"Hakuna Matata" is a song from

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's 32nd animated feature ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

''. The music was written by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

with lyrics by

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

. The song is based on

Timon and Pumbaa Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King'' and its franchise. Timon was played through his many appearances by Nathan Lane (in all three films and early episodes of the ...

's catchphrase in the movie, '' Hakuna matata'', a Swahili phrase meaning "No worry(s)". It is characterized by its simple 4/4

time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

, upbeat message and catchy lyrics.

Music

The song's music and melody were composed by

, with lyrics by

. In the film the song is sung by

Timon Timon is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to: People * Timon of Athens (person), 5th-century Athenian and legendary misanthrope * Timon of Phlius (c. 320 BCE – c. 235 BCE), a Pyrrhonist philosopher of Ptolemaic Egypt and He ...

the

Meerkat MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 antennas in the Meerkat National Park, in the Northern Cape of South Africa. In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square Kilom ...

(voiced by

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...

Pumbaa Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King'' and The Lion King (franchise), its franchise. Timon was played through his many appearances by N ...

the

Warthog ''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...

(voiced by

Ernie Sabella Ernest Sabella (born September 19, 1949) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Pumbaa from ''The Lion King'' franchise, voicing the character in all media except the 2019 film. Sabella's TV roles include Mr. Donal ...

), and

Simba Simba is a fictional character and the protagonist of Disney's ''The Lion King (franchise), The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in the 1994 film ''The Lion King'', Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation's List of Walt Disney Anim ...

, a young

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

voiced by

Jason Weaver Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Marcus Henderson on The WB sitcom ''Smart Guy,'' Jerome Turrell on the short-lived sitcom '' Thea'' from 1993 to 1994, and the pre-teenaged ...

(singing voice as a cub) and Joseph Williams (singing voice as an adult). Taking place after the death of

Mufasa This article lists the characters appearing in Disney's ''The Lion King'' franchise. Introduced in ''The Lion King'' (1994) Simba Simba (voiced by Matthew Broderick as adult Simba in the films, Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub in ''The Lion Kin ...

, it features Timon and Pumbaa, the two main

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

characters in the film, talking to Simba about moving forward from their troubled pasts and forgetting their worries, and Simba grows from cub to adult as the song progresses. The song also provides a backstory for Pumbaa, explaining that he was ostracized from animal society for his excessive

flatulence Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...

. It makes use of a large proportion of the

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

as well as many other more unusual instruments including an elaborate drum kit. Rice is said to have got the idea for the lyrics for the song from watching the comedy series ''

Bottom Bottom may refer to: Anatomy and sex * Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or dominant * Bottom (sex), a term used by gay couples and BDSM * Buttocks or bottom, part of th ...

'' and at one point wanted the show's stars

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...

and

Adrian Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series ''The Young Ones (TV s ...

to play Timon and Pumbaa. A second version of the song, produced for the companion album ''

Rhythm of the Pride Lands ''Rhythm of the Pride Lands'' is an audio CD released on February 28, 1995 by Walt Disney Records, a "sequel" to the original motion picture soundtrack of the animated film ''The Lion King'' (1994). Most of the tracks were composed by Lebo M, ...

'', was performed by

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

featuring

Lebo M Lebohang Morake (born 11 July 1964), known as Lebo M, is a South African producer and composer, known for his songwriting and vocal work on the soundtracks to films such as ''The Lion King, The Power of One'' and ''Outbreak'' and numerous stag ...

. This version has a slightly modified, previously unreleased verse focusing on Timon's past. It was partially rewritten with a different instrument arrangement, but remains very similar to the original. This version of the song was released as a single with "

He Lives in You "He Lives in You" is a song written and performed by Lebo M. and his South African Choir for '' Rhythm of the Pride Lands'', an album inspired by the film ''The Lion King''. It is performed twice in the musical adaptation of the film, and a shorter ...

" as a B-side and was ultimately used in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

theatrical version of ''The Lion King''.

Production

"Hakuna Matata" replaced another song written early on in the production stage, titled "Warthog Rhapsody". This song was eventually recorded and released on ''Rhythm of the Pride Lands'', along with several other songs that did not appear in the finished film. The vocal melody of "Warthog Rhapsody" was later used for the song "That's All I Need" in the spinoff film ''

The Lion King 1½ ''The Lion King 1½'' (also known as ''The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata'', or ''The Lion King III: Hakuna Matata'') is a 2004 American animation, animated direct-to-video musical film, musical comedy film produced by the Australian branch of Disney ...

''.

Meaning

'' Hakuna matata'' is a phrase in Swahili that is frequently translated as "no worries". In a behind-the-scenes segment on ''The Lion King'' Special Edition DVD, the film's production team claim that it picked up the term from a tour guide while on

safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. It was then developed into an ideology that, along with the seemingly antithetical value of duty to the monarchy, is central to the moral content of the film. The title phrase is pronounced with American English phonology within the song, including a flapped "t", rather than as it is pronounced in Swahili.

Critical reception

"Hakuna Matata" has become one of Disney's most celebrated and popular songs, establishing itself as one of the studio's greatest and most iconic. The song was nominated for Best Song at the 67th Academy Awards but lost to "

Can You Feel the Love Tonight "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King'' composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. At the 67th Academy Awards in March 1995 it won the Academy Award for Best Original So ...

", one of three ''Lion King'' song nominations (the third one was "

Circle of Life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King''. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) and Lebo M. (opening vocals ...

"). It was also ranked 99th in the

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

's list of the 100 best American movie songs of all time, Disney's seventh and last entry of songs on the list (the others being " When You Wish Upon a Star" from ''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

'' at #7, "

Some Day My Prince Will Come "Someday My Prince Will Come" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. It was written by Larry Morey (lyrics) & Frank Churchill (music), and performed by Adriana Caselotti (Snow White's voice in the mo ...

" from ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

'' at #19, "

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" ( ) is a song and single from the 1964 Disney musical film ''Mary Poppins''. It was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It also appears in the 2004 stage show ver ...

" from ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'' at #36, "

Wind Beneath My Wings "Wind Beneath My Wings" (sometimes titled "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Hero") is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. The song was first recorded by Kamahl in 1982 for a country and western album he was recording. Kamahl ta ...

" from ''

Beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

'' at #44, "

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song composed by Allie Wrubel with lyrics by Ray Gilbert for the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie '' Song of the South'', sung by James Baskett. For "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", the film won the Academy Award for Best ...

" from ''

Song of the South ''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson; produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. ...

'' at #47, and "

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

" from ''

'' at #62). A shortened version of "Hakuna Matata" was used as the theme song of the spinoff ''Timon & Pumbaa'' TV series. Another shortened version of "Hakuna Matata" was used in the TV series ''

The Lion Guard ''The Lion Guard'' is an American animated television series developed by Ford Riley and based on Disney's 1994 film ''The Lion King''. The series was first broadcast with a television film titled ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar'' on Disney C ...

'' in the first-season episode "Bunga and the King" (2016), sung by the cast members. The film's 2019 photorealistic CGI remake features a new version performed by Billy Eichner as Timon,

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...

as Pumbaa,

JD McCrary Jaydon McCrary (born July 18, 2007) is an American actor, dancer and singer. He is best known for his turn as Kenny Payne in '' The Paynes'' on the Oprah Winfrey Network. He starred in 2019's ''The Lion King'' as the voice of young Simba. He is ...

as young Simba, and

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...

as adult Simba.

In popular culture

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...

covered the song in their 1995 album ''

When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk is a 1995 music album by '' Alvin and the Chipmunks'', released by Sony Wonder, and contains 10 tracks. The album features the Chipmunks and Chipettes singing Disney songs. A footnote on the back of the CD case sta ...

'', with Alvin and Simon performing Timon and Pumbaa's parts, respectively, and replacing "warthog" with "chipmunk". * In ''

Mouse Hunt ''Mouse Hunt'' is a 1997 American slapstick black comedy film written by Adam Rifkin and directed by Gore Verbinski in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, and Christopher Walken. The film foll ...

'', Ernie Smuntz (played by

, the voice of Timon) says "hakuna matata" to a guest at the house auction. * In one of Disney's many self references, the "Hakuna Matata" song can be heard briefly in the 1995

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

film ''

Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...

'', in which it was played in Andy's mother's car while Molly sees Woody,

Buzz Lightyear Buzz Lightyear is the main character in the ''Toy Story'' franchise created by Disney and Pixar mainly voiced by Tim Allen. He is a Superhero toy action figure based on the in-universe media franchise consisting of a blockbuster feature fi ...

and Slinky Dog through one of the side-view mirrors. "Hakuna Matata" is referenced in '' Aladdin and the King of Thieves'' when Genie turns into Pumbaa and says, "Hakuna Matata". * In the ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'' episode "

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 a ...

", Elaine says that she was caught in the office singing "Hakuna Matata". * An instrumental version of this song appears in

Mannheim Steamroller Mannheim Steamroller is an American neoclassical new-age music ensemble founded and directed by percussionist/composer Chip Davis in 1974. The group is known primarily for its '' Fresh Aire'' series of albums, which blend classical music with ...

's 1999 album '' Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse''. It ends with the phrase "You Got a Problem with That". * The song was covered by Bahamian group

Baha Men The Baha Men are a Bahamian junkanoo band formed in New Providence, Bahamas in 1977. They are best known for their Grammy Award-winning hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out". History Early years The Baha Men formed in 1977 as High Voltage, initia ...

for the first '' Disneymania'' album. * The song was covered by

Debby Ryan Deborah Ann Ryan (born May 13, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She started acting professionally onstage at the age of seven, and was later discovered during Disney Channel's nationwide search for new talent. Ryan's work for Disney Ch ...

for the ''

Disneymania 7 ''Disneymania 7'' is the seventh and final installment in the ''Disneymania (series), Disneymania'' series. It features a variety of contemporary performers performing Disney songs. ''Disneymania 7'' was released on March 9, 2010.Amazon.com.Disne ...

'' album. * The 2012 Japanese album ''Disney - Koe no Oujisama vol. 2'', which features various Japanese

voice actors Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

covering Disney songs, includes a version of "Hakuna Matata" sung by

Hiro Shimono is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with I'm Enterprise. His notable roles include Ayato Kamina in ''RahXephon'', Akihisa Yoshii in ''Baka and Test'', Haruka Kasugano in ''Yosuga no Sora'', Keima Katsuragi in ''The World God Only Know ...

and

Nobuhiko Okamoto is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and singer affiliated with Raccoon Dog. He won the Best New Actor Award at the 3rd Seiyu Awards and Best Supporting Actor Award at the 5th Seiyu Awards. Voice acting career In an interview held ...

. A subsequent album with a similar concept, ''Disney - Koe no Durimu Dyuetto'' (2014), includes a version sung by Mitsuki Saiga and

Katsuyuki Konishi is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Wakayama. He is affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in ''GaoGaiGar''. He is most well known for portraying Kamina in ''Gurren Lagann'', Laxus Dreyar in ''Fairy Tail'' ...

, whereas an additional version by

Tasuku Hatanaka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. Biography He voiced Yuma Tsukumo in the anime series ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal'', Ushio in ''Ushio and Tora'', Ikoma in ''Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress'', Gō Nagakura in ''Battery'', and Fudō Nomura in ' ...

is featured on the 2018 album ''Disney Koe no Ōji-sama Voice Stars Dream Selection''. * A parody of the song, ''Hasa Diga Eebowai'', features in the musical ''

The Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude dat ...

Track listings

CD single # "Hakuna Matata" — 4:24 # "He Lives in You" — 4:51 CD maxi # "Hakuna Matata" (radio version) — 3:50 # "Warthog Rhapsody" by Nathan Lane & Ernie Sabella — 3:06 # "Hakuna Matata" (album version) — 4:24

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* http://www.lionking.org/lyrics/OBCR/HakunaMatata.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Hakuna Matata 1994 songs 1995 singles Elton John songs Disney Renaissance songs Jimmy Cliff songs Donald Glover songs Songs with lyrics by Tim Rice Songs with music by Elton John Songs from The Lion King (franchise) Macaronic songs Song recordings produced by Jay Rifkin Walt Disney Records singles