We are only weeks away from a huge Disney release. No, not the Avengers: Endgame rerelease or the Spider-Man sequel or Toy Story 4. The Lion King live-action film comes out on July 19, and on July 11, its brand new soundtrack will drop. The track list, featuring a score by Hans Zimmer, includes performances by Donald Glover and cast members like Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) and Billy Eichner (Timon), but not nearly enough from Beyoncé. Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated on an original song, “Never Too Late,†which John himself performs. Even though the track list appears the same as 1994’s soundtrack, there are a few tricks up its CD sleeve. For one, Pharrell Williams produced three songs: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?,†“I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,†and “Hakuna Matata.†So they may or may not sound like most of Ariana Grande’s Sweetener. The track list is egregiously missing “Shadowland†from the Broadway musical adaptation, and there’s no Beyoncé solo, which just doesn’t logically make sense. Perhaps that’s what track 14 (“TBAâ€) is? Very Beyoncé to want to surprise-drop a track from a movie soundtrack. The full (except for track 14) track list and credits for The Lion King live-action soundtrack are below. Feast your eyes.
1. “Circle of Lifeâ€/“Nants’ Ingonyama†– Performed by Lindiwe Mkhize; African vocals performed by Lebo M; written and composed by Elton John and Tim Rice; “Nants’ Ingonyama†written by Lebohang Morake and Hans Zimmer; produced by Hans Zimmer; vocals produced by Stephen Lipson
2. “Life’s Not Fair†– Hans Zimmer
3. “Rafiki’s Fireflies†– Hans Zimmer
4. “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King†– Performed by JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph and John Oliver; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson
5. “Elephant Graveyard†– Hans Zimmer
6. “Be Prepared†(2019 Version) – Performed by Chiwetel Ejiofor; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Hans Zimmer and David Fleming
7. “Stampede†– Hans Zimmer
8. “Scar Takes the Throne†– Hans Zimmer
9. “Hakuna Matata†– Performed by Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, JD McCrary and Donald Glover; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson
10. “Simba Is Alive!†– Hans Zimmer
11. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight†– Performed by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen; written by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss and Solomon Linda; produced by Pharrell Williams
12. “Can You Feel the Love Tonight†- Performed by Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson
13. “Reflections of Mufasa†– Hans Zimmer
14. TBA
15. “Battle for Pride Rock†– Hans Zimmer
16. “Remember†– Hans Zimmer
17. “Never Too Late†– Performed by Elton John; African vocal and choir arrangements created and produced by Lebo M; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Greg Kurstin; additional production by Elton John and Matt Still
18. “He Lives in You†- Performed by Lebo M; written by Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin and Lebohang Morake; produced by Lebo M and Mark Mancina
19. “Mbube†- Performed by Lebo M; African vocal and choir arrangements created and produced by Lebo M; written by Solomon Linda; produced by Pharrell Williams