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== Writing and recording ==
[[File:Alan Menken 2013 (cropped).jpg|thumb|265x265px|"I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" was written to replace a song composer [[Alan Menken]] had originally written for Meg because it did not suit the character's independent personality. ]]
"I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" was written for [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]]'s animated film ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'' (1997) by composer [[Alan Menken]] and lyricist [[David Zippel]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HZzDAQAAQBAJ&q=i+won%27t+say+i%27m+in+love+hercules&pg=PT78|title=Disney's Princess Collection - Complete (Songbook)|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]]|year=2002|isbn=9781458449719|___location=United States|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=I Won't Say (I'm in Love) – ISWC: T9312959232 – Work ID: 390590682 |url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/title/I%20Won't%20Say%20(I'm%20in%20Love)?at=true&searchFilter=SVW&page=1 |access-date=April 28, 2021 |website=[[ASCAP]]}}</ref> Menken originally wrote a "soaring" ballad entitled "I Can't Believe My Heart" for [[Meg (Hercules)|Meg]],<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Jim |date=October 19, 2012 |title=Disney favorite Susan Egan to perform this Sunday afternoon at LBCC's Music Scholarship Gala Concert |url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2012/10/19/disney-favorite-susan-egan-to-perform-this-sunday-afternoon-at-lbcc-s-music-scholarship-gala-concert.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721193111/https://jimhillmedia.com/disney-favorite-susan-egan-to-perform-this-sunday-afternoon-at-lbccs-music-scholarship-gala-concert/ |archive-date=July 21, 2024 |access-date=March 3, 2016 |website=Jim Hill Media}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wild |first=Stephi |date=March 14, 2020 |title=Video: Susan Egan Sings Cut Song From Hercules at Broadway Princess Party |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/VIDEO-Susan-Egan-Sings-Cut-Song-From-HERCULES-at-Broadway-Princess-Party-20200314 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507172100/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/VIDEO-Susan-Egan-Sings-Cut-Song-From-HERCULES-at-Broadway-Princess-Party-20200314 |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=[[BroadwayWorld]]}}</ref> [[List of Disney's Hercules characters|Hercules]]' love interest, which he had intended to show her realizing she is falling in love with the [[title character]].<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|last=Roulette|first=Matthew|title=The 10 Best Disney Songs You've Never Heard|url=http://thefw.com/best-disney-songs-you-never-heard/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815103751/https://thefw.com/best-disney-songs-you-never-heard/|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=March 3, 2016|website=[[The FW]]|date=11 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 15, 2013|title=18 Best Disney Songs You've Never Heard|url=http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2013/05/18-best-disney-songs-youve-nev|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306191128/http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2013/05/18-best-disney-songs-youve-nev|archive-date=March 6, 2016|access-date=March 3, 2016|website=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]}}</ref> However, creatives such as Meg's supervising animator, Ken Duncan, felt the character was "too tough" and "hardened by life" to perform such a delicate, emotional ballad.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Spiegel |first=Josh |date=September 10, 2019 |title=Time Has Been Kind To Disney's 'Hercules', A Flawed But Fascinating Attempt To Recapture The Magic Of 'Aladdin' |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/568984/hercules-revisited/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201153339/https://www.slashfilm.com/568984/hercules-revisited/ |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=[[/Film]]}}</ref> Menken wrote "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" to replace "I Can't Believe My Heart", and based it on some of the [[girl group]] songs he had written for the stage musical ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'' (1982).<ref name=":9" /> Although Meg's voice actress, [[Susan Egan]], liked the original song, she agreed that the slower "I Can't Believe My Heart" was "too straightforward and literal" for her character, whereas "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" expresses a similar sentiment, albeit "the way Meg would—without admitting any of it".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miles |first=Jim |date=September 29, 2008 |title=Jim looks at some overlooked treasures from recent Disney music and DVD releases. |url=http://www.laughingplace.com/News-PID512390-512392.asp |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923104207/http://www.laughingplace.com/w/legacy/News-PID512390-512392.asp/ |archive-date=September 23, 2017 |access-date=March 3, 2016 |website=LaughingPlace.com}}</ref> Zippel described the final version as "a love song with a sense of humor" that embodies "the classic love song of ‘I’m not in love’ and we know she really is".<ref name=":37">{{Cite news |last=Atkins |first=Jamie |date=June 13, 2024 |title=‘Hercules’: The Music Of Disney’s Animated Greek Tale |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/hercules-disney-music-animated-film-soundtrack-feature/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523005540/https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/hercules-disney-music-animated-film-soundtrack-feature/ |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=February 21, 2025 |work=[[uDiscoverMusic]]}}</ref>
Although Egan joked that although she had fun recording "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)", she joked that she felt much "[[Light skin|whiter]]" than usual recording alongsidewith the five Black singers who had been cast as the [[List of Disney's Hercules characters|Muses]] (Cheryl Freeman, [[Lillias White]], Vaneese Y. Thomas, [[LaChanze]], and [[Roz Ryan]]), who provided the song's [[back-up vocals|backup vocals]].<ref name=":9" /> Already familiar with their work on Broadway, Egan felt intimidated by their powerful voices and [[riffing]] abilities.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|date=August 1, 2012|title=Susan Egan: Belle, Meg, Glamour and Goop - Part 2|url=http://www.themousecastle.com/2012/08/susan-egan-belle-meg-glamour-and-goop.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820102823/http://www.themousecastle.com/2012/08/susan-egan-belle-meg-glamour-and-goop.html|archive-date=August 20, 2019|access-date=March 3, 2016|website=The Mouse Castle}}</ref><ref name=":35">{{cite episode |title=Susan Egan on “Disney Princess – The Concert” |url=https://www.disneyfanatic.com/a-dream-come-true-susan-egan-discusses-her-hercules-characters-legacy-sc1/ |series=D23 Inside Disney |last=Henry |first=Sheri |last2=Blake |first2=Nzinga |network=[[Apple Podcasts]] |date=February 3, 2022 |number=125 |via=Disney Fanatics |access-date=February 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522135643/https://www.disneyfanatic.com/a-dream-come-true-susan-egan-discusses-her-hercules-characters-legacy-sc1/ |archive-date=May 22, 2024}}</ref> She recalled that while they were very comfortable improvising and [[Ad libitum|ad-libbing]] per Menken's requestinstruction, Egan would need to ask Menken to demonstrate her riffs on the piano note-by-note in order to replicate them, much to his disbelief.<ref name=":10" /> While it took Egan half an hour to solidify onlyas few as one of her riffs, the other singers recorded multiple takes of their own within the same timeframeamount of time.<ref name=":10" /> Egan was greatly humbled by the experience,<ref name=":10" /> having never riffed in her previous singing roles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rudetsky |first=Seth |author-link=Seth Rudetsky |date=September 30, 2020 |title=When Susan Egan Auditioned for Hercules, Cynthia Nixon Was a Faker on To Tell the Truth, and Michael Cerveris Stayed in Character for Fame |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/when-susan-egan-auditioned-for-hercules-cynthia-nixon-was-a-faker-on-to-tell-the-truth-and-michael-cerveris-stayed-in-character-for-fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901105539/https://www.playbill.com/article/when-susan-egan-auditioned-for-hercules-cynthia-nixon-was-a-faker-on-to-tell-the-truth-and-michael-cerveris-stayed-in-character-for-fame |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |access-date=May 7, 2021 |website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref> However, she said White in particular remained encouraging, reassuring her that "everybody has soul somewhere; we just need to find yours".<ref name=":35" />
Menken also produced the songtrack.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Alan-Menken-David-Zippel-Disneys-Hercules-An-Original-Walt-Disney-Records-Soundtrack/release/2369985|title=Alan Menken, David Zippel – Disney's Hercules (An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack)|date=1997|website=Discogs|access-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> [[Danny Troob]] arranged the song while Michael Kosarin conducted the orchestration.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Alan-Menken-David-Zippel-Disneys-Hercules-An-Original-Walt-Disney-Records-Soundtrack/release/3765414|title=Alan Menken, David Zippel – Disney's Hercules (An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack)|website=Discogs|date=27 May 1997 |access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref> The song was released on May 27, 1997 as part of the film's [[Hercules (soundtrack)|soundtrack]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=I Won't Say (I'm in Love) |url=https://music.apple.com/ua/song/i-wont-say-im-in-love/1412859038 |access-date=February 26, 2025 |work=[[Apple Music]]}}</ref>
== Use in ''Hercules'' ==
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