" On My Own " is a solo song from the 1980 musical Les Misérables for the character Éponine. The song begins in the key of D major, changes to Bb major, and ends in F major. It is the most important song for Éponine's role. In the song, she talks about her love for her best friend, Marius, and how she wishes to be with him but knows he loves Cosette instead.
The solo was not part of the original French version of the show that opened in 1980. When the English version was created, the music for "On My Own" was taken from the French song "L'Air de la Misère," which was originally sung by Fantine about her sadness. Éponine's original French solo, "L'un Vers L'autre," was not used in the English version. Later, in the 1991 Parisian version, the song was called "Mon Histoire" (My Story). However, "On My Own" has become one of the most well-known songs from the musical, and Éponine is now one of its most popular characters.
The first actress to perform Éponine in the English version on stage was Frances Ruffelle. Her version of "On My Own" is included on the Original London and Broadway cast albums.
The song has been used in many events outside of Les Misérables. Michelle Kwan skated to "On My Own" during the 1997 Skate America competition, the 1998 Tokyo Golden Gala, and the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Tom Fletcher danced with Amy Dowden in Strictly Come Dancing (series 19) to "On My Own," performed by Shan Ako.
In Dawson's Creek, the character Joey Potter, played by Katie Holmes, sang "On My Own" during a talent show (Season 1, Episode 12). In the pilot episode of Glee, Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, performed the song as her audition for the New Directions glee club. This version reached number 42 in Ireland and number 73 in the UK. Singer Joey Sontz included "On My Own" on his 2012 album Chasing The Dream.
For her audition for Miss Saigon, 17-year-old Lea Salonga sang "On My Own" and was later asked to perform "Sun and Moon" from Miss Saigon, impressing the audition panel. Salonga has said that "On My Own" helped begin her international career.
Actor and singer Michael Crawford recorded a version of "On My Own" for his 1989 album With Love / The Phantom Unmasked.