"If I Were King of the Forest" is a song from the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. The comic number is sung by the Cowardly Lion played by

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American actor. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the MGM adaptation of ...

during the scene at the

Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of the L ...

, when the Lion, Dorothy (with Toto), Tin Woodsman and

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...

are waiting to learn whether the Wizard will grant them an audience. Lahr employs a spoken interlude during the number, in which the rest of the group ask him how he would deal with other powerful animals if he were king, for example: :''Supposin’ you met an elephant?'' :''I'd wrap him up in cellophant!'' The song contains the line "What makes the Hottentot so Hot?" a phrase that refers to the

Khoikhoi Khoekhoen (singular Khoekhoe) (or Khoikhoi in the former orthography; formerly also '' Hottentots''"Hottentot, n. and adj." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, March 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/88829. Accessed 13 May 2018. Citing G. S. ...

tribe of Africa. Two portions of the song were cut for reasons of time: a brief middle stanza in which the other characters echo the verse that preceded it and Lahr first proclaims himself "Monarch of all I survey" (a line repeated later in the song), and the final stanza which ended with the Lion proclaiming "If I...were...''king''!" (two versions were recorded: one where Lahr himself unsuccessfully tries to hit the high note on the final word, and instead does so in his character's trademark growl; the other has the final high note powerfully delivered by soprano Georgia Stark, who was paid $25 for her involvement). The complete version of the song can be heard on the deluxe 1995 soundtrack release from

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

, along with the less extensive single-disc release. Additionally, the complete version was used for the 1996 soundtrack recording of '' The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True'', also from Rhino. In this version,

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, ...

(who performs as the Lion) has an addition to the lyrics which is "Not queen, not duke, not prince...or the Artist Formerly known as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

". The song has been used in several of the stage versions of '' The Wizard of Oz''. In addition, Tom Hardy sings it while playing the title role of Al Capone in the 2020 biopic film '' Capone''.

References

External links

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Production and synopsis listing, Tams-Witmark
{{authority control 1939 songs Songs from The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) Songs with lyrics by Yip Harburg Songs with music by Harold Arlen

See also

Further reading

References

External links