Hola guys! Hope you spent this weekend in theatres watching the new live-action lion king! Most of all I hope y’all jammed along to the songs. I certainly did! The new movie features all the old songs, every single one that comprised the 25-year-old version of the movie. There was the addition of the song ‘Spirit’, sung by Beyoncé. All the songs were beautifully sung and choregraphed. The choreography varied from the original movie in order to maintain the reality of the film, but I’m sure we enjoyed nonetheless. In this post, I’ll be rating the songs of the movie according to my point of view and will be sharing my thoughts on them. Let’s start with the best one, the one which came up when the movie began, the song whose first note made us all cheer. Yes! you got it; it was the ‘circle of life’
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE-
This song just set the tone for the entire movie, didn’t it now? The first note just hits us. It’s the first song of the movie. The song which welcomes the arrival of king Mufasa and queen Sarabi’s new born cub, Simba. It’s the song on which the movie is based. The circle of life walks us through every living thing’s journey on this planet. How after its arrival, it walks the path set for it and ultimately perishes, only to give life in some other form. Mufasa teaches his son the importance of the circle of life. And how it repeats itself. All in all, I think we can all agree that without this song, the movie falls short of its true essence. I’d give this song a good old 10/10
I JUST CAN’T WAIT TO BE KING-
This is the song sung by Simba and Nala as they play around the watering hole. Zazu tries to explain to Simba his duties as future king but Simba is more concerned with having fun than fulfilling his responsibilities. He explains the thing’s he’d do when he’s king and how his enemies would tremble before him. He says he wouldn’t take advice from little hornbills (Zazu) for a start and would carry on the monarchy with fun and frolic. Nala supports Simba and says that she too can’t wait till Simba is king. The duo basically supress their royal duties in the song and just dream about what life under their reign would be like. It’s a classic song with amazing vocals and beautiful choreography. I couldn’t wait until Simba was king either after listening to this musical number. I’d give this song an 8.5/10. It would have been a 10 if the choreography was a tad more vibrant and livelier as the original one.
BE PREPARED-
This is the villain song in the movie. It’s sung by Scar as he tries to assemble his hyena army. This song almost didn’t make it into the movie and that would have been a tragedy. The directors and producers did finally decide to include it though the shorter version. While the original song is like 3 minutes long, this one is barely a minute long. Through this song, Scar tries to explain how he would be a better ruler than Mufasa and how the hyenas should ‘be prepared’ to help him. He goes on to sing about the ways he’d be respected as ruler and how under his reign, all will be right within the pride lands. In the new movie, the song only has one stanza, one chorus and one bridge. Sine I liked the original song better, I’d give this song a 6/10.
HAKUNA MATATA-
This one is my personal favourite! Its everyone’s favourite actually. Hakuna matata, what a wonderful phrase! This song is sung after Scar chases Simba out of the pride lands. Timon and Pumba find him and sing this song to him. The term hakuna matata means ‘no worries. The duo explain to Simba how no one can control what happens in life but one can control the fact that he need not be worried about it. The song portrays Simba’s transition from a young and carefree cub to a well defined and chilled out adult. Throughout the years, he still continues to remain carefree and embraces life for what it is and not as it could be. This song is the true essence of the film, along with circle of life that is. This song definitely deserves a 10/10
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?
This song was just spectacular. The original song had won so many awards and the revival version didn’t fall short of the warmth and intimacy of the romantic atmosphere. Beyoncé’s vocals made all the difference. This song is sung by Simba and Nala when they finally reunite after all the years apart. Simba holds back from explaining the truth of his past in this song as he thinks Nala wouldn’t accept him otherwise. Nala on the other hand sense’s that he’s holding back and tries to convey that no matter what, she’d always accept him for the person and king he truly is. This song is subtle yet extremely romantic. The first and last lines of the song are sung by Timon and Pumba who fear losing Simba as a friend if he were to fall in love tonight. It’s a truly sensational song. It too deserves a 10/10.
THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT-
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight! This is a silly song sung by Timon and Pumba as they venture through the forest, mingling with the other wild animals. I won’t be rating this one but its good enough to make it onto this list.
SPIRT-
This song is sung by Beyoncé. It’s the new addition to the lion king franchise but is so beautiful. After Nala fails in persuading Simba to come back to the pride lands, Simba starts questioning his life, after seeking council from his deceased father and Rafiki, he decides to return and fight for his home. This song plays in the background to portray his spirit of compassion and loyalty to his destiny. I’d rate this one a 9/10.
HE LIVES IN YOU-
This is the final song of the movie. After Simba wins back the pride lands, Mufasa congratulates him and reminds him that he lives in his son. This is the song on which the movie closes and it is also the song on which the movie opens in the sequel. The lion king 2- Simba’s pride, features this song as the opening song as the kingdom welcomes princess Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala. This song too deserves a 10.
So, do you agree to my list? Did your favourites songs make it onto this list? Lemme know your thoughts on the movie and its musical numbers. And don’t forget, HAKUNA MATATA!