Elton John opens up about working on the iconic Lion King songs

Lion King fever has been taking hold of everyone recently, not least because we get to hear some of iconic songs from the original 1994 animation re-sung for a new generation. Now, 25 years after the original film's release, just as the new Disney live-action remake is in cinemas, Elton John has opened up about his involvement in the original film saying it changed his life.

Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Elton John told his fans he has, 'Been part of #TheLionKing legacy since the film first hit cinemas,' sending fans to his website where they can read more about how the soundtrack came about.

Since tweeting the link, Elton's fans have been commenting saying, 'Wonderful ❤️🎶', '💞💗❤️ love you elton,' sic and 'Thank you for Circle of Life! Everytime I listen this music until these days it gives me goosebumps and I get emotional 💓'. sic

It was back in 1991, that Elton was first approached by lyricist Tim Rice to see if he would be involved with their as-yet-untitled film. Despite Tim saying, "Elton was my first choice. I didn’t think Disney could get him, to be honest," but they did!

After agreeing to it, Elton ended up working with composer Hans Zimmer on some of the iconic songs such as 'Hakuna Matata' and 'Circle Of Life'.

Back in 1995, Elton John spoke to Time magazine about 'Hakuna Matata', admitting, "I sat there with a line of lyrics that began, 'When I was a young warthog', and I thought, 'Has it come to this?'"

Many years later, the singer explained in a recent interview, "When I wrote the original songs for The Lion King, I knew the film would be successful. But nobody had any idea of how suc­cessful this story would be and how long it would run for."

Speaking about the remake, Elton then said, "The people who saw it The Lion King as children will be taking their children to see this. I think people who loved the original are going to love this one."

Of course, Elton John is known for many songs, not just the ones in the popular film. The iconic singer is currently on his 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour. He will be bringing it to the UK next year, with dates at locations across the country, including London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Leeds.

Tickets for Elton's UK dates are available now from Aloud.com

Now take a look at tours you can look forward to in the coming months:

You can hear songs by Elton John on Greatest Hits Radio.

Listen to Greatest Hits Radio on the free Rayo app, online or on your DAB digital radio. You can also listen on your smart speaker by saying “Play Greatest Hits Radio”.

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