The original 1994 version of The Lion King soundtrack remains one of the best ever put together by Disney. With contributions from Elton John and countless now-classic songs like "Hakuna Matata," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?," "The Circle of Life," "Be Prepared," and "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," The Lion King soundtrack was pretty much nothing but bangers. Now, with the new live-action version of the film headed to theaters on July 19, a brand new collection of songs is here to enthrall and entertain. But where can you stream The Lion King soundtrack?
The update soundtrack could prove to be an even bigger hit than the original, thanks to the inclusion of an up-and-coming singer you probably haven't heard of named Beyoncé. OK, that was a joke obviously, but Queen Bey's casting as Nala means she'll be bringing her powerhouse voice to The Lion King, along with fellow hit-maker Donald Glover as Simba. All of the familiar songs will be represented on the new soundtrack, along with Hans Zimmer's score, a new track by Elton John and Tim Rice (the lyricist who worked with John on the original) and a mystery track presumably by Beyoncé. Here's the full track list:
- "Circle of Life / Nants' Ingonyama" - Lindiwe Mkhize & Lebo M
- "Life's Not Fair" - Hans Zimmer
- "Rafiki's Fireflies" - Hans Zimmer
- "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" - JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, & John Oliver
- "Elephant Graveyard" - Hans Zimmer
- "Be Prepared (2019 Version)" - Chiwetel Ejiofor
- "Stampede" - Hans Zimmer
- "Scar Takes the Throne" - Hans Zimmer
- "Hakuna Matata" - Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, JD McCrary, & Donald Glover
- "Simba Is Alive!" - Hans Zimmer
- "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - Billy Eichner / Seth Rogen
- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" - Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner, & Seth Rogen
- "Reflections of Mufasa" - Hans Zimmer
- TBA
- "Battle for Pride Rock" - Hans Zimmer
- "Remember" - Hans Zimmer
- "Never Too Late" - Elton John
- "He Lives in You" - Lebo M
- "Mbube" - Lebo M
As for where exactly you'll be able to stream the soundtrack, Disney hasn't released any specifics on that. However, just by looking at the studio's other recent soundtrack releases, like Aladdin, it's safe to assume that you'll be able to stream it on all the usual suspects including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. What Disney has announced is that the new soundtrack will be released digitally on July 11, meaning you won't have to wait long to find out what that mystery track is (it's definitely Beyoncé, btw, as director Jon Favreau told Fandango that she wrote and performed a new song for the film). If you prefer a hard copy to streaming, the CD version of the album will be released on July 19.
The new Lion King soundtrack is set to build upon the legendary original, and will likely become iconic to a whole new generation of Disney fans. So if you've been waiting for the album of the summer, there's a good chance this will be it.
