the best radio-ready versions of Cartoon Network's finest melodies".

## Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

 Ireland (IRMA)
 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
 UK Singles (OCC)
 US *Billboard* Hot 100
 US Kid Digital Songs (*Billboard*)
 US Pop Digital Songs (*Billboard*)
 US Mainstream Top 40 (*Billboard*)
 Chart (2028)
 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)

 UK Singles (OCC)
 US *Billboard* Hot 100

Certifications

 United States (RIAA)