A REVIEW OF THE LION KING MUSIC by Alicia Miller Many people loved the music of The Lion King but don't know who worked on what and how it was made. I say, lets take a look in each one of the makings of each Lion King album. Lets see who did what and where. There are three different Lion King albums starting with the soundtrack, then Rhythm of the Pride Lands, and finally Lion King on Broadway. As you will see, only four names stand as being the key of The Lion King's music, Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer and Lebo M. When it all comes down to it, you will see the only ones who did most of the work are Hans Zimmer and Lebo M. Lets take for example, Lion King on Broadway, an excellent piece of work but it could have been made better. As you will note, the three new John and Rice songs aren't all that bad but really are tasteless. I mean, look at "Chow Down." Where does it fit in the story? I preferred dialogue. And then look at Rhythm of the Pride Lands (RotPL as it is sometimes called) and it's songs. The only song I found tasteless was "Hakuna Matata." You see, it all comes down to many different things. What is the singer trying to tell you? What is the singers mood? What does the song really say? All those questions are answered in my review. We'll start off with the first album, what songs are on there, who was behind it, how it was made and finally what I have to say about it. The others will come later. LION KING SOUNDTRACK: This was by far, a great sounding soundtrack but it needs some work. The entire album, which has twelve tracks, thirteen on the European releases, is overall 46:27 in time. Many people say they enjoyed it. I'm much different then them. SONGS: "CIRCLE OF LIFE" (3:59) Arranged and Produced by Hans Zimmer Performed by Carmen Twillie African Vocals Performed by Lebo M. "I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KING" (2:50) Arranged and Produced by Mark Mancina Performed By Jason Weaver and Laura Williams with Rowan Atkinson "BE PREPARED" (3:40) Arranged and Produced by Hans Zimmer Performed by Jeremy Irons With Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings "HAKUNA MATATA" (3:33) Arranged and Produced by Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin Performed by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver and Joseph Williams "CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT" (2:57) Arranged and Produced by Mark Mancina Performed by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Sally Dworsky, Joseph Williams and Kristle Edwards THIS LAND (Score) (2:55) Score by Hans Zimmer, African Vocals By Lebo M. ...TO DIE FOR (Score) (4:17) Score by Hans Zimmer, African Vocals By Lebo M. UNDER THE STARS (Score) (3:45) Score by Hans Zimmer, African Vocals By Lebo M. KING F PRIDE ROCK(Score) (6:01) Score by Hans Zimmer, African Vocals By Lebo M. "CIRCLE OF LIFE" (4:51) Performed by Elton John "I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KING" (3:36) Performed by Elton John "CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT" (3:59) Performed by Elton John PEOPLE BEHIND THE SOUNDTRACK: (Taken from The Lion King movie credits and The Lion King Soundtrack credits) Songs by Tim Rice And Elton John Original Score Composed And Arranged By Hans Zimmer Music Supervision By Hans Zimmer Music Recorded And Mixed By Jay Rifkin Additional Recording by Steve Price, Mike Farrow, David Appelt Music Recorded at Media Ventures, L.A.; Ocean Way Studios, L.A.; Snake Ranch, London; BOP Studios, Mmabatho, S. Africa, Todd A-O Scoring, L.A., Angel Studios (UK) Supervising Music Editor: Adam Milo Smalley African Vocal Solos & Improvisation Created By Lebo M. Additional Song Arrangement: Bruce Fowler, Danny Troob, Paul Bogave Additional Vocal Arrangement: Bruce Fowler, Bobbi Page, Mark Mancina Song Vocal Arrangements by Hans Zimmer, Lebo M., and Andrae Crouch Score Choral Arrangements by Lebo M., Nick Glennie-Smith, Mbongeni Ngema, and Andrae Crouch S. African Voices by Committed Artists Choir & Friends Score Conducted By Nick Glennie-Smith Score Orchestrations: Bruce Fowler Additional Orchestrations: Ladd Mcintosh, Yvonne Moriarty Choral Arrangement And Conducting By Lebo M., Andrae Crouch, Mbongeni Ngema, Nick Glennie-Smith Choir Masters: Mbongeni Ngema, Andrae Crouch Vocal Contractors: Tonia Duvall, Mbongeni Ngema, Bobbi Page, Alfie Silas Album Mastered by Bruce Botnick at Pacific Ocean Post Sound Orchestra Conducted by Nick Glennie-Smith Orchestrations by Bruce Fowler and Nick Glennie-Smith Panpipes by Richard Harvey Music Editor: Adam Smalley Music Preparation: Dominic Fidelibus Music Contractor: Reggie Wilson Orchestra Contractor: Reggie Wilson Orchestra Copyist: Dominic Fidelibus Music Production Assistance: Nico Golfar (USA), Maggie Rodford (UK), Eric Stark (S. Africa) Chorus: Maxi Anderson, Terry Bradford, Johnnie Britt, Baby Cele, Lucky Cele, Rick Charles, Gugwana Dlamini, Kevin Dorsey, Wendy Fraser, Linda Gcwensa, Clydene Jackson, Matoab'sane Jali, Kuyanda Jezile, Bob Joyce, Faith Kekana, Sphiwe Khanyile, Faca Khulu, Stella Khumalo, Skhumbuzo Kubheka, Thembi Kubheka, Ron Kunene, James Langa, Edie Lehmann, Rick Logan, Tsidi Manye, Khanyo Maphumulo, Abner A. Mariri, Myrna Matthews, Batho Mhlongo, Vusi Mhlongo, Nonhlanhla Mkhize, Thembi Mtshali, Bheki Ndlovu, Nandi Ndlovu, Bongani Ngcobo, Nini Nkosi, Bobbi Page, Phindile, Rick Riso, Philile Seme, Alfie Silas, Happy Skhakhane, Kipizane Skweyiya, Sindisiwe Sokhela, Susan D. Stevens, Khuluiwe Sithole, Thandazile, Carmen Twillie, Sam Vamplew, Julia Waters, Luther N. Waters, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters, John West, Yvonne Williams, Terry Young, Zolile Zulu Circle of Life, Be Prepared, This Land, ...To Die For, and King of Pride Rock Arranged and Produced by Hans Zimmer I Just Can't Wait to Be King and Can You Feel the Love Tonight Arranged and Produced by Mark Mancina Hakuna Matata Arranged and Produced by Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin Under the Stars Arranged and Produced by Hans Zimmer and Jay Rifkin Elton John's performances of Circle of Life, I Just Can't Wait to Be King and Can You Feel the Love Tonight Produced and Mixed by Chris Thomas. Engineer: Paula Jones. Assistant Engineer: Pete Lewis. Recorded at Townhouse Studio, London; Olympic Studio, London. Mixed at Townhouse Studio, London. Guest Perfomers: Drums (All): Chuck Sabo. Bass(All): Phil Spalding. Guitar (All): David Johnson. Programming: Ollie Romo & Guy Babylon. Extra Programming on Circle of Life: Matthew Vaghn. Gospel Choir: London Symphony Choir. Background Vocals on Can You Feel the Love Tonight: Phil Spalding, Davey Johnston, Kiki Dee, Rick Ashley, and Gary Barlow Recording Assistants: Brett Newman and Steven Stern (L.A.) Alister Glyn and Tanja Somers (S. Africa) Sound Programming: Bob Dasplt Assistants to Hans Zimmer: Christopher Ward, Mitchell Lamm, Antonia Bogdanovich CD Coplied by Steven Stern Hans Zimmer wishes to thank: Peter Scheider, Chris Montan, Andy Hill, Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers, Don Hahn, Tom Schumacher, Zoe Leader, Mark Levy, J.V.T., Michael Kelly, Renee Stutzman, Jim Presly, James Martin, Chip Sweeney, Sam Schwartz, Mike Gorfaine, Zoe Zimmer, Suzanne Zimmmer Album Art Direction by Atoinette Portis Elton John appears Courtesy of MCA Records. Mbongeni Ngema appears courtesy of Tusk Records THE MAKING OF THE LION KING SOUNDTRACK: (Taken from Movie production notes, Lebo M's biography, Hans Zimmer interviews, and Disney Adventures Magazine) With superb performances from Disney's talented animation team and an inspired all-star vocal ensemble, five incredible new songs by legendary singer/songwriter Elton John and Academy Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice (Aladdin) plus composer Hans Zimmer's evocative score and musical supervision, this stylish, ambitious and magical film provides a delightfully entertaining experience for listeners of all ages. Innovative uses of technology add to the production's scope and richness, allowing the filmmakers to once again expand the boundaries of their medium by creating images and situations that were never before possible. No Disney animated film would be complete without memorable musical moments where the characters break into song to advance the story, express an emotion or provide an element of entertainment that perhaps can't be achieved any other way. For "The Lion King," the filmmakers brought together a trio of musical talents to create one of the most integral, sophisticated and delightful collaborations in the studio's history. According to Disney's president of feature animation, Peter Schneider, "Music is a very important factor in our movies. In song, we can do tremendous amounts of storytelling and the music carries a lot of the emotion of the story." Lyricist Tim Rice was the first member of the music team to join the project. He recalls, "The studio asked me if I had any suggestions as to who could write the music. They said choose anybody in the world and choose the best. I said, well, Elton John would be fantastic but you probably won't get a hold of him simply because he's very busy and he hasn't done a film score like this in 25 years. They asked him and to my amazement, Elton said yes." Executive producer Tom Schumacher was dispatched to London to present the story to Elton to persuade him to participate in the project. "We were terrified at first to even approach him," recalls Schumacher, "because we thought he might be extremely busy or difficult to work with. Instead, we found him to be a very interested and insightful collaborator who was a big champion of turning this story into a musical. We showed him drafts of the script and screened the rough cut of the film for him on several occasions. He provided numerous comments and notes, which we incorporated into the film and which benefited the overall production. With Tim as our main creative liaison, Elton became an important part of the film making process and really seemed to enjoy himself along the way." Rice had barely started on the assignment back in 1991 when he was asked to help out on "Aladdin" and spend the next six months collaborating with composer Alan Menken on the Academy Award-winning ballad, "A Whole New World," as well as the song "One Jump Ahead" and a reprise of "Prince Ali" sung by the villain Jafar. Elton confesses, "I actually jumped at the chance because I knew that Disney was a class act and I liked the story line and the people immediately. The Disney films last forever and children watch them and adults watch them and get just as much fun out of them. For me, this project was exciting and challenging because I had to write differently from what I would write for myself. I was pleased that the story was about animals because 'The Jungle Book' is one of my favorite Disney films. I think that 'The Lion King' is the funniest movie Disney has made since 'Jungle Book.' In fact, I probably think it's the funniest movie they've ever made." Elton and Tim had known each other for many years and actually collaborated on several occasions in the past, including the song "Legal Boys" for Elton's Jump Up album in 1982. Rice, whose distinguished credits include partnerships with such celebrated composers as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paul McCartney and the late Freddie Mercury, found this latest assignment to be a true pleasure but a major departure from his usual method of operation. "Up until now, about 95% of the lyrics I've written have been done to a tune," explains Rice. "Elton is one of those rare examples of a composer who actually likes to get the words first. In the case of a film like 'The Lion King,' that proved to be quite useful because the key thing with a Disney animated feature is to get the story line dead right. Everything flows from the story." Rice became an integral part of the story team with his lyrics becoming just as important to the film as any other element of the script. He spent a great deal of time in meetings with the producer, directors and writers during the production. Once the lyrics and placement of the songs were agreed upon, Rice would serve as the "go-between" with Elton. "I was staggered by Elton's brilliant method of working and the speed of it," says Rice. "He has always said if he doesn't get a tune right in 20 minutes he just throws it away. I witnessed him create 'Circle of Life' from start to finish. I gave him the lyrics at the beginning of the session at about two in the afternoon. He didn't want it before. By half past three, he'd finished writing and recording a stunning demo." Of the five songs that Elton and Tim wrote for "The Lion King," "Circle of Life" stands apart as being perhaps the most meaningful to the theme of the film. The song, which was the third to be written by the duo, worked so well, in fact, that it became the "anthem" and was chosen to open the film without any establishing dialogue. The main vocal is delivered in an impressive and powerful gospel-style by Carmen Twillie, a talented performer with numerous film and recording credits. "'Circle of Life' points out that everything is interrelated and that everybody has some sort of responsibility to somebody else," says Rice. "We are all bound together. No man or lion for that matter is an island. This powerful song seemed to set the agenda for the film and I think it's a very dramatic opening to the movie." Much of the power and drama of that song and the film's overall musical impact derive from the contribution of the third major player on the music team -- composer/arranger Hans Zimmer. Zimmer had written many brilliant film scores ranging from "Rain Man" to "Thelma and Louise," but it was his work on an African-themed project called "The Power of One" which really impressed the filmmakers. He says, "Someone gave the directors of 'The Lion King' a copy of The Power of One Soundtrack- and to this day they haven't seen the movie- and they thought 'This could be different.' I kept saying, 'Why are you offering me this movie? I know nothing about animation,' and they kept going 'Exactly, that's why!'" His genius for conceptualizing music and experimentation helped to transform Elton's essentially western pop/rock/gospel tunes into fully realized African-flavored melodies complete with authentic Zulu chanting, extensive choral arrangements and rhythms and instrumentation associated with Africa. To get the African feeling, Hans used everything from native African instruments to pieces of old drain pipe that he tossed together to make great spooky noises. He says, "I used the marimba, which is like a wooden xylophone. I like it because it sounds like clonking bones. I use it in a lot of chase scenes. I also used a little thumb piano called the kalimba. It's made out of a piece of wood with metal spokes on it. You pluck the spokes with your fingers and they make a haunting racket." Hans says, "When Disney approached me to compose the soundtrack for "The Lion King," I knew exactly who I wanted to work with and just about had to send out search parties into the African bush to find Lebo. He is the movie." African-born singer/arranger Lebo M. helped Zimmer recruit and record singers in Los Angeles and South Africa for a series of extensive vocal sessions. Lebo was performing in South Africa when he received the call from Hans Zimmer, who had been searching throughout Africa for him. "He told me Disney was doing a new feature film titled The Lion King and asked that I join him in Los Angeles immediately," Lebo says. "He apparently searched pretty hard for me in Africa." "The one-two punch for us on this film in terms of music was having Tim and Elton write some great songs and then having Hans Zimmer turn them into what they are in the film," says Hahn. "Elton's gift is writing memorable, unforgettable melodies that move you. He puts his emotions into his music, which is beautiful and stunning. Hans brings an added dimension to those songs through percussion and the emotion of the voices. It gives a tremendous sense of emotion and a feeling of locale and is very much a celebration of African music. In a sense, he is the final storyteller with his ability to underline the emotions of the piece through his score and music supervision." Zimmer recalls, "Elton was a very courageous man to just give me his demos and leave me to do whatever I wanted with them. His songs were great to begin with and what I've done is paint a little color into them. I work like an animator, in a way. I do this sort of black and white sketch on a piano and then I start filling in the colors as I go along." The decision to use extensive choir vocals was Zimmer's. He explains, "Musicians playing an instrument are basically just trying to get as close to the emotion of a human voice as possible. So I thought I'd go straight to the source and get some really great singers together for this. The voice speaks to you emotionally and more directly than going through the process of translating it into an instrument." Operating a bit like a mad scientist in his laboratory, Zimmer experimented till all hours of the night at his state-of-the-art recording studio in Santa Monica. Lebo M. worked closely by his side to get just the right choral sound that he was looking for. Hans says, "With The Lion King, I wrote over four hours' worth of tunes, and they were really pretty, but totally meaningless. So in the end I came up with material I liked. We worked on The Lion King for four years, but I wasn't toying until the last three-and-a-half weeks properly." In April, 1994, Lebo and Disney music production vice president, Andy Hill, traveled to BOP Recording Studios in Mmabatho (160 miles from Johannesburg) to work with Mbongeni Ngema ("Sarafina") in recording a choir of 30 local singers for the final tracks. The Zimmer-arranged version of "Circle of Life" was like a revelation to the filmmakers and won the approval of composer Elton John. "Hans has done a fantastic job," says Elton. "It was written as a straight song and it was his idea to give it an African slant and make it like a chant. His arrangement really made a difference to the song and the movie's opening. It fits in beautifully. I have tremendous respect for his talent as a writer/composer." "Circle of Life" was reinterpreted by Hans and Lebo who added African rhythms and Zulu chants. Producer Don Hahn recalls going to Hans' studio to listen to his arrangement for "Circle of Life". When the producers said they needed some sort of cry in the wilderness for worship or something, Lebo said "Oh, I think I can do something." "The first thing that came out of his mouth is the piece that ended up in the film. It was just so great, we never changed it." Says Hahn. Hahn also says, "Lebo is forever the spirit and voice of `The Lion King.'" "Working on this project was the most gratifying part of my career so far," says Lebo. His credits included lead vocalist, choral arranger, conductor a co-writer -- it is his soaring voice that cuts through the stale movie house air as the film opens. Zimmer contributed in many ways to the overall emotional impact of the movie with his song arrangements and evocative score. "I think music is a great way of telling a story especially where words don't quite reach you," says the composer. "Emotions are universal and music is the universal language." Perhaps the most difficult song in the film to write was the love ballad, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." Although chronologically it was the first to be written, this song went through many modifications as this critical part of the story evolved and was reworked time and again. By Rice's count, he wrote 15 sets of lyrics for that song over a period of several years. At one point in the restructuring, the song was to be sung by Pumbaa and Timon. Feeling quite strongly about the role of the "love song" in a Disney film, Elton lobbied the directors to allow Simba and Nala to sing it as intended. In the end, the filmmakers agreed with him. Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky provide the singing voices for the two lovers with Kristle Edwards lending support. The original lyrics to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" can be heard over the end credits in Elton's own distinct version of the song. For Simba's song, "I Just Can't Wait to be King," Elton composed an up-tempo, cheeky tune that he describes as "Eddie Cochran meets Motown" in terms of style. Rice's lyrics reveal the young lion cub's ambitions and lend themselves to the fantasy-based visuals that accompany the song. Jason Weaver, who played a young Michael Jackson in the 1992 telefilm, "The Jacksons: An American Dream," is heard as Simba while the multi-talented 15-year-old Laura Williams, a classically-trained pianist and a member of the contemporary gospel recording group "All God's Children," chimes in as Nala. Rowan Atkinson, as Zazu, also offers a few musical meanderings. Jeremy Irons makes his screen singing debut on "Be Prepared," as the villainous Scar bares his teeth and ambitions to an army of hideous hyenas. With just the right balance of menace and humor, the song itself grows bigger and bigger as Scar gets carried away with himself and his own oratory. Producer Hahn sees it as "a classic villain's song where Scar gets to twirl his mustache and hatch his plot. It launches into a kind of bacchanal, conga-line moment where the audience discovers what his real motivation is." The final song written for the film was "Hakuna Matata," a delightful zydeco-flavored tune based on the Swahili expression for "no worries." Delivered with great fervor and panache by Broadway veterans Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, in their respective roles as Timon and Pumbaa, this song presents an opposing philosophy to the one offered in "Circle of Life" and provides a few musical clues as to what Simba's life will be like with his new companions. Jason Weaver and Joseph Williams both take turns singing for Simba as he matures from a carefree cub to adulthood. MY REVIEW: Ok. So we've gone over everything it took to crate the album, what next? What I think of course! I think the score was great. I mean it had everything you could look for, except translations of the Zulu lyrics and not to mention other oddities. First thing's first, the album in a sense repeats itself and appears to be reincarnated from past Zimmer scores. I've noticed that. So has Brian Tiemann. In his Zimmer Connections page he says what was repeated from other things in former Hans Zimmer works. Check it out: Musical Connections in Zimmer Scores One of the things that is the most fascinating about Zimmer's various works is following the connections between older ones and newer ones-- themes he first developed in earlier pieces and later used them in slightly (or radically) different forms to enhance his most recent and most impressive scores. It is in fact easiest to see some of these connections in his TLK score, which brings together elements from several earlier works to form a beautifully coherent and fully developed masterpiece. For comparison purposes, TLK was published in 1994, whereas Millennium was from 1992, as was The Power of One. K2 was released in 1991. And, of course, Rhythm of the Pride Lands is a 1995 release. The first connection that I noticed, the one which is the easiest to spot, is in the TLK track "This Land." One of the two primary themes comprising this movement is wholly original, the "Lea Halalela" theme; the other, however, is a newer, more polished incarnation of the theme called "The Journey" in Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World. The earlier theme has the same choral structure as the later one, the same general format, the same imagery of timeless and steadfast beauty-- but the melody is rather different, resulting in a more "exotic" feel as compared to the later theme, which is more natural and calm in style. Compare: TLK, track 6, 1:45 to 2:14 Millennium, track 3, 0:25 to 0:52 The second link, a great deal more obscure, is also to be found in "This Land." The harmonious and very emotionally versatile end-cadence to the "Lea Halalela" theme, only a few seconds long, is nevertheless one of the most musically crucial points in the whole score, where the music can either calm serenely from the passion of "Lea Halalela" into a subtle and controlled statement of the "This Land" theme, or else it can rise (as it does at the end) exuberantly to provide an entrance for that theme as it soars in the "Ascending Pride Rock" line. It works so well that it is small wonder that it is in fact a quote of a single submerged point in the K2 score, where it appears cast in stately brass to finalize a passage there. Compare: TLK, track 6, 1:36 to 1:44 and track 9, 4:13 to 4:20 K2, track 1, 11:07 to 11:14 There are lyrical links as well. From the sequence that has become, with the release of ROTPL, known as the "Lala" theme, several lines have appeared in past works. The chorus of "Lala" focuses on the line "We sangoma ngi vellelwe," meaning "Oh spiritual healer, I am troubled." It is remarkable to think how well this line fits with its cue in the movie, where Rafiki has entered and has revealed his vision to Simba, whose lifelong pain he knows how to cure. Yet the line appears earlier, in another project Zimmer worked on with Lebo M.: The Power of One. The theme entitled Mother Africa consists of a constantly restated chorus with a background chant in counterpoint; this chant takes two forms, one with a dynamically changing line (the primary form) and the other being nothing other than that line: "We sangoma ngi velelwe." Compare: TLK, track 8, 1:55 to 2:04, and ROTPL, track 9, 1:37 to 1:46 The Power of One, track 2, 3:23 to 3:45 (et al.) Yet another connection between the TLK/ROTPL score lyrics and The Power of One also occurs in "Lala." In track 3 of Po1, "Of Death and Dying," the lead female vocal solo sings variations on the verse in "Lala" containing the motif "Oh mama wam." That line, repeated and adapted in many occurrences, can be heard. Here, in contrast, the lyrics fit better in the Po1 context than in the later version, mourning for the singer's lost brethren who are gone in a very real way under the conditions in South Africa, rather than being rather inapplicable as in "Lala." Compare: ROTPL, track 9, 0:24 to 0:44 The Power of One, track 3, 1:50 to 2:46 Pointed out to me by Peter Holm, there is a connection between the TLK score and that of Point of No Return. Following is the observation in Holm's own words: It's not a rip off, but if one listens one can hear the resemblance between them. In TLK it's strings with lower percussion and in PoNR it's a Sam Ellis' voice that represents the strings and it has stronger percussion. But it's easy to forget that Zimmer wrote PoNR before TLK. Just like it's easy to forget that Basil Poledouris wrote the powerful theme to Conan the Barbarian (1982) before Jerry Goldsmith came up with his theme to Total Recall in 1990, which is a complete rip off. Compare: TLK, track 7, 1:36 to 1:46 Point of No Return, track 4, 1:55 to 2:08 And now some other things that Brian points out in his story behind creating the Zimmer Worship Page. At the heart were some very simple themes, all interwoven, which could be immediately recognized at every appearance: the "This Land" theme, serene and slow, which led into the recurring and very versatile "Lea Halalela" line; this latter was recalled four times in the score, each with a different set of circumstances and evoking different images and emotions. Then, the triumphant "Busa" sequence, rich in African vocal material as well as instrumental foundation, which appeared several times in the film to accentuate the great emotional peaks where they occurred, and also at the very end in its fully expounded and most moving form. These themes were central pillars which upheld the entire score; each time they were invoked, they were elaborated with new lines from other instruments and voices. Some themes were specific to their respective tracks, and others served to tie them all together by appearing throughout. This is indeed the way to write an effective score. There are also a few interesting surprises for discerning listeners. At about 2:21 on "King of Pride Rock," one can hear the Gregorian chant "Dies Irae" quoted; it serves to punctuate the confrontation between Scar and Simba at the end. It is also easy to appreciate the multiple recurrence, each time implemented differently, of the "Lea Halalela" theme: the first time it is expansive and indomitable, profound and mysterious. The second, it is tragic and solemn: a funeral dirge. The fourth sounds foreboding and ominous, appearing as it does at just before the climactic scene begins; reminiscent and agitated, the fourth occurrence is interrupted by Scar's exclamation of "Murderer!" Finally, the fifth and final time, unlike the others, brings in a new sense of hope, of light through the darkness; it is repeated twice and then explodes into the toweringly grand "Ascending Pride Rock" line, in which the baritone/French horn progression is particularly impressive. Another interesting note is that from 2:45 to 3:13 on "...To Die For" and from 0:54 to 1:21 on "Under the Stars" are both quotations of Mozart's "Ave Verum." It was only a couple of months before I discovered how many other notable film scores Zimmer had composed in the past; one in particular caught my eye: The Power of One. I remembered seeing that movie and being impressed by its score, even years ago. So I bought the soundtrack. Within hours of my playing it for the first time in my room, I had heard at least two or three requests for the identity of the CD from people passing by the door. I found it easy to see why. It was African-themed, done by the same "team" that had done the greatest parts of TLK: lyricist Lebo M. (who was responsible for all the African vocal arrangements in TLK) and Carmen Twillie (from "Circle of Life") were both prominent. And, where the TLK soundtrack had been closely tied to the movie, the one for Po1 (for so I tend to abbreviate it) was admirable as a stand-alone. The tracks were all vocal to a degree similar to that in the "Busa" theme, with a varying level of accompaniment by piano or orchestra. The tracks "Mother Africa," its reprise, and "The Rainmaker" were very moving and evocative. And so, we have to go on. Some of the chants in the background had a meaning like "Busa," ("busa le lizwe, busa le lizwe, busa lomhlaba" translated: Rule this land, rule this land, rule this land of ours) but some, like in "Under the Stars" where Rafiki is leading Simba to the pool, are actually just incantations or words with no meaning whatsoever. All in all a translation of some parts of the songs are here, from "Circle of Life" to "King of Pride Rock": "Circle of Life" beginning: Nants ingonyama bagithi baba (There comes a lion) Sithi uhhmm ingonyama (Oh yes, it's a lion) (Repeat) Siyo Nqoba (We're going to conquer) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Here is a lion and a tiger) "This Land" Busa le lizwe (Rule this land) Busa le lizwe (Rule this land) Busa le lizwe (Rule this land) Busa lomhlaba (Rule this land of ours) Ubuse le lizwe (You rule this land) Ubuse le lizwe (You rule this land) Ubuse le lizwe (You rule this land) Busa lomhlaba (Rule this land of ours) "To Die For" (There is no translation yet) "Under the Stars" We sangama ngi velelwe (Oh, spiritual healer, I'm troubled) We baba ngivelelwe (Oh, my father, I'm in pain) We baba ngivelelwe (Oh, my father, I'm in pain) "King of Pride Rock" Busa le lizwe bo (Rule this land) Busa le lizwe bo (Rule this land) Busa le lizwe bo(Rule this land) Lethu busa ngoxolo (Rule with peace) Is'khathi sifikile (The time has come) Is'khathi busa iyo (It's time, rule) Is'khathi sifikile (The time has come) Busa lomhlaba (Rule this land) Is'khathi sifikile(The time has come) Is'khathi sifikile(The time has come) Busa Simba (Rule, Simba) Busa Simba(Rule, Simba) Ubuse ngo thando (Rule with love) Ubuse ngo xolo (Rule with peace) Busa Simba, busa Simba (Rule, Simba, rule, Simba) Ubuse ngo xolo (Rule with peace) Ubuse ngo thando (Rule with love) Ubuse ngo xolo (Rule with peace) Ubuse ngo thando (Rule with love) Ubuse ngo xolo (Rule with peace) Now, I can get to my point. My point would be that the score would be meanless if there were no African chants. Take out all the chants in your mind and hear the music. What do you hear? Oh sure, it has an African touch but it doesn't tell the story. Listen to the chants. Read the meaning of it. If you read and listen at the same time it would all come together. Take for example, Mufasa's death, the "Lea Halalela" music. Then listen to RotPL's real song "Lea Halalela" at the chorus [Uzo libusa (You will rule) Le lizwe (This land) Uli buse kahle (Rule it with care) Uzo libusa (You will rule) Le lizwe (This land) Le lizwe (This land)] and hear the difference. Notice that when you read the chorus to "Lea Halalela" and watch those parts in the movie that it is saying that Simba must rule. Even at Mufasa's death the "Lea Halalela" requiem it foresees Simba's future. We didn't know that Simba would become king so when we finally realized it we seem to be amazed that the music was pointing towards the mood. Then we have the beginning of "Circle of Life." Read that translation and you will see that it talks of a lion who will conquer. This chant foresaw the whole movie. Lebo is an very great person for writing that for a beginning. As we have learned in English it is always good to have a thesis statement. For those of you who don't know what a thesis is I'll explain. A thesis is a sentence that sums up what you are going to say throughout your writing. Lebo knew what the movie was about and he gives us our thesis on the whole movie. Although it is in a language we don't quite understand and that is not the way we would normally interpret things, that beginning chant was the greatest thing in all the movie. I have summed it all together so that we can all understand. That chant says basically, there comes a lion who is going to conquer. Right there, we know that the movie has something to do with a lion conquering something. As Hans Zimmer said, music is the universal language as is emotions. What he meant was that music shows the emotions that we don't see. For instance, when Timon and Pumbaa were laughing a what Simba had said the stars were, Simba looked happy but the music behind it was sad. That's how music is. sometimes, the characters are happy and the music is happy like the part when Simba was running to tell Nala about the great things he saw, it was the beginning of "Busa", RotPL version. And then like I mentioned before about Simba and his friends. I mean if we compare the music moods in different parts we'd be up all all night. Well, now it's time to close it all up. To be honest, The Lion King score was the best thing out of the movie besides "Circle of Life." With that, I give the album the graeatest review ever, on a scale of 1 to five, the album gets a four. Why a four you ask, well if the scoring department wrote the lyrics to the other songs (Leave "Circle of Life" alone though) it could have been better also if they added more songs it'd be cool too.