| "Circle of Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) European variant of the standard artwork | ||||
| Single byElton John | ||||
| from the albumThe Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 9 August 1994 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) | Elton John,Hans Zimmer | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Tim Rice | |||
| Producer(s) | Chris Thomas | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Elton John - Circle of Life (From "The Lion King"/Official Video)" onYouTube | ||||
"Circle of Life"[note 1] is a song fromDisney's 1994 animated feature filmThe Lion King. Composed by British musicianElton John and composerHans Zimmer, with lyrics byTim Rice,[2] the song was performed byCarmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) andLebo M (opening vocals inZulu) as the film's opening song.[3] In an interview, Rice said he was amazed at the speed with which John composed: "I gave him the lyrics at the beginning of the session at about two in the afternoon. By half-past three, he'd finished writing and recording a stunning demo."[4] John sang a pop version (with alternative lyrics) of the song with theLondon Community Gospel Choir, which was included in thefilm's soundtrack and made into a music video.
"Circle of Life" was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1994, along with two other songs fromThe Lion King: "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight",[5][6] the latter of which won the award.[5] "Circle of Life" was also nominated for theGrammy Award for Song of the Year. The song reached No. 11 in the UK and No. 18 in the US and is featured frequently in attractions based onThe Lion King, such as Disney theme parks and parades.Michael Crawford sang it as part of a medley forThe Disney Album in 2001.
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The song is well known for its opening line, sung by South African composerLebo M inZulu. Due to the difficulty to pronounce the lyrics for English speakers, they are often mispronounced. The Zulu version of the lyrics are:
Nansi Bhe! Inyama Bakithi Baba
(Chorus) Sithi uhm Bhe! Inyama
Nansi Bhe! Inyama Bakithi Babooouu
(Chorus) Sithi uhm Bhe! Inyama
Siyo nqoba
Ingonyama nengwe-namabala
Which translates to English as:
Here, behold! The living creatures of our land, oh father!
We proclaim, behold! Living creatures!
Here, behold! The living creatures of our land, oh father!
We proclaim, behold! Living creatures!
We shall conquer!
(Chorus) The lion who bears the leopard’s spots. [denotes royalty][7][user-generated source?]
Troy J. Augusto fromCash Box wrote, "Elton’s unique, radio-friendly voice and the song's powerful, dramatic production (courtesy ofChris Thomas) mean broad, immediate success as the film continues its amazing run at the box office."[8]James Masterton commented in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Sad to relate though it is another rather unimpressive Elton Johnballad, unable to stand comparison with much of his classic output and is worryingly close in places to "The One" – arguably the last single of any value he put out."[9] Alan Jones fromMusic Week noted, "Elton is in philosophical mood here and has a slightly continental flavour. Publicity forThe Lion King movie from which the single is taken should push it into the Top 20."[10] Leesa Daniels fromSmash Hits gave "Circle of Life" four out of five, writing, "He has managed to create a beautiful song, that, once you've seen the film, will reduce you to a big blubbering buffoon. The song is grand, majestic and deeply touching..."[11]
The accompanying music video for "Circle of Life" was directed by US film composer, producer and film directorRichard Baskin, but shot half in black-and-white. The clips of the film were shown. The film's voice actors such asJames Earl Jones and the choir were added in the video along a real cub and a female art designer.[12] It was published on YouTube in November 2017. The video has amassed over 17 million views as of December 2023.[13]
John began to perform "Circle of Life", replacing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", in some of his concerts, shows and performances for nearly 20 years from 1999 to 2018.[citation needed]
In the theatrical adaptation, the opening sequence is noticeably different from the opening of the film. For example, the song is sung byRafiki instead of an off-screen female narrator.
With thesun rising over the Pride Lands, Rafiki commences the start of the production by singing the opening chant of the song and summoning the animals of the Pride Lands for the presentation of babySimba. As the first two verses of the musical number end, a representation of Pride Rock appears on stage carrying its two reigning rulers,Sarabi cradling the small puppet representing her son in her arms with Mufasa alongside her. As the choir chants excitedly in the background, Rafiki accompanies the monarch and his consort to the top of Pride Rock to bless the cub before raising him high in the air, singing joyfully alongside the chorus as the gathered animals bow before their new prince.
At the end of Act II, Simba's friends and family acknowledge him as the rightful king afterScar's defeat. Rafiki crowns Simba with the mantle of kingship after his victory and Simba ascends Pride Rock. There he gives a mighty roar which echoes across the whole kingdom, and the animals come back to the Pride Lands to recognise and salute Simba as the rightful king. The musical ends as Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub (Kiara) to all of the animals, followed by a blackout that finishes Act II and leads to the curtain call at the end of the performance.
The assembly of animals that appear are slightly different from the start of the first act. There are no wildebeests nor adult elephants, only two zebras instead of three, nine gazelles instead of twelve, and half of the bird performers instead of four. Only the baby elephant, the rhino, the giraffes, three cranes, the cheetah, and the birds appear as poles on cranes as kites.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 9 August 1994 |
| [citation needed] | |
| United Kingdom | 26 September 1994 | Mercury | [51] | |
| Japan | 15 October 1994 | Mini-CD | Rocket | [52] |
The song was featured in Disney's 2019photorealistic computer-animated remake ofThe Lion King and was used in the first trailer of the film, a near shot-for-shot remake of the opening of the original animated film.[53] This new version of the song was performed by Brown Lindiwe Mkhize, the actress who performed as Rafiki in the stage adaptation of the movie in London from 2005 to 2018.[54] However, the new version also retains the original Zulu opening vocals by Lebo M from the 1994 film.
G4 recorded a cover version of the song for their self titled debut album, which they had performed previously during series 1 of the BritishX Factor.[55]
In 2017, American boyband98° recorded a cover version of the song to help promote a re-release ofThe Lion King onBlu-ray as part of the Disney Signature Collection.[56] The single was released as a digital download on 22 September 2017.[57]
The song was remixed byMat Zo which was released in the albumDconstructed on 22 April 2014.[58]
At the 2011White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, PresidentBarack Obama jokingly claimed he was going to show his "long-form birth video", spoofingBarack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories that alleged he was born outside of the United States, rather than in his actual birthplace ofHonolulu, Hawaii. The opening chant was played from the film, and Simba was seen being lifted to the skies.[59]
In 2015, the song was including in a Lion King songs medley performed by Youtuber and singer Georgia Merry.[60]
New York Mets outfielderYoenis Cespedes started using the song as his walk-up music during the2016 Major League Baseball season.[61]
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