The Lion King (1994 soundtrack)
1994 soundtrack album by Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer
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The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the eponymous Disney film. It contains songs from the film written by British singer, composer and pianist Elton John and English lyricist Tim Rice, and a score composed by German score composer and music producer Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer for several tracks. Additional performers include South African singer and songwriter Lebo M, American actress and singer Carmen Twillie, American actor and singer Jason Weaver, English actor Rowan Atkinson, American rock singer Joseph Williams, American actress Whoopi Goldberg, English actor Jeremy Irons, American actor Cheech Marin, American actor Jim Cummings, New Jersey actor Nathan Lane, New York actor Ernie Sabella, and American singer Sally Dworsky. The album was released on May 31, 1994, on CD and audio cassette. The soundtrack was recorded in three different countries: the U.S., the U.K. and South Africa. It is the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated film in the United States with over 7 million copies sold, with 4,934,000 copies sold in 1994.[8] An expanded version of The Lion King soundtrack, featuring 30 minutes of previously unreleased material, was released as part of the Walt Disney Records: The Legacy Collection series on June 24, 2014. In 2014, Hot Topic released a vinyl picture disc of the soundtrack.[9]
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- Media Ventures, Los Angeles
- Todd-AO Scoring Stage
- Angel Recording Studios, London
- BOP Studios, Mmabatho
| The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Artwork for original release | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | May 31, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1994[1] | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Walt Disney Animation Studios soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Lion King: An Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   (for 2003 Special Edition)[2] |
| Robert Christgau | C[3] |
| Filmtracks | [4] |
| Smash Hits | 3/5[5] |
| Sputnikmusic | 5/5[6] |
| Vox | (10/10)[7] |
In 2010, Rhapsody included the soundtrack as one of 10 essential Disney and Pixar soundtracks.[10]
Track listing
All songs are composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. All scores are composed by Hans Zimmer.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Circle of Life" |
| 4:00 |
| 2. | "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" |
| 2:51 |
| 3. | "Be Prepared" | 3:41 | |
| 4. | "Hakuna Matata" |
| 3:34 |
| 5. | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" |
| 2:58 |
| 6. | "This Land" (score) | Hans Zimmer | 2:56 |
| 7. | "...To Die For" (score) | Hans Zimmer | 4:18 |
| 8. | "Under the Stars" (score) | Hans Zimmer | 3:46 |
| 9. | "King of Pride Rock" (score) | Hans Zimmer | 6:00 |
| 10. | "Circle of Life" | Elton John | 4:52 |
| 11. | "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" | Elton John | 3:38 |
| 12. | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (End Title) | Elton John | 4:02 |
| Total length: | 46:40 | ||
The Legacy Collection release
Walt Disney Records released an expanded edition of The Lion King soundtrack containing an additional thirty minutes of previously unreleased material from the film, as well as a collection of demo versions of cues.[9] This revision contains a new remastered mix by Alan Meyerson.
Commercial performance
The soundtrack shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. and eventually was 10× platinum in 1995, thus becoming the biggest-selling soundtrack ever from Disney's 1994 animated feature film. Its certification was promoted to Diamond when the award was instituted in 1999 by the RIAA. According to Nielsen Soundscan the soundtrack, as of April 2014, has sold a total of 7.873 million copies in the US.[8] It is also the best-selling vinyl album in the Nielsen SoundScan era (starting 1991), with 1,043,000 copies sold as of June 2014.[11]
Accolades
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
| Academy Awards[12] | Best Original Song | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Won |
| "Circle of Life" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated | ||
| "Hakuna Matata" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Hans Zimmer | Won | |
| British Academy Film Awards[13] | Best Original Music | Hans Zimmer | Nominated |
| Best Sound | Terry Porter, Mel Metcalfe, David Hudson, Doc Kane | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards[14] | Best Original Song | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Won |
| "Circle of Life" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Hans Zimmer | Won | |
| Grammy Awards[15][16][17] | Song of the Year | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated |
| "Circle of Life" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated | ||
| Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated | |
| "Circle of Life" – Elton John and Tim Rice | Nominated | ||
| Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | Hans Zimmer | Nominated | |
| Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" performed by Elton John | Won | |
| Best Musical Album for Children | Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Chris Thomas, Hans Zimmer | Won | |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Hans Zimmer and Lebo Morake – "Circle of Life" (performed by Carmen Twillie) | Won | |
| MTV Movie Awards[18] | Best Song from a Movie | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – Elton John | Nominated |
Personnel
Song Tracks (1–5 & 10–12)
- Elton John – composer (1–5, 10, 11, 12), piano and vocals (10, 11, 12)
- Davey Johnstone – guitars (10, 11, 12), backing vocals, (10, 11)
- Chuck Sabo – drums (10, 11, 12), backing vocals (10, 11), strings (12)
- Phil Spalding – bass (10, 11, 12), backing vocals (10, 11)
- Guy Babylon – keyboards (10, 11, 12)
- The London Community Gospel Choir – choir (10, 11)
- Lebo M – vocal arranger (1, 2, 3), background vocals (1, 2, 3), co-lead vocals (1), African chant (1)
- Mark Mancina – arrangements (2, 4, 5)
- Hans Zimmer – arrangements (1, 3) music supervision (1–5)
- Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella – lead vocals (4, 5)
- Jacqueline Barron, Charles Biddle Jr., Mary Carewe and Louis Price – background vocals (2, 3)
- Richard Harvey – ethnic pipes (2, 3)
- Joseph Williams – co-lead vocals (4, 5)
- Rodney Saulsberry – background vocals (1, 4)
- Carmen Twillie – lead vocals (1)
- Jason Weaver – lead vocals (2), co-lead vocals (4)
- Jeremy Irons – spoken word and lead vocals (3)
- Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin – spoken words (3)
- Jim Cummings – co-lead vocals (3)
- Rowan Atkinson, Laura Williams – co-lead vocals (2)
- Kristle Edwards – co-lead vocals (5)
- Sally Dworski – co-lead vocals (5)
- Rick Astley, Gary Barlow, Kiki Dee – background vocals (12)
- Nick Glennie-Smith, Mbongeni Ngema, Andraé Crouch – vocal arrangements (1)
- Jay Rifkin – arrangements (4)
- Edie Lehmann Boddicker, Zolile Zulu, Terry Young, Yvonne Williams, John West, Oren Waters, Maxine Waters, Luther Waters, Julia Waters, Sam Vamplew, Thandazile, Khuluiwe S’thole, Susan D. Stevens, Sindisiwe Sokhela, Kipizane Skweyiya, Happy Skhakhane, Alfie Silas, Philile Seme, Rick Riso, Phindile, Bobbi Page, Nini Nkosi, Bongani Ngcobo, Nandi Ndlovu, Bheki Ndlovu, Thembi Mtshali, Nonhlanhla Mkhize, Vusi Mhlongo, Batho Mhlongo, Myrna Matthews, Abner A. Mariri, Khanyo Maphumulo, Tsidi Manye, Rick Logan, James Langa, Ron Kunene, Thembi Kubheka, Skhumbuzo Kubheka, Stella Khumalo, Faca Khulu, Sphiwe Khanyile, Faith Kekana, Bob Joyce, Kuyanda Jezile, Matoab’sane Jali, Clydene Jackson, Linda Cgwensa, Rick Charles, Lucky Cele, Baby Cele, Johnny Britt, Terry Bradford and Maxi Anderson – choir (1)
Score Tracks (6–9)
- Hans Zimmer – arrangements
- Lebo M – vocal arrangements
- Andraé Crouch – choir arrangements
- Nick Glennie-Smith – choir arrangements
- Tonia Duvall – vocal contractor
- Don Davis, Brad Dechter, Gordon Goodwin, Don L. Harper, Larry Kenton, Dave Metzger, Conrad Pope, Carl Rydlund, Mark Watters – orchestrations
- Yvonne Moriarty – additional orchestrations, french horn
- Steve Becknell, David Duke, William Lane, Brian O'Connor, Richard Todd, Brad Warnaar, Phillip Yao – french horns
- Walt Fowler, Malcolm McNab – trumpets
- Sandy DeCrescent – orchestra contractor
- Bruce Fowler – vocal arrangements, trombone
- Alan Kaplan, Charlie Loper, Bill Reichenbach, Phillip A. Teele, Lloyd Ulyate – trombones
- Richard Harvey – flute, ethnic pipes
- Sheree Ali, Monica Zierhut – music coordinator
- Andy Hill – music supervisor
Technical
Greg Penny - Dolby Atmos Mix
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Original album release | ||
| Australia (ARIA)[55] | 4× Platinum | 280,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[56] | Platinum | 50,000* |
| Belgium (BRMA)[57] | Platinum | 50,000* |
| Brazil | — | 1,200,000[58] |
| Canada (Music Canada)[59] | Diamond | 1,200,000[60] |
| China | — | 1,000,000[61] |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[63] | Gold | 1,000,000[64] |
| Germany (BVMI)[65] | 3× Platinum | 1,500,000^ |
| Italy | — | 600,000[66] |
| Japan (RIAJ)[67] | Gold | 150,000[68] |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[69] Mercury Records B.V. edition |
Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[70] Universal Music edition |
Gold | 50,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[71] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[72] | Gold | 50,000* |
| Sweden (GLF)[73] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[74] | 2× Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[75] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[76] | Diamond | 10,000,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[77] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000* |
| Original cast recording | ||
| Australia (ARIA)[78] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[79] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[80] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[81] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[82] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| Sing-Along shortform | ||
| United Kingdom (BPI)[83] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[84] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
| Hans Zimmer Re-release | ||
| United Kingdom (BPI)[85] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 20,000,000[86] |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||