"Arabian Nights" is the opening song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman which was performed by the Peddler (singing voice by the late Bruce Adler). Howard Ashman and Alan Menken had written several reprises, but they were ultimately cut from the final film.
An alternate version of the song utilizing lyrics from the original demo was later featured in The Return of Jafar, performed by Brian Hannan. This version was also used as the main titles theme for the Aladdin television series.
Aladdin and the King of Thieves features a reprise performed by Bruce Adler as the Peddler, which was originally recorded for the first film but unused.
Lyrics
Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where it's flat and immense
and the heat is intense
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home
When the wind's from the east
And the sun's from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
to another Arabian night
Arabian nights like Arabian days
More often than not
are hotter than hot
in a lot of good ways
Arabian nights 'neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
could fall and fall hard
out there on the dunes
Follow me to a place
where incredible feats
are routine every hour or so
Where enchantment runs rampant
Yes, wild in the streets
Open Sesame, here we go!
Arabian nights like Arabian days
They tease and excite
Take off and take flight
They shock and amaze
Arabian nights like Arabian days
More often than not
are hotter than hot
in a lot of good ways
Pack your shield, pack your sword
You won't ever get bored
Though get beaten or gored, you might
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
to another Arabian night
So it goes, short and sweet
They were wed down the street
May their marriage be truly blessed
Happy end to the tale
And tomorrow's a sale
So I'd better go home and rest
Here's a kiss and a hug
Sure you don't need a rug?
I assure the price is right
Well, salaam, worthy friend
Come back soon, that's the end
Till another Arabian night
Genie: (spoken) Salaam and good evening to you all dear friends
Welcome to the fabled city of Agrabah
City of flying carpets, soaring heroes, famous love ballads, and more glitz and glamour than any other fictional city in the world!
(sung) Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where it's flat and immense
and the heat is intense
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home
When the wind's from the east
and the sun's from the west
and the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
to another Arabian night
(spoken) And of course you know what Agrabah is famous for
This magical lamp
Don't be fooled by its commonplace appearance
Like so many things it is not what on the outside, but what's on the inside that counts,
This lamp put Agrabah on the map
You've never been?
We can fix that!
(sung) Follow me to a place
where incredible feats
are routine every hour or so
Where enchantment runs rampant
Runs wild in the streets
Open Sesame, here we go!
See the dervishes dance
in ridiculous pants
And romance to your hearts delight
Genie and Company:
Come on down (Come on in)
Let the magic begin
It's another Arabian nights
Arabian nights, like Arabian days
More often than not
are hotter than hot
in a lot of good ways
Arabian nights, 'neath Arabian moons
a fool off his guard
could fall and fall hard
out there on the dunes
Soloist:
In that magical land
that mystical place
there's a genie inside of every door
Men:
He'll do all of your bidding
Your wishes command
Genie:
It's demeaning, but hey, there you are!
Ladies:
Unbelievable, yes
And an ethical mess
Ensemble:
None the less
No ones very contrite
You come here and you come to a land where any mountain can move
A land of high intrigue
with tricky logistics
by prophets and mystics
Genie:
And I've got statistics that prove
All:
Arabian nights
Arabian nights
(dance break)
Genie:
(spoken) Agrabah, Come for the hummus, stay for the floor show
Even the poor people look fabulous
And everyone here has a minor in dance
And now for the softer side of Agrabah!
(harem dance)
All:
Arabian nights
Arabian nights
Genie:
And of course you must watch your step here in Agrabah
For danger lurks around every corner
And ugly bad guys, too.
All:
Arabian nights
Genie:
It's a city where a penniless nobody
Can turn out to be a noble somebody
All:
Arabian nights
Genie:
It's a place where a princess would give up her crown for true love
But her father, the Sultan is a stickler for the ancient ways
And our heroes pals are as thick as thieves
Adorable... but thieves
And oh, did I mention,
Everybody sings!
Full Company:
Arabian nights like Arabian days
More often than not
are hotter than hot
in a lot of good ways
Arabian nights 'neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
Could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes
Arabian nights
Arabian nights
Arabian nights
Arabian nights!
Genie (Mariner):
Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where you wander among
Every culture and tongue
It's chaotic, but hey, it's home
When the wind's from the east
And the sun's from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
To another Arabian night
As you wind through the streets at the fabled bazaars
With the cardamom-cluttered stalls
You can smell every spice
While you haggle the price
Of the silks and the satin shawls
Oh, the music that plays
As you move through a maze
In the haze of your pure delight
You are caught in a dance
You are lost in the trance
Of another Arabian night
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
More often than not
Are hotter than hot
In a lot of good ways
Arabian nights
Like Arabian dreams
This mystical land
Of magic and sand
Is more than it seems
There's a road that may lead you
To good or to greed through
The power your wishing commands
Let the darkness unfold
Or find fortunes untold
Well, your destiny lies in your hands
Cave of Wonders: (spoken) Only one may enter here.
One whose worth lies far within.
A diamond in the rough.
Genie (Mariner):
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
They seem to excite
Take off and take flight
To shock and amaze
Continued in the film version:
Cave of Wonders: (spoken) Seek thee out the diamond in the rough.
Genie (Mariner):
Arabian nights
'Neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
Could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes
Deleted Reprises
Initially, a longer composition, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken 1990 score treatment incorporated several reprises sung by The Genie of the Ring, who served as the story's narrator in the original treatment (although under the guise of the Peddler). The first reprise introduces The Wicked Wazir (later to be named Jafar) as the story's main antagonist. The second is sung as Wazir takes Aladdin to The Cave of Wonders posing as his uncle. The third plays as someone - presumably Aladdin - is locked in the dungeon, awaiting death. For the fourth and final reprise, The Genie of the Ring bids the audience farewell; this reprise was sung by The Peddler at the end of King of Thieves.
In the palace, right here
Lived a wicked vizier
The adviser to Sultan Hamed
And this part-time magician
This amateur seer
Wished his boss, the good sultan, dead
He was charming and slick
But unspeakably sick
This despicable parasite
What a villain, boo hiss
Further proof, dears, that this
Is another Arabian night
A contemptible skunk
Was this counterfeit "Unc"
But Aladdin he led, alas
On a journey insane
Through forbidden terrain
To a desolate mountain pass
And the trip that they had
Was so bad for our lad
That he gradually got uptight
And suspected, guess what
This was possibly not
Just another Arabian night
What a room, what a stink
This is doom, don't you think?
As the hours of the night crawl past
You've got rats in your cell
But you'll live with the smell
Till the dawn, when you'll breathe your last
Every tick of the clock
Says get set for the block
And the shock of your awful plight
You should sleep, but you don't
'cause you know that you won't
See another Arabian night
<poem> So it goes, short and sweet Now they live down the street Doing just what they all do best Happy end to the tale And tomorrow's a sale So I'd better go home and rest
Here's a kiss and a hug Sure you don't need a rug? I assure you the price is right Well, salaam, worthy friend Come back soon, that's the end
Till another Arabian nightVideos
Trivia
- When the film was first released to cinemas, the line "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense" was originally "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face". Due to the line being considered offensive, it was changed shortly after being released. It is unknown whether Menken or lyricist Tim Rice wrote that extra lyric, seeing how it was never heard in the original demo. The original lyric is only heard on the first soundtrack, while the Special Edition soundtrack retains the intended lyric. In the live-action version, the line is now "Where you wander among every culture and tongue."
- In the Broadway musical and the 2019 live-action remake, the song is sung by Genie instead of the Peddler (even though it is hinted that they are both the same character).
- A parody of the song is seen on the playlist of Judy Hopps' music player under the name "Ara-bunny Nights" in Zootopia.
- The melody for the song can be heard in the teaser for the live-action remake. In the final film, the original lyrics were changed in order to tone down some references to violence. Two lyrics for that version were even sourced from The Return of Jafar version.
- The King of Thieves version is a slightly different re-working of the deleted fourth reprise; the lyrics were altered to reflect changes made to the stories (mostly Aladdin living in the palace after his wedding, contrary to an early version where Jasmine would give up her status as a princess and come live with Aladdin in the end, reflected by the original lyric "Now they live down the street").
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ar:علاء الدين (أغنية) es:Arabian Nights fr:Nuits d'Arabie pt-br:Arabian Nights ru:Арабская ночь