MOVIE MUSIC UK

THROWBACK THIRTY

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

It’s interesting how, quite often, you never realize in the moment that you’re experiencing a cultural touchstone. I went to see The Lion King at the cinema the week it opened when it came out in the UK with very little in the way of anticipation, and vividly remember being shocked at having to wait in line for almost an hour beforehand to get in (these were the days before pre-assigned seating), such was its massive popularity.

The Lion King is, of course, Disney’s groundbreaking animated feature film that follows the journey of a young lion named Simba. The story begins with Simba’s birth in the Pride Lands of Africa, where he is introduced as the future king. However, Simba’s uncle, Scar, covets the throne and conspires with a pack of hyenas to kill both Simba and his father, King Mufasa, in an orchestrated wildebeest stampede. Scar’s plan partially succeeds; Mufasa is killed, and Simba, guilt-ridden and believing himself responsible, runs away and grows up in the jungle with his new friends Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog. Eventually, encouraged by his childhood friend Nala and the mandrill shaman Rafiki, Simba returns to the Pride Lands to confront Scar and reclaim his rightful place as king.

The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, with a script that drew on various influences, including Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and the biblical stories of Joseph and Moses. The story’s core themes of responsibility, loss, and redemption are universal, especially in the way that Simba’s story parallels that of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as both characters struggle with the death of their fathers and the usurpation of their thrones. Notably, the production also involved extensive research on African landscapes and wildlife to ensure the setting felt authentic, while the animation style was influenced by various African artistic traditions, giving it a then-unique look and feel.

The legacy of The Lion King is profound. It marked a turning point for Disney as a company, which had already been on an upward trajectory following the first three films of what is now considered its second Golden Age – The Little Mermaid in 1989, Beauty and the Beast in 1991, and Aladdin in 1992. The film became the highest-grossing animated feature at the time, earning over $950 million worldwide, and also spawned a successful franchise, including a Broadway musical, sequels, and a live-action remake in 2019.

However, this review is about the film’s music, which features an original score by Hans Zimmer and songs composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. Interestingly it was Rice who was the first person who came on board, with him having written the lyrics for Aladdin two years previously. When Alan Menken was unavailable to co-write the songs with him, Rice originally approached Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA to work with, but when that also fell through, he approached pop superstar Elton John, who immediately said yes. John was going through something of a slump at the time and this, in conjunction with the then-recent revelations about his private life, resulted in him needing a career rehabilitation. The Lion King proved to be the perfect project. Rice and John wrote five original songs for The Lion King – “Circle of Life,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” “Be Prepared,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” – with John’s performance of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” playing over the end credits. More on them later.

With Menken being unavailable, Disney needed a new composer for the score too, and so turned to Hans Zimmer. The then 37-year-old German was still a relative new kid on the block in 1994; although he received an Oscar nomination for his first major score, Rain Man, in 1989, and had scored several box office hits in the four years since, his career was still very much in its infancy, comparatively speaking, and he was certainly not the industry juggernaut he is today. The Lion King helped change all that. Interestingly, Zimmer was hired mostly on the strength of two lesser-known scores, A World Apart (1988) and The Power of One (1992), both of which had African settings, and made use of African choirs and specialist instruments alongside more familiar western orchestral textures and electronics. The resulting combination of Zimmer’s score and Rice and John’s songs proved to be irresistible, box office gold, and a cultural phenomenon. All three men won Oscars for their work, and the soundtrack album was a sensation (it remains the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated film in the United States, with over 7 million copies sold).

The whole thing opens, of course, with the “Circle of Life,” beginning with Lebo M’s legendary plaintive Zulu cry “Nants’ Ingonyama,” heralding the newborn lion king and inviting all the animals of the savannah to pay homage. When Carmen Twillie takes over the song her voice is rich and deep; the music soars when Twillie is accompanied by an African choir and a more expansive orchestra, the Richard Harvey pan flute interlude is beautiful, and the whole thing ends with the now prototypical Zimmer chord that accompanies the appearance of the title card. It’s a perfect encapsulation of everything that this movie is about, and I would argue that it’s possibly the best musical opening to any Disney animated film, ever.

“I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” is performed by Jason Weaver and Laura Williams as Young Simba and Young Nala, with Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, Mufasa’s hornbill majordomo. It is the score’s buoyant aspirational song, an almost circus-like festival of youthful exuberance and regal arrogance, albeit one which is tempered by a perfect level of pompous exasperation in Atkinson’s voice. Conversely, “Be Prepared” is a song performed by Jeremy Irons as the voice of the duplicitous Scar, plotting and scheming to take over from Mufasa with the help of his army of hyenas (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings). The song has a sense of mischief under Irons’s otherwise seductive malevolence, and a tone that perfectly matches the scene’s pseudo-fascist imagery.

“Hakuna Matata” is probably the score’s most enduringly popular song, and sees comedians Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella performing as Timon and Pumbaa, Simba’s carefree cohorts, singing about their no-worries life and encouraging Simba to adopt a similar attitude. The song is different from the others, with its rock vibes, calypso beat, and genuinely funny lyrics, and the title of the song itself subsequently entered the pop culture lexicon as a result, but I do find it perhaps a little annoying at times, which is probably why it appealed so much to the smallest cinema-goers at the time. Finally, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” features a duet between Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky as Simba and Nala, the leonine lovers reunited after so many years apart; Joseph Williams is, of course, the son of John Williams, and the former lead singer of the rock band Toto. The song is a classic Disney romantic ballad, with sweeping strings and elegant arrangements, but I always found the vocal performances by Williams and Dworsky to be perhaps a little thin, and I much prefer Elton John’s performance of the song over the end credits.

After the songs comes the score, but people tend to forget that the original album only contained four cues, totaling just under 17 minutes of music, although to be fair most people consider “Circle of Life” to be part of the score too, which brings the total up to almost 21. The score is rich and complex and contains multiple recurring themes, including one for Simba, and one for Mufasa, inter-connected ‘main themes’ which collectively represent the concept of the king and the physical manifestation of Pride Rock itself. There are secondary motifs representing Scar and the hyenas, and Timon & Pumbaa; the love theme for Simba and Nala is an instrumental of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” and then there are several moments of intense action, for the stampede sequence, and for the final battle between the lions and hyenas for the future of the kingdom.

The first cue, “This Land,” opens with a beautiful statement of Simba’s theme that moves between different parts of the woodwind section, including Richard Harvey’s pan flutes; initially it is gentle and playful, representing the Simba’s relative innocence, but at the score develops it will become grander, more serious, and more sweeping, as Simba himself grows up and grows into his role as the king of Pride Rock. Later in the cue the stately and noble theme for Mufasa is introduced; it is weighty and proud, and is often carried by cellos backed by a choir, which give it a rich and deep sound that matches both the sonorous timbre of James Earl Jones’s voice, and the gravitas and respect Mufasa commands within his pride. The cue ends with a brief statement of the ‘Busa’ theme, a more celebratory secondary theme related to Simba and his future kingship, and which is often represented by an African choir chanting in festive fashion.

“To Die For” mostly underscores the film’s pivotal wildebeest stampede scene, which is initiated by Scar in an attempt to kill both Mufasa and Simba, but which eventually results in Mufasa’s death and Simba’s exile. This cue is clever in the way it places elements of both Simba’s theme and Mufasa’s theme into an action setting. Some of the orchestral textures here are unexpectedly shrill and dissonant, especially in the combination writing for strings and the African choir, while the more intensely rhythmic sections drive the scenes forward with energy and intensity. Zimmer’s prog-rock tendencies come through here too, as the orchestra and choir are often doubled by keyboard textures that give the music an unexpectedly contemporary tone. Furthermore, some of the percussion patterns and rhythmic devices Zimmer uses here foreshadow some of the action writing he would later use to excellent effect in scores like Gladiator. The conclusion of the cue underscores the devastating scene of Simba discovering his father’s lifeless body, a moment which emotionally scarred a generation of children. Zimmer scores the scene like a Brahms Requiem, dripping with deep emotion, with the stunning choral version of Mufasa’s theme standing out as one of the highlight musical moments of Zimmer’s career to that point.

The gorgeous “Under the Stars” underscores the scene many years later where a now-adult Simba – having spent most of his adolescence enjoying a carefree existence with Timon and Pumbaa – has a vision of his father in the clouds, and is compelled to return to Pride Rock, save his family, and reclaim his throne from Scar and the hyenas. Yet again, the themes for Simba and Mufasa take center stage, as does Richard Harvey’s pan flute performance, and the soulful and rousing African vocals reprising parts of the ‘Busa’ theme at the end of the piece. The conclusive “King of Pride Rock” underscores the final battle between Simba and the lions, and Scar and the hyenas; after a dramatic and emotional statement of Mufasa’s theme acting as inspiration for Simba, a reprise of the twisty and insidious theme for Scar, and some tense moments of orchestral suspense and intrigue, it all ends with a deeply moving conclusion to the development of Simba’s theme, and a final statement of the both ‘Busa’ theme and the ‘Circle of Life’ song to celebrate the return of the true Lion King to Pride Rock.

As I mentioned, the original soundtrack album only contained four score cues, totaling just under 17 minutes of music, and so for many years fans clamored for an extended release of the score. Thankfully, in 2014, Disney released a ‘Legacy Collection’ album containing all the songs and score sequenced in chronological order, plus some bonuses including rejected songs and demos. This is one of the few instances where the expanded version album is absolutely essential, as it opens up the score enormously and really showcases the depth and complexity of Zimmer’s work. The sound quality is astonishing – some of the details in the orchestration that were muddied in the original release can finally be heard properly – and the extended running time really allows the thematic depth and dramatic development of the score to shine through. It’s also worth noting that the expanded album reveals that Zimmer’s score contains many more thematic allusions to the Elton John songs than is initially apparent, like the brief refrain of “Be Prepared” in “Didn’t Your Mother Tell You Not to Play with Your Food,” and the statement of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” in “Nala, Is It Really You?”

Some of my personal highlights from the extended release include the unexpected saxophone solo in “Didn’t Your Mother Tell You Not to Play with Your Food,” the sardonically menacing theme for the hyenas in “Hyenas in the Pride Land” (which also includes a wonderfully Morricone-esque pan pipe solo), the extended waltz-time statement of the theme for Scar and the hyenas in the creepy “Elephant Graveyard,” and the similarly extended version of the stampede sequence in “Stampede” and “Mufasa Dies” which contains a great deal more powerful action and emotion than the edited and poorly-mixed original. Later, “Bowling for Buzzards” is a brief but unexpectedly rousing militaristic march which has a touch of Franz Waxman about it, and then the conclusive trio “Remember Who You Are,” “This Is My Home,” and “The Rightful King” expands much more on the “King of Pride Rock” sequence with more emphasis on Zimmer’s occasionally brutal action, and several stirring statements of the main themes.

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that The Lion King is a masterpiece. Even just considering the songs as their own thing, the work that Elton John and Tim Rice did here stands the test of time; “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won the Oscar, “Hakuna Matata” has seared itself into the minds of children everywhere, and “Circle of Life/Nants’ Ingonyama” is, as I said, in the conversation to be the best musical opening to any Disney animated film, ever. But then you have Hans Zimmer’s rich, detailed, emotional score, which successfully blends African tribal music and vocals with a western orchestra, and wraps the resulting sound around almost a half dozen outstanding themes.

As I said in my review of the Lion King remake in 2019, the composition itself, in terms of the recurring thematic ideas and the intelligent application of them, is deeply impressive, as is the way in which Zimmer uses his instruments to pick out specific moments of emotional resonance. All the loss and tragedy, death and mourning, celebration and life, are captured perfectly by a composer who was, in 1994, well on his way to becoming arguably the most influential film composer of his generation. This score is a perfect representation of the Hans Zimmer I love, and for me it is one of the greatest scores of his entire career. I can’t express it more succinctly than that, and if you love film music the way I love film music, you’ll undoubtedly love it too.

Buy the Lion King soundtrack from the Movie Music UK Store

Track Listing:

• ORIGINAL ALBUM
• Circle of Life (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M) (3:59)
• I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson, and Laura Williams) (2:50)
• Be Prepared (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings) (3:40)
• Hakuna Matata (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella with Jason Weaver, and Joseph Williams) (3:33)
• Can You Feel the Love Tonight (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky with Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Kristle Edwards) (2:57)
• This Land (2:55)
• To Die For (4:17)
• Under the Stars (3:45)
• King of Pride Rock (5:59)
• Circle of Life (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Elton John) (4:51)
• I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Elton John) (3:37)
• Can You Feel The Love Tonight (End Title) (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Elton John) (4:02)

• LEGACY COLLECTION ALBUM
• Circle of Life/Nants’ Ingonyama (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M) (3:59)
• Didn’t Your Mother Tell You Not to Play With Your Food (2:08)
• We Are All Connected (3:02)
• Hyenas in the Pride Lands (3:51)
• I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson, and Laura Williams) (2:52)
• Elephant Graveyard (4:48)
• I Was Just Trying to Be Brave (2:16)
• Be Prepared (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings) (3:40)
• Simba, It’s to Die For (0:48)
• Stampede (3:22)
• Mufasa Dies (3:27)
• If You Ever Come Back We’ll Kill You (1:38)
• Bowling for Buzzards (0:30)
• Hakuna Matata (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella with Jason Weaver, and Joseph Williams) (4:08)
• We Gotta Bone to Pick With You (1:08)
• Kings of the Past (2:48)
• Nala, Is It Really You? (4:11)
• Can You Feel the Love Tonight (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky, with Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Kristle Edwards) (2:57)
• Remember Who You Are (7:48)
• This Is My Home (2:48)
• The Rightful King (11:46)
• The Morning Report (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by James Earl Jones, Jeff Bennett, and Evan Saucedo) (1:37) (Bonus)
• Warthog Rhapsody (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Jason Weaver) (3:06) (Bonus)
• We Are All Connected (Demo) (3:05)
• I Was Just Trying to Be Brave (Demo) (2:16)
• Stampede (Demo) (3:23)
• Mufasa Dies (Demo) (3:27)
• This Is My Home (Demo) (2:28)
• The Rightful King (Demo) (11:42)
• Circle of Life (Instrumental Demo) (4:02)
• Circle of Life (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Elton John) (4:51)
• I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Elton John) (3:37)
• Can You Feel The Love Tonight (End Title) (written by Elton John and Tim Rice, performed by Elton John) (4:02)

Walt Disney Records 60858-7 (1994) – Original Album
Walt Disney Records 0050087315078 (1994/2014) – Legacy Collection Album

Running Time: 46 minutes 25 seconds – Original Album
Running Time: 121 minutes 33 seconds – Legacy Collection Album

Music composed by Hans Zimmer. Conducted by Nick Glennie-Smith. Orchestrations by Bruce Fowler, Don Davis, Brad Dechter, Gordon Goodwin, Don L. Harper, Larry Kenton, Dave Metzger, Conrad Pope, Carl Rydlund, Mark Watters, Ladd McIntosh, and Yvonne Moriarty. Additional music by Nick Glennie Smith, Mark Mancina and Alex Wurman. Special vocal performances by Lebo M. Recorded and mixed by Jay Rifkin and Alan Myerson. Edited by Adam Smalley. Original album produced by Hans Zimmer, Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin. Legacy Collection album produced by Chris Thomas.