[Raoul]
No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide-eyed fears;
I’m here, nothing can harm you,
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears;
I’m here, with you, beside you,
To guard you and to guide you.

[Christine]
Say you love me every waking moment,
Turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say you need me with you now and always;
Promise me that all you say is true,
That’s all I ask of you.

[Raoul]
Let me be your shelter,
Let me be your light;
You’re safe, no one will find you,
Your fears are far behind you.

[Christine]
All I want is freedom,
A world with no more night;
And you, always beside me,
To hold me and to hide me.

[Raoul]
Then say you’ll share with me
One love, one lifetime;
Let me lead you from your solitude.
Say you need me with you, here beside you,
Anywhere you go, let me go too.
Christine, that’s all I ask of you.

[Christine]
Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime;
Say the word and I will follow you.
[Christine & Raoul]
Share each day with me,
Each night, each morning.

[Christine]
Say you love me!

[Raoul]
You know I do.

[Christine & Raoul]
Love me, that’s all I ask of you.

[Christine & Raoul]

Anywhere you go, let me go too;
Love me, that’s all I ask of you.

Lyrics  by Charles Hart, George Chet Forrest, Robert Wright, Ken Hill, Richard Stilgoe, Andrew Lloyd Webber

Copyright Scheffel Music Corp., The Really Useful Musical Group Ltd.

My take:

“All I Ask of You” is surely one of the most beautiful love-song duets ever written, and whenever people hear it, they immediately connect it with the longest-running musical in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera.

This legendary musical, which was adapted from the 1909 French novel by Gaston Leroux, is far too complex to explain in any kind of detail here, but you can get read about it to your heart’s content on the Internet.

Oversimplified, The Phantom of the Opera is a story about a beautiful young singer (Christine) who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured, mentally disturbed musical genius, Erik — the “Phantom of the Opera.”  Ultimately, Erik kidnaps Christine (a couple of times, in fact) and holds her prisoner in his cellar.

Just about the time Christine begins to become attracted to her abductor, she does the unthinkable — pulls off his mask.  Ouch!  Not a great selling point for poor Erik.

In the end, Erik lets Christine go to the man he knows she really loves, Raoul, whom she has been attracted to since both of them were children.  Their reunion leads to their climactic duet, “All I Ask of You.”

So, what is there about this song that has made it one of the most beloved and recognizable music pieces in the world?  I think it’s because, aside from the beautiful musical score, the lyrics include so many simple words that all warm-blooded human beings would love to hear — shelter, warmth, calm, light, safety, freedom, no more fear, being needed, the truth, sharing a lifetime together, and, above all, to be loved.

In that vein, it is only fitting that the climax to this spine-tingling song is that all Christine and Raoul want from one another is love and to be together — “That’s all I ask of you.”

Isn’t this what most people want from their spouse or lover?  But it takes a genius — or, in this case, many geniuses (particular the genius of the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber) — to put it all together in a masterful composition that will transcend the ages.

Here’s a stage performance of this classic by Sarah Brightman (the original Christine) and the male musical phenomenon of our time, Josh Groban.  It’s a breathtaking performance, though Groban, in his boyish, charming way, appears to be a bit shy about being on stage with the much more sophisticated, incredibly beautiful, and enormously talented Ms. Brightman.

I can’t resist adding a bonus version of this classic for those of you who are up to it.  It’s Sarah Brightman again, but this time in a torrid rendition with Cliff Richard.  Poor Richard.  It must have been a tough job for him to undertake, but I guess somebody had to do it.  One bit of advice:  If you have a pacemaker, make sure to have a fresh set of batteries close at hand.  This is very steamy video.  Make that very steamy.