''The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' is the soundtrack for the 2019
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...
film ''
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 ...
'', a
photorealistic
Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can be ...
computer-animated remake of the
1994 animated film of the same name. It consists of a soundtrack featuring songs from the original film written by
Elton John and
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'', ...
, and performed by the film's cast, as well as a new song by
Beyoncé and an end-credit song titled "Never Too Late", written by John and Rice and performed by John, and a score composed by the original film's composer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...
. Beyoncé also produced a curated soundtrack titled ''
The Lion King: The Gift'', which features new songs performed by multiple artists. The soundtrack was digitally released on July 11, 2019, while both the soundtrack's CD and Beyoncé's album were released on July 19, 2019.
Background
On September 28, 2016, it was announced that
Jon Favreau would direct a remake of Disney's ''
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 ...
'', which was announced to feature songs from the original film by
Elton John and
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'', ...
. On November 1, 2017, it was announced that the original film's composer,
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...
, who composed additional music for Favreau's ''
Iron Man'', would return to score the film. Zimmer initially hesitated to return for the remake, arguing that "
e has
E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plura ...
worked very hard to not ruin things through improvement", however, he agreed to compose the remake after performing the original film's score in a concert, saying that he "suddenly realized what
isplace in this new version was: to try a big experiment and use my band and orchestra, go back to Africa, work with
Lebo and the chorus and extraordinary musicians from all over the world, and really make this a ''performance''".
Zimmer treated his work on the remake similar to his work on the original film, stating that "
e is
E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...
doing this strictly for the people for whom it means something.
e is
E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...
working
ismusicians to the bone because
ewants to get that performance.
e wantedto smell sweat and blood in
hestudio".
However, he also had a different approach on the score than in the original film, trying to "rehearse and record the score like a live concert performance".
On November 28, 2017, it was reported that
Elton John had signed onto the project to rework his musical compositions from the original film before retiring. The following day, it was reported that Beyoncé would assist John in the soundtrack's re-work. On February 18, 2018, it was reported that four songs from the original film would be included: "
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 ...
", "
I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "
Hakuna Matata", and "
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 ...
", the latter being performed by Beyoncé,
Donald Glover,
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 o ...
, and
Billy Eichner. On February 3, 2019, it was reported that "
Be Prepared" would be featured in the film as well. Favreau described the experience of "not trying to create new songs but trying to build on what people remember and love about the old ones" as something "really fun and formative".
The score and the songs in the remake were influenced by the music featured in the
Broadway version of ''The Lion King'', as Favreau felt that "
immer and Johnreally
xploredfurther what the roots of the music are
n the Broadway show.
Of the five songs of the original, the fate of "Be Prepared" was the one which was most debated when creating the film's soundtrack. Favreau felt that the original sequence, which he compared to the ''
Night on Bald Mountain
''Night on Bald Mountain'' (russian: Ночь на лысой горе, translit=Noch′ na lysoy gore, links=no), also known as ''Night on the Bare Mountain'', is a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). Inspired by Russian ...
'' segment of ''
Fantasia'', would clash too heavily with the remake's tone and characterization of Scar. Favreau considered outright cutting the song and had screenwriter Jeff Nathanson create a spoken word monologue to replace the song, but was unsatisfied since he knew how important a villain song is to a Disney film. He asked Zimmer if any sort of musical version of the song could still be a part of the film; Favreau subsequently asked
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'', ...
if he could update the song's lyrics to reflect Scar's new dynamic with the hyenas. Rice did so, and the final version of the song is a mix of the monologue Nathanson penned (from "Mufasa has always shown too much restraint when it comes to hunting" to "the need for a diff'rnt dream"), Rice's old and new lyrics, and new score created by Zimmer. Favreau opined that while it wasn't the full song, it would give the audiences the impression that they had still seen the sequence in the remake, and cited the final shot of Scar on a peak with a crescent moon behind him as a key image he had to keep for the film.
[Jon Favreau: ''The Lion King'', audio commentary to the Blu-ray version of the film]
On February 9, 2018, John revealed that he, Rice and Beyoncé would create a new song for the film's end credits.
However, the collaboration between John and Beyoncé did not pan out as their unreleased song was not added to the official soundtrack. John and Rice wrote a new song for the end credits, titled "Never Too Late" and performed by John.
"
Spirit
Spirit or spirits may refer to:
Liquor and other volatile liquids
* Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks
* Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol
* Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
", the new song, performed by Beyoncé and written by Beyoncé,
Ilya Salmanzadeh and
Labrinth
Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...
, was originally intended for the end credits,
but Favreau revealed that the song would be featured in the film itself.
Favreau said that Beyoncé "wrote
he songin the spirit of the production along with working with Lebo M., who's part of it with Hans Zimmer" and felt "it was nice of them to have them working with her to allow the new song to feel organically a part of the new production".
Zimmer later said he made the decision to move "Spirit" into the body of the film.
"Spirit" was released as a single on July 10, 2019.
The film also features a cover of
The Tokens
The Tokens were an American doo-wop band and record production company group from Brooklyn, New York City. The group has had four top 40 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, all in the 1960s, their biggest being the chart-topping 1961 hit si ...
' "
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in isiZulu, while the English version's lyrics were wri ...
", performed by Rogen and Eichner,
as well as the song "
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 ...
" from ''
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, ...
'' and the Broadway production, performed by Lebo M.
Pharrell Williams would produce five songs for the film.
The soundtrack, featuring Zimmer's score and the film's various existing and new songs, was released digitally on July 11, 2019, and physically on July 19, 2019.
In October 2019, John heavily criticized the soundtrack, saying in full, "The new version of ''The Lion King'' was a huge disappointment to me, because I believe they messed the music up. Music was so much a part of the original and the music in the current film didn't have the same impact. The magic and joy were lost. The soundtrack hasn't had nearly the same impact in the charts that it had 25 years ago, when it was the bestselling album of the year. The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success. I wish I'd been invited to the party more, but the creative vision for the film and its music was different this time around and I wasn't really welcomed or treated with the same level of respect. That makes me extremely sad. I'm so happy that the right spirit for the music lives on with the ''Lion King'' stage musical."
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
''The Lion King: The Gift''
On July 9, 2019, it was revealed that
Beyoncé produced and curated an album titled ''The Lion King: The Gift'', which features new songs inspired by the film, as well as "Spirit" from the soundtrack.
Beyoncé called the album "sonic cinema" and said that the film "is a new experience of storytelling", and that the album "is influenced by everything from
R&B,
pop,
hip hop and
Afro Beat
Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...
".
Beyoncé also said that "
hewanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline" and that the songs were inspired by the remake's storyline, which "gives the listener a chance to imagine their own imagery, while listening to a new contemporary interpretation".
The songs were also produced by African producers, which Beyoncé said was because "authenticity and heart were important to
er, since the film is set in Africa.
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
ian singer/producer
Salatiel
Salatiel Livenja Bessong (born December 26, 1987), better known as Salatiel or "High man general", is a Cameroonian Music executive, the CEO of Alpha Better records located in Buea, Cameroon. In 2019, he featured on Beyoncé
Beyonc ...
also features on the album. Some other African musicians featured on the album include, Ghana's
Shatta Wale
Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., (born 17 October 1984) is a Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artist. He is known by his stage name Shatta Wale, formerly Bandana. His best-known singles are "Dancehall King", "My level" and "We taking over" .He is also kno ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
's
Wizkid
Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...
,
Burna Boy
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, ''L.I. ...
,
Yemi Alade
Yemi Eberechi Alade (born 13 March 1989), is a Nigerian Afropop singer, songwriter, actress and activist. She won the ''Peak Talent Show'' in 2009 after which she signed to Effyzzie Music Group, and had a hit with her single " Johnny" in 2014. ...
,
Mr Eazi
Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressio ...
,
Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage (born 5 February 1980) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and performing artist. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup voc ...
and
Tekno.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion King, The (2019 soundtrack)
2019 soundtrack albums
2010s film soundtrack albums
Albums produced by Beyoncé
Albums produced by Elton John
Albums produced by Greg Kurstin
Albums produced by Ilya Salmanzadeh
Albums produced by Labrinth
Albums produced by Pharrell Williams
Albums produced by Stephen Lipson
Beyoncé albums
Disney film soundtracks
Hans Zimmer soundtracks
The Lion King (franchise)
Walt Disney Records soundtracks