The Bare Necessities facts for kids

"The Bare Necessities" is a famous song from Disney's 1967 animated movie, The Jungle Book. Terry Gilkyson wrote this catchy tune. In the movie, it's sung by Phil Harris as the friendly bear Baloo and Bruce Reitherman as the human boy Mowgli. The song is all about enjoying life's simple things.

The Story Behind the Song

This song was actually written for an earlier version of The Jungle Book that was never made. The Sherman Brothers, who wrote most of the other songs for the movie, liked "The Bare Necessities" so much they decided to keep it.

At the end of the film, Sebastian Cabot (as Bagheera) and Phil Harris (as Baloo) sing a short part of the song again. Famous singer Louis Armstrong also performed this song.

In 1967, "The Bare Necessities" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. However, it lost to "Talk to the Animals" from the movie Doctor Dolittle. Later, a hip-hop version of the song, sung by Lou Rawls, became the theme song for the TV show Jungle Cubs.

The Song in Other Movies and Shows

"The Bare Necessities" has appeared in many other places over the years.

In Disney Movies and TV

• In The Jungle Book 2, Baloo (John Goodman) is first seen singing the song. He misses Mowgli and makes a "dummy" to sing with. Later, Mowgli (Haley Joel Osment) and Baloo sing it together.
• In 1994, the song was sung by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, and others in Mickey's Fun Songs: Campout at Walt Disney World.
• In the 1994 live-action Disney film The Jungle Book, a character says, "All the bare necessities of life!"
• Bill Murray and Neel Sethi perform the song as Baloo and Mowgli in the 2016 live-action adaptation. A cover by Dr. John plays during the end credits.
• In 2018, Maddie Poppe, who won Season 16, performed the song during Disney Night.
• Also in 2018, The Zac Brown Band performed the song on the ABC special Mickey's 90th Spectacular.

Other Artists and Media

• In 1969, Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded this song for their album The Chipmunks Go to the Movies.
• In 1991, Harry Connick Jr. covered the song for the album and TV special Simply Mad About The Mouse.
• In 1991, a dance version called The Bare Necessities Megamix, produced by Nigel Wright, reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart.
• In 1998, Tony Bennett covered it on his album The Playground.
• In 2005, Julie Andrews chose the song for her album "Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs".
• Tituss Burgess performed the song for a BBC radio special celebrating Disney music.
• Bowling for Soup recorded it for Disney's DisneyMania 3 Album.
• Eliza Gilkyson, the daughter of the song's writer Terry Gilkyson, performed it on her 2007 live album, Your Town Tonight.
• Brian Wilson covered it on his album In the Key of Disney in 2011.
• Los Lobos covered it on their album Los Lobos Goes Disney in 2009.
• In November 2013, The Overtones recorded this song as a mix with I Wanna Be Like You for their album Saturday Night at the Movies.
• In 2015, the British children's TV show Horrible Histories featured a funny parody of this song about Oliver Cromwell.

In Theme Parks and Adverts

• From September 2011, the song has been used in adverts for the British supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
• On June 13, 2012, Hong Kong Disneyland opened a new area called Grizzly Gulch. The gift shop there is named The Bear Necessities.

The Song Around the World

"The Bare Necessities" has been translated into many languages!

• In French, it's "Il en faut peu pour être heureux".
• In Czech, the song is called "Moudrost medvědí".
• In Dutch, it's "Als je van beren leren kan".
• In German, the song is "Probier's mal mit Gemütlichkeit".
• In Norwegian, it's "Ta Livet Som Det Faller Seg".
• In Spanish, it's "Busca Lo Más Vital".
• In Russian, it's "Простые радости".
• In Italian, it's "Lo stretto indispensabile".
• In Hebrew, it's "מה שטוב לדב".

See also

In Spanish: The Bare Necessities para niños