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"Hakuna Matata" is a song fromDisney's 1994 animated feature filmThe Lion King.^[1] The music was written byElton John with lyrics byTim Rice. The song is based onTimon and Pumbaa's catchphrase, originating from theSwahili language,Hakuna matata; it means “no worries".

"Hakuna Matata"
Cover of the Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M version
Single byJimmy Cliff andLebo M
from the albumRhythm of the Pride Lands
B-side	"He Lives in You" "Warthog Rhapsody"
Released	February 28, 1995
Length	4:24
Label	Walt Disney
Composer	Elton John
Lyricist	Tim Rice
Audio sample
Jimmy Cliff & Lebo M - "Hakuna Matata" file help

The second version of "Hakuna Matata" (sung by Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M) is a single from the 1995 soundtrackRhythm of the Pride Lands.

The third version of "Hakuna Matata" (sung once again by Lane and Sabella, but this time without Weaver or Williams) is from the 2004 filmThe Lion King 1½ . This version remains unreleased onthe soundtrack; the version included is instead the first version from the original film.

The fourth version of "Hakuna Matata" (sung by Billy Eichner as Timon, with Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, JD McCrary as young Simba and Donald McKinley Glover Jr. as adult Simba) is a song fromthe remake film.

The song's music and melody were composed byElton John, with lyrics byTim Rice. In the film the song is sung byTimon (voiced byNathan Lane),Pumbaa (voiced byErnie Sabella), andSimba, a younglion voiced byJason Weaver (singing voice as a cub) andJoseph Williams (singing voice as an adult). Taking place afterMufasa's death, it features Timon and Pumbaa, the two maincomic relief characters in the film, talking to Simba about moving forward from their troubled pasts and forgetting their worries, and Simba grows from cub to adult as the song progresses. The song also provides a backstory for Pumbaa, explaining that he was ostracized from animal society for his excessiveflatulence. It makes use of a large proportion of theorchestra as well as many other more unusual instruments including an elaborate drum kit. Rice is said to have got the idea for the lyrics for the song from watching the comedy seriesBottom and at one point wanted the show's starsRik Mayall andAdrian Edmondson to play Timon and Pumbaa.

A second version of the song, produced for the companion albumRhythm of the Pride Lands, was performed byJimmy Cliff featuringLebo M. This version has a slightly modified, previously unreleased verse focusing on Timon's past. It was partially rewritten with a different instrument arrangement, but remains very similar to the original. This version of the song was released as a single with "He Lives in You" as a B-side and was ultimately used in theBroadway theatrical version ofThe Lion King.

"Hakuna Matata" replaced another song written early on in the production stage, titled "Warthog Rhapsody". This song was eventually recorded and released onRhythm of the Pride Lands, along with several other songs that did not appear in the finished film. The vocal melody of "Warthog Rhapsody" was later used for the song "That's All I Need" in the spinoff filmThe Lion King 1½.

Hakuna matata is a phrase in Swahili that is frequently translated as "no worries". In a behind-the-scenes segment onThe Lion King Special Edition DVD, the film's production team claim that it picked up the term from a tour guide while onsafari inKenya. It was then developed into an ideology that, along with the seemingly antithetical value of duty to the monarchy, is central to the moral content of the film.

The title phrase is pronounced with American English phonology within the song, including aflapped "t", rather than as it is pronounced in Swahili.

"Hakuna Matata" has become one of Disney's most celebrated and popular songs, establishing itself as one of the studio's greatest and most iconic. The song was nominated forBest Song at the67th Academy Awards but lost to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", one of threeLion King song nominations (the third one was "Circle of Life").^[2] It was also ranked 99th in theAFI's list of the 100 best American movie songs of all time, Disney's seventh and last entry of songs on the list (the others being "When You Wish Upon a Star" fromPinocchio at #7, "Some Day My Prince Will Come" fromSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs at #19, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" fromMary Poppins at #36, "Wind Beneath My Wings" fromBeaches at #44, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" fromSong of the South at #47, and "Beauty and the Beast" fromBeauty and the Beast at #62).^[3]

A shortened version of "Hakuna Matata" was used as the theme song of the spinoffTimon & Pumbaa TV series. Another shortened version of "Hakuna Matata" was used in the TV seriesThe Lion Guard in the first-season episode "Bunga and the King" (2016), sung by the cast members.

The film's2019 photorealistic CGI remake features a version performed byBilly Eichner as Timon,Seth Rogen as Pumbaa,JD McCrary as young Simba, andDonald Glover as adult Simba.

CD single

1. "Hakuna Matata" – 4:24
2. "He Lives in You" – 4:51

CD maxi

1. "Hakuna Matata" (radio version) – 3:50
2. "Warthog Rhapsody"by Nathan Lane & Ernie Sabella – 3:06
3. "Hakuna Matata" (album version) – 4:24

• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song in their 1995 albumWhen You Wish Upon a Chipmunk, with Alvin and Simon performing Timon and Pumbaa's parts, respectively, and replacing "warthog" with "chipmunk".
• InMouse Hunt, Ernie Smuntz (played byNathan Lane, the voice of Timon) says "hakuna matata" to a guest at the house auction.
• In one of Disney's many self references, the "Hakuna Matata" song can be heard briefly in the 1995Disney·Pixar filmToy Story, in which it was played in Andy's mother's car while Molly seesWoody,Buzz Lightyear andSlinky Dog through one of the side-view mirrors. "Hakuna Matata" is referenced inAladdin and the King of Thieves when Genie turns into Pumbaa and says, "Hakuna Matata".
• In theSeinfeld episode "The Merv Griffin Show",Elaine says that she was caught in the office singing "Hakuna Matata".
• An instrumental version of this song appears inMannheim Steamroller's 1999 albumMannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. It features various African chants, but ends with the phrase "You Got a Problem with That".
• The song was covered by Bahamian groupBaha Men for the firstDisneymania album.
• The song was covered byDebby Ryan for theDisneymania 7 album.
• The 2012 Japanese albumDisney - Koe no Oujisama vol. 2, which features various Japanesevoice actors covering Disney songs, includes a version of "Hakuna Matata" sung byHiro Shimono andNobuhiko Okamoto. A subsequent album with a similar concept,Disney - Koe no Durimu Dyuetto (2014), includes a version sung by Mitsuki Saiga andKatsuyuki Konishi, whereas an additional version byTasuku Hatanaka is featured on the 2018 albumDisney Koe no Ōji-sama Voice Stars Dream Selection.
• In 2015, the song was including in a Lion King songs medley performed by YouTuber and singer Georgia Merry.^[25]
• A parody of the song,Hasa Diga Eebowai, features in the musicalThe Book of Mormon.^[26]
• For theSaturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special in 2025,Nathan Lane (Timon's voice actor) sung a parody of this song alongsideJohn Mulaney, but it was tongue-in-cheek, and about the cocaine era of the 80s.

• http://www.lionking.org/lyrics/OBCR/HakunaMatata.html

• 1994 songs
• 1995 singles
• Elton John songs
• Disney Renaissance songs
• Jimmy Cliff songs
• Donald Glover songs
• Songs with lyrics by Tim Rice
• Songs with music by Elton John
• Songs from The Lion King (franchise)
• Macaronic songs
• Song recordings produced by Jay Rifkin
• Walt Disney Records singles

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