| "Two Worlds" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Japanese single | ||||
| Single byPhil Collins | ||||
| from the albumTarzan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack | ||||
| B-side | "You'll Be in My Heart" | |||
| Released | August 25, 1999 (1999-08-25) | |||
| Length | 3:18 | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Songwriter | Phil Collins | |||
| Producer | Phil Collins | |||
| Phil Collins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Licensed audio | ||||
| "Two Worlds" onYouTube | ||||
"Two Worlds" is a song by English drummer and singerPhil Collins that serves as the main theme forDisney's 1999 filmTarzan and the spinoff animated seriesThe Legend of Tarzan.
"Two Worlds" was the first song that Phil Collins wrote for the film. After writing the piece, he collaborated withscore composerMark Mancina to ensure the musical motifs carried throughout the movie. Mancina emphasised the need for cohesiveness in the score, so "the songs didn't sound like they were recorded two years before and just dropped in".[1] The song is a key example of how musical continuity is present across the soundtrack, with "Two Worlds" woven into the musical tapestry of the film multiple times.[1]
Phil Collins recorded the song in English (Two Worlds), Spanish (Dos Mundos), Italian (Se vuoi), French (Entre deux mondes), and German (Zwei Welten).[2] In addition to the song's inclusion on the film soundtrack, it was also released as a single. ACD single was released in Japan on August 25, 1999, and in Germany on September 18, 2000.[3][4] The song appeared on theGerman Singles Charts for five weeks, peaking at number 43 in October 2000.[4]
In the Disney Interactive video gameTarzan Activity Center, an activity entitled "Tarzan's Sing and Swing" gave players the ability to either listen to three Tarzan songs, among them "Two Worlds", or sing along to a karaoke version of them.[5]
The song plays as the opening song to the movie immediately after the title credits, and is used multiple times throughout the film to reinforce the notion of Tarzan being torn between two worlds. It appears four times on the soundtrack. The main version of the song appears in the film's opening, as musical accompaniment to a montage involving aleopard killing Tarzan's parents and him being washed upon the shore. It shows the two families Tarzan will call his own: his human family that birthed him and the family of gorillas that raise him. The song also appears in a reprise at the movie's finale when Jane and her father decide to stay in Africa. In addition, a pop version by Phil Collins which appears in the credits also features on the soundtrack.[6]
The song received generally positive reviews from music and film critics. While positively receiving its style and significance to a core scene, some thought its numerous reprises were unneeded.
AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine thought the song,Tarzan's main theme, was a "particular standout", and commented that it "eerily echo[ed]" theworldbeats found in the work of his formerGenesis colleaguePeter Gabriel; however he criticised the song's repetition throughout the film.[7] Similarly, while Howard Cohen ofKnight Ridder offered high praise for the song's "punchy rhythm", he thought the four versions of the song dragged down the quality of the soundtrack as "excess filler".[8] Meanwhile, Eileen Fitzpatrick ofBillboard wrote that the song "pounds" over a climactic scene in the film[9] while the magazine's Catherina Applefeld Olsen described it as "rhythmic lullaby".[1] Richard L. Eldredge of theStar Tribune thought the "majestic" song had a driving rhythm and "didn't disappoint",[10] while David Ansen ofNewsweek thought the ballad saw the film's themes of difference "hammered out".[11]
Japanese CD single[12]
German CD single[13]
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (GfK)[4] | 43 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 91 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | August 25, 1999 (1999-08-25) | CD | Walt Disney | [3] |
| German | September 18, 2000 (2000-09-18) |
| [4] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Phil Collins songs | |
|---|---|
| Face Value | |
| Hello, I Must Be Going! | |
| No Jacket Required | |
| Buster | |
| ...But Seriously | |
| Serious Hits... Live! |
|
| Both Sides | |
| Dance into the Light | |
| ...Hits | |
| Tarzan | |
| Testify | |
| Brother Bear | |
| Going Back | |
| Featured singles | |
| Other singles | |
| Other songs | |
