If I Can't Love Her

"If I Can't Love Her" is a song with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Alan Menken from the 1994 stage musical Beauty and the Beast, and serves as the Act I closing number. It is performed by the Beast, and is reprised later in Act II.

Production
This song, along with the Maurice-Belle duet No Matter What, were written especially for the stage musical.

Disney explains "'If I Can't Love Her', deepens the Beast's character by revealing his human longings"."

Synopsis
The Beast sings about how he will remain a monster for the rest of his life unless he can get Belle to fall in love with him. He acknowledges that this is his one and only chance.

SoFlurry explains "Appalled that he has touched her she flees the castle fearing for her life. Realizing his deadly mistake the Beast knows he will be a monster forever if he cannot learn to love her."

Composition
It has been described as a "melancholy ballad", a "belting ballad moment", and a "power ballad".

Critical reception
Commenting on this song's performance in the production BroadwayWorld saw, the site noted, "The final moment as the Beast questions his life, [his] rich voice just effortlessly fills the open air arena". BuffoloRusing said "“No Matter What” and “If I Can’t Love Her” are emotional and give a look into character’s thoughts previously unheard. [This song] shows the soft-side of his heart and longing for a change in himself." TampaBay deemed it an example of the musical "stretching things out with hookless yearners". SainsburySingers wrote that the song has the "emotion of a tormented soul".

Live-Action
While "If I Can't Love Her" is not featured in the live-action film, a variation of it can be seen in "Evermore", sung by the Beast after Belle leaves to save her father, the Beast lamenting on his past and hoping that she will return despite acknowledging the impossibility of it.