Walt Disney Records 60858
Producers: Hans Zimmer, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Chris Thomas
Track listing: Circle of Life / I Just Can’t Wait to Be King / Be Prepared / Hakuna Matata / Can You Feel the Love Tonight / This Land / … To Die For Under the Stars / King of Pride Rock / Circle of Life / I Just Can’t Wait to Be King / Can You Feel the Love Tonight
July 16, 1994
10 weeks (nonconsecutive)
When The Lion King rose to the throne of The Billboard card 200 in its fifth week on the chart, it became Disney’s first Number One album since Mary Poppins, on the Buena Vista label, had reached the top nearly 30 years earlier.
Although the Number One position remained elusive, Disney had continued to have its share of hits. With the 1989 release of The Little Mermaid, the label began a new streak of hit soundtracks that was nearly as impressive as its animated films’ box office and home-video successes. The Little Mermaid climbed to number 32 and went on to sell more than two million copies. Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, reached number 19 and 1992’s Aladdin peaked at number six. Both sold more than three million copies.
The latter two albums also spawned hit singles. From Aladdin, “A Whole New World” by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle reached number three on the Hot 100 and topped the Hot Adult Contemporary chart, while Bryson & Celine Dion’s “Beauty & The Beast” reached number nine on the Hot 100 and number three on the Hot Adult Contemporary list.
The Lion King was actually in the works before Aladdin, says lyricist Tim Rice, whose first major success was the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, but it was put on the back burner until Aladdin was completed. Once Disney was ready to get back on the project,
Rice was asked which composer he would like to work with. “I said, ‘Well, Elton John would be terrific,'” he says. “I didn’t know at the time that he would have any interest in doing it, and even if he did he probably wouldn’t have the time. And, even if he had the time, I didn’t think Disney would be able persuade him to do it.”
To Rice’s surprise, John came aboard. It wasn’t the first time the two had collaborated together — John had written the music for Rice’s “Legal Boys” and included it on his 1982 Jump Up! album.
For The Lion King, Rice and John rarely actually worked together. “Elton was always on the road and he likes to be sent the lyrics,” says Rice. “For me, it’s unusual to write lyrics without a tune, but it worked very well. I would send him the lyrics, then he would send me a demo tape back.”
The Lion King features five songs composed by John and Rice, plus score music by Hans Zimmer. The production numbers include vocals by stars Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cheech Marin, who provided the voices to the film’s animated characters. The album also includes John’s own versions of three key songs.
When John and Rice did get together to collaborate, Rice was amazed by the singer’s songcrafting abilities. Rice had asked John for a few more days to complete the lyric to “Circle of Life,” but John insisted he bring it to him as is. “He said, ‘No, don’t worry.’ I turned up at Air Studios in London and he sat down at the piano with the lyrics. He made one suggestion. He wanted one more phrase. Then he sat down and played over and over again while singing the lyrics and gradually a tune emerged. It really sounded sensational. That version by Elton already sounded like a hit.”
Rice’s first impression wasn’t off the mark. John’s version of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which ran during the film’s closing titles, topped the Hot Adult Contemporary chart for eight weeks and peaked at number four on the Hot 100 Singles chart. “Circle of Life” fared almost as well, reaching Number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart and number 18 on the Hot 100.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of July 16, 1994
1. The Lion King, Soundtrack
2. Purple, Stone Temple Pilots
3. The Sign, Ace of Base
4. Regulate … G Funk Era, Warren G
5. Not a Moment Too Soon, Tim McGraw