Movies

'The Lion King' Soundtrack List Released As Tickets Go On Sale

The lion king soundtrack
By Hoai-Tran Bui

The Lion King is going to be feeling the love tonight, with Disney releasing the nostalgic soundtrack list for the film to coincide with the launch of ticket sales. The Lion King soundtrack list includes the award-winning score by Hans Zimmer as well as the beloved songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, in addition to two brand new original songs, one performed by John and another still yet to be announced.

But fans of the Tony-winning Broadway show will only be partly appeased, as the excellent "He Lives in You" is included in the list, even as fan-favorite numbers "Shadowland" and "Endless Night" don't make the cut.

Pour one out for "Shadowland" and "Endless Night," Broadway fans. But Elton John fans can celebrate, as the Grammy-winning music legend performs a brand-new original song for the soundtrack to Jon Favreau's The Lion King remake, titled "Never Too Late." The original song is written by John and Rice, with additional African vocal and choir arrangements — which means this will likely be the film's closing credits song.

But the most intriguing part of the soundtrack list is the listing of a "TBA" song, probably a new original song performed by the film's biggest star Beyoncé. Most of the prior Disney live-action remakes have featured at least one new original song to raise the films' chances at a Best Original Song Oscar win. With music legends John and Rice probably working on this song, and Beyoncé likely performing, there's a guarantee that Lion King will at least score a nod.

For the score, Zimmer brings back many of the original people who worked on the original film, to maintain the "emotional spine of the story," the composer said in a press release. That includes Lebo M, orchestrator Bruce Fowler, conductor Nick Glennie-Smith, arranger Mark Mancina, plus several singers from the choir including Carmen Twillie (who performed "Circle of Life" in the 1994 movie). But one new approach from Zimmer for the 2019 film is that he intends to rehearse and record the score like a live concert performance, enlisting the Re-Collective Orchestra (led by founders Matt Jones and Stephanie Matthews) and with the Hollywood Studio Symphony (comprised of Los Angeles-based session players) in addition to his band. Can you feel the hype tonight?

Here is the official soundtrack listing for The Lion King:

  • "Circle of Life"/"Nants' Ingonyama" – Performed by Lindiwe Mkhize; African vocals performed by Lebo M; written and composed by Elton John and Tim Rice; "Nants' Ingonyama" written by Lebohang Morake and Hans Zimmer; produced by Hans Zimmer; vocals produced by Stephen Lipson
  • "Life's Not Fair" – Hans Zimmer
  • "Rafiki's Fireflies" – Hans Zimmer
  • "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" – Performed by JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph and John Oliver; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson
  • "Elephant Graveyard" – Hans Zimmer
  • "Be Prepared" (2019 Version) – Performed by Chiwetel Ejiofor; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Hans Zimmer and David Fleming
  • "Stampede" – Hans Zimmer
  • "Scar Takes the Throne" – Hans Zimmer
  • "Hakuna Matata" – Performed by Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, JD McCrary and Donald Glover; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson
  • "Simba is Alive!" – Hans Zimmer
  • "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – Performed by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen; written by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss and Solomon Linda; produced by Pharrell Williams
  • "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Performed by Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson
  • "Reflections of Mufasa" – Hans Zimmer
  • TBA
  • "Battle for Pride Rock" – Hans Zimmer
  • "Remember" – Hans Zimmer
  • "Never Too Late" – Performed by Elton John; African vocal and choir arrangements created and produced by Lebo M; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Greg Kurstin; additional production by Elton John and Matt Still
  • "He Lives in You" – Performed by Lebo M; written by Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin and Lebohang Morake; produced by Lebo M and Mark Mancina
  • "Mbube" – Performed by Lebo M; African vocal and choir arrangements created and produced by Lebo M; written by Solomon Linda; produced by Pharrell Williams

    • The digital soundtrack is set for release on July 11, 2019 and the physical album is now available for pre-order for release on the same day The Lion King opens in U.S. theaters on July 19, 2019.

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