The Lion King Original Broadway Cast Recording

Music and lyrics by Elton John & Tim Rice; additional music & lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, Hans Zimmer
Release Date: Nov. 13, 1997
Total length: 64:50

Short Review

An Oscar win might suggest a score that would need a miracle to be bettered--but this colorful stage adaptation of Disney's The Lion King does so with flair. Composers Mark Mancina and Lebo M worked closely together to fuse the movie's many disparate elements. Where there was a veritable army exercising creative influences for the animated tale, this brings it all under the wings of a like-minded few. This is genuinely apparent as one track flows into the next. The African rhythms--both vocal and in instrumentation--come across as authentic and original all at once. No doubt this is largely through Mancina's passion for peculiar instruments and the possibilities suggested from nightly live performances. "Grasslands Chant" is a good place to hear this. The hit favorites are here of course, but both "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" are pleasingly unrecognizable with chorus and shifting beats. Better still is the likelihood they will now be eclipsed by some of the new numbers. Mancina's own "He Lives in You" being a strong contender. With a sound mix as crisp as you'd hope to find, this is rousing stuff.

Paul Tonks, Amazon.com

Album Tracks

Click on a song title to learn more about the song and read its lyrics. Hover your mouse over the performing artist to view the full list.

	Song Title	Performed by	Time
1.	Circle Of Life	Faca Kulu, Lebo M., The Lion King Ensemble & Tsidii Le Loka	4:29
2.	Grasslands Chant	The Lion King Ensemble	2:22
3.	The Morning Report	Geoff Hoyle, Samuel E. Wright & Scott Irby-Ranniar	2:31
4.	The Lioness Hunt	Lebo M. & The Lion King Ensemble	2:04
5.	I Just Can't Wait To Be King	Geoff Hoyle, Kajuana Shuford, Scott Irby-Ranniar & The Lion King Ensemble	3:02
6.	Chow Down	Kevin Cahoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis & Tracy Nicole Chapman	3:17
7.	They Live In You	Samuel E. Wright & The Lion King Ensemble	3:01
8.	Be Prepared	John Vickery, Kevin Cahoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis, The Lion King Ensemble & Tracy Nicole Chapman
9.	The Stampede	The Lion King Ensemble	2:38
10.	Rafiki Mourns	Tsidii Le Loka & The Lion King Ensemble	2:04
11.	Hakuna Matata	Jason Raize, Max Casella, Scott Irby-Ranniar, The Lion King Ensemble & Tom Alan Robbins	3:13
12.	One By One	Lebo M. & The Lion King Ensemble	1:51
13.	The Madness Of King Scar	Geoff Hoyle, Heather Headley, John Vickery, Kevin Cahoon, Stanley Wayne Mathis & Tracy Nicole Chapman	5:27
14.	Shadowland	Heather Headley, Tsidii Le Loka & The Lion King Ensemble	4:28
15.	The Lion Sleeps Tonight	Lebo M.	1:09
16.	Endless Night	Jason Raize & The Lion King Ensemble	4:41
17.	Can You Feel The Love Tonight	Heather Headley, Jason Raize, Max Casella, The Lion King Ensemble & Tom Alan Robbins	4:59
18.	He Lives In You	Jason Raize, Tsidii Le Loka & The Lion King Ensemble	4:12
19.	Simba Confronts Scar	Mark Mancina & Robert Elhai	2:25
20.	Circle Of Life	Geoff Hoyle, Heather Headley, Jason Raize, Lebo M., Max Casella, Tom Alan Robbins, Tsidii Le Loka & The Lion King Ensemble	3:22

My Lion King