Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is the cast album for the 2014 Broadway musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. It was released digitally on April 1, 2014, and physically on May 13, 2014, through Ghostlight Records. The album features performances by the original Broadway cast, showcasing the songs of Carole King as presented in the musical.
The album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015.
Background Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is based on songs performed by Carole King and produced under license from Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
The album was announced by Ghostlight Records on February 13, 2014, which also served as its publisher. Recording took place at MSR Studios in New York City between February 27 and March 3, 2014.
The cast album features 25 songs; however, "Oh! Carol", "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "Who Put the Bomp", and the reprise of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" were excluded from the track list.
Five songs from the album—"Some Kind of Wonderful", "Walking in the Rain", "You've Got a Friend", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", and "Beautiful"—were released exclusively through Entertainment Weekly on March 27, 2014.
The album was released digitally via iTunes and other platforms on April 1, 2014, and on CD on May 13, 2014.
Commercial performance Upon its digital release, the album debuted as the number one cast recording on iTunes and reached number 41 on the overall iTunes albums chart. Following the release of its physical edition, the album debuted at number 60 on the Billboard 200 and reached number one on the Billboard Cast Albums chart.
Time Out ranked the album 22nd on its list of the "25 Best Original Broadway Cast Albums of the 21st Century." Chief Drama Critic and Theater Editor David Cote praised the recording, writing, "The arrangements are lush and soaring, the sound is crisp, and superstar Jessie Mueller, as King, will break your heart."
Track listing
Chart performance
Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Chart (2014) Peakposition US Billboard 200 60 US Cast Albums (Billboard) 1
Year-end charts +Year-end chart performance for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Chart Year Position US Cast Albums (Billboard) 2014 6 US Cast Albums (Billboard) 2015 5 US Cast Albums (Billboard) 2016 3 US Cast Albums (Billboard) 2017 7 US Cast Albums (Billboard) 2018 10
Accolades +Accolades for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Award Date of ceremony Category Result Grammy Awards February 8, 2015 Best Musical Theater Album
References