Circle of Life facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Circle of Life"
European variant of the standard artwork
Single by Elton John
from the album The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released	9 August 1994
Recorded	1993 (Santa Monica, California) April 1994
Studio	BOP Recording Studios (Mmabatho, South Africa)
Genre	Pop rock
Length	4:51
Label	Walt Disney Hollywood Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Elton John, Tim Rice
Producer(s)	Hans Zimmer
Elton John singles chronology
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (1994) "Circle of Life" (1994) "Believe" (1995)

"Circle of Life" is a famous song from the 1994 Disney animated movie The Lion King. Elton John wrote the music, and Tim Rice wrote the words. The song is sung by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M. in the film's opening scene. Lebo M. sings the powerful first lines in the Zulu language.

Tim Rice was amazed at how quickly Elton John wrote the song. He said John finished writing and recording a great demo in just an hour and a half! Elton John also sang his own pop version of the song. This version was on the movie's soundtrack and had its own music video.

"Circle of Life" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1994. Two other songs from The Lion King, "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", were also nominated. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won the award that year. "Circle of Life" was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The song became very popular, reaching number 11 in the UK and number 18 in the US. You can often hear it at Disney theme parks and parades.

The Song in The Lion King Movie

The song "Circle of Life" is a big part of The Lion King movie. It shows the journey of life and how everything is connected.

The 2019 Remake

The song was also used in Disney's 2019 movie, which was a photorealistic computer-animated remake of The Lion King. The first trailer for the new movie showed a scene almost exactly like the opening of the original film. This new version of the song was sung by Brown Lindiwe Mkhize. She played Rafiki in The Lion King stage show in London. The new version still kept the original Zulu opening vocals by Lebo M. from the 1994 film.

Music critics in the United States really liked the song's structure and its message. However, in the United Kingdom, some music critics had mixed feelings about it.

Live Performances of "Circle of Life"

Elton John often performed "Circle of Life" in his concerts and shows. He started singing it in 1999 and continued until 2018.

The Lion King Stage Show Version

The song "Circle of Life" is a very important part of The Lion King musical on stage. The opening scene in the musical is a bit different from the movie.

Act I Opening

In the stage show, Rafiki sings the opening of the song. In the movie, it's an off-screen singer. As the sun rises, Rafiki starts the show by singing the famous chant. This calls all the animals of the Pride Lands to see baby Simba.

As the song continues, a large Pride Rock appears on stage. On it are Sarabi holding baby Simba, and Mufasa beside her. The choir sings excitedly. Rafiki joins Mufasa and Sarabi at the top of Pride Rock. She blesses Simba and then lifts him high in the air. The chorus sings joyfully as all the animals bow to their new prince.

Act II Ending

At the end of the second act, Simba's friends and family accept him as the true king after Scar is defeated. Rafiki crowns Simba as king. Simba then climbs Pride Rock and lets out a mighty roar that echoes everywhere. The animals return to the Pride Lands to welcome Simba as their rightful king. The musical ends with Rafiki presenting Simba and Nala's new cub to all the animals.

The group of animals that appear at the end of Act II is a little different from the beginning of Act I. For example, there are no wildebeests or adult elephants.

Other Versions of the Song

"Circle of Life" has been recorded by other artists too.

• In 2003, the Disney Channel Circle of Stars re-recorded the song for the album Disneymania 2. This group included actors and actresses from Disney Channel shows.
• In 2017, the American boyband 98° recorded a cover version. They did this to help promote a new release of The Lion King on Blu-ray. Their version was released as a digital download on September 22, 2017.
• The song was also remixed by Mat Zo. This remixed version was released on the album Dconstructed on April 22, 2014.

Music Video

The music video for Elton John's pop version of "Circle of Life" was directed by Richard Baskin. It was put on YouTube in November 2017. By November 2021, the video had been watched over 13 million times.

The Famous Opening of the Song

The song is very well known for its opening lines. These lines are sung by South African composer Lebo M. in Zulu. Many English speakers find these lyrics hard to say correctly.

The Zulu lyrics are:

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhm ingonyama
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Ingonyama siyo nqoba
Ingonyama
Ingonyama nengw enamabala

This translates to English as:

Here comes a lion, father
Oh yes it’s a lion
Here comes a lion, father
Oh yes it’s a lion
A lion we’re going to conquer
A lion
A lion and a leopard come to this open place

"Circle of Life" in Popular Culture

Because The Lion King movie had such a huge impact, the song "Circle of Life" is often mentioned in other movies and shows.

• The song was referenced in "Colors of the Wind". This song was from Disney's movie Pocahontas. "Colors of the Wind" talks about respecting nature and how everything is connected.
• In Disney's movie Chicken Little, "Circle of Life" was used as a funny fake beginning. The character Buck tried to open the movie with it.
• "Circle of Life" is currently the main theme song for Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
• Epcot used to have a film called Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable from 1995 to 2018. In this film, Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba talked about important environmental topics.
• At a dinner in 2011, President Barack Obama joked about showing his "long-form birth video." The opening chant from "Circle of Life" played, and Simba was seen being lifted up.
• Baseball players have also used the song. New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes started using it as his walk-up music in 2016.
• Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley also began using the song as his walk-up music in 2019.

Song's Chart Performance

The song "Circle of Life" was popular around the world.

Weekly Charts

Year-end Charts

Certifications

The song has received awards for how many copies were sold or streamed.

Images for kids

• 

  European variant of the standard artwork

See also

In Spanish: Circle of Life para niños