for the past few days I've been wondering how do I offer additional
coverage of The Lion King when it's pretty much the exact same
movie I mean that rules out a spoiler review as many of you pointed out in the
comments of my non-spoiler review because again it's a movie I'm curious
to see if that will affect the box office at all or will it have the same
box office alright so anyway I shared this conundrum
on a recent member livestream and a bgt member had a very good solution let's
rank the songs because there are some big changes when it comes to the songs
some for better some for worse I think you know which ones I'm talking about
but I'm gonna share my rankings here and I look forward to seeing your own
rankings in the comments down below and be sure to hit that subscribe button
alright now the one I think this is a controversial first choice but I stand
by it and that's never too late Oh way to go out and John this new song
from John plays over the end credits I was waiting in vain for an end credits
scene I was like give me something new and they did kind of in a song and I was
like oh what's this this is delightful and I caught a little bit of it I was
talking to another critic actually after the movie so this was in the background
but I made a mental note to check it out again and since I have Apple music and
don't have to pay specifically for any actual music but just have like a
monthly rate I got the song and I was like wow this is even better than I
thought it was when I heard it at first in the theatre it's very good it's new
which as you can see it's a big thing for me with the Lion King 2019 but also
I think it still fits without in John's original music for the Lion King right I
mean it doesn't feel like he's you know what we wanted but we what we want from
our Disney live-action adaptations the same yet different and that's exactly
what this song is it has a great message fabulous lyrics and it's also I found a
fantastic song for working out at the gym I kid you not it's been my first
track for a couple of days now you know and my playlists my gym playlist Elton
John has in fact on two great soundtracks
and he doesn't get enough credit for something for a talent that he's clearly
still got alright number two I just can't wait to be king
why why isn't a Beyonce spirit why wasn't she first as I'm sure many of you
were wondering we'll discuss maybe some of you agree
with me don't worry we'll discuss when she comes up and she's not too far down
here but the reason I but I just can't wait to be king second is that while the
fantasy elements have been unfortunately stripped away from the sequence it's
still a great song and it's not just a great song but it's performed
wonderfully by JD McCreary and she haughty right and also John Oliver in a
way that I think makes up for the you know the lack of visuals it's still
really good but the visuals I have to say I did like them here they go to the
watering hole right so you have the beautiful African landscape and vivid
realistic detail the animals there running around the animals so even
though it's not like the fun fantasy like pattern elements from the animated
movie it's still really visually interesting and there's a shot during
this thing from this musical number that's in the trailers even where young
Simba and Nala are running across the water and they're flamingos and like
just out of focus in the distance it's stunning it's really stuck with me and
that also gives this song and this is musical number a little bit of a nudge
on my rankings I think it does the original animated song and number
justice I wouldn't say it lives up to it but it does it justice alright number
three not beyonce chest and i'm sorry she's coming up circle of life again you
can't really mess this song up but I put third I almost put it second but I put a
third because the sequence in the air live-action movie is a blatant copy like
shot-for-shot of the animated film that casts a pall to me over the live-action
sequence and song it still blows me away though which is why it's number three
even with the blatant theft and the moral ineptitude it's still number three
that's how good that song is alright number four here we go spirit
unfortunately this song is barely used in
movie with visuals nowhere near as powerful as Beyonce's new music video
that's a good music video but it's cheating Beyonce to have amazing visuals
in your music video that lifts up the song and it's also cheating for you to
Disney to say that you have Beyonce in your movie and you're gonna give her a
new song in the film and then really not use her song in the film also to be
honest with you well I respect Queen B and I like some of her songs quite a bit
I don't like this one although to be fair I'm not really a ballad person
either although even when I was watching the amazing music video to acclimate I
was like I was like maybe I missed something in the movie maybe there was a
quality that I didn't see even though I loved the visuals I was like the clocks
a-ticking I got to make this video and I couldn't really listen to the rest of
the song I was like I don't like it I'm sorry but again it's an impressive music
video I think the visuals again are very
strong and Beyonce's fans seem to like what she's done here with it so that's
why I've still put it pretty high up on my list I feel from Beyonce in business
perspective it did do what it needed to do although I think imagine if the song
had been a little bit better they'd have had a little bit more in all those
categories alright I'm sorry Beyonce fans but I think it's true and I wonder
some of you maybe you grated me alright number five the lion sleeps tonight it's
just a great song but as I said in my review Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen are
a real gift to this movie making Timon and Pumbaa truly their own and this song
perfectly captures their playful repartee from Rogen's trademark hard on
a sleeve to this I love this to Eichner trademark bitchiness which is a really
interesting and fresh take on Timon I'm surprised how bitchy they allowed to Mon
to be and I loved every second of it I've never Rogan have fun with the song
and you can hear it number 6 Hakuna Matata they also lift up
this song as well even though the visuals are as boring as can be which is
ridiculous considering the original animated musical number but again
Eichner and Rogen - have a lot of fun with it and they have JD McCreary to
help them with the heavy lifting for the first part of this song unfortunately
Donald Glover this just isn't your movie which brings me to number 7
can you feel the love tonight now again unalloyed ballads but this is one heck
of a lopsided ballad as many commented when Disney released the song in advance
I mean Donald Glover is very talented but he's just let's say he's just not a
match with Beyonce not in this song and not in their scenes in the movie number
eight and Beyonce such a powerhouse that she kind of just rolls over Donald
Glover he just doesn't fortunately stand a chance although I don't know if he
would be any better with anyone else it's just I just there's just a
disconnect for him in this movie with both his acting and his singing alright
number eight be prepared I think it's probably last on everyone's list a
shocking travesty live action scarred didn't just kill me fossa but he killed
this song too now shoot all Ejiofor does his best Rex Harrison which is speak
singing which Harrison was famous for or infamous if you're not a fan of it
although how can you not be I loved Rex Harrison and I thought that you at all
different moments does do a good job here but with the music and the visuals
dialed down he doesn't stand a chance of measuring up to the original with Jeremy
Irons and the movie went for a full showstopper
oh it's just shocking it's again a shocking travesty I think and every
screening everyone at that moment in the film will have their hopes dashed and be
devastated it's crazy then it's gonna be an emotional reaction that everyone can
share and relate to although not as Jon Favreau and Disney intended for their
film all right finally I have an honorable mention and that's he lives in
you now this isn't in the movie but the soundtrack does include a fresh version
of Lee Bo M's he lives in you now rather unfairly Lee Bo M doesn't get any credit
for his contributions to the Lion King franchise from his singing in the first
me or the first animated movie his companion album which came out about a
year later rhythm of the pride lands which debuted this song which was also
used in the Lion King to where many of you probably know it from this version I
think is a bit sharper a bit grander and maybe they should have found a place for
it in the movie maybe with a new sequence to give us again
they knew so it wasn't the exact same movie but I really like it it's very
good and I like seeing lebow mm get a little bit more of a spotlight although
again not really so remember that remember li Boehm he deserves it as much
as Elton John Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer when it comes to the success of The Lion
King all right so that's my rankings of the
2019 Lion King soundtrack I do like you know I thought you know it includes a
lot of instrumentals when you look at the song tracklist I thought it would
include some of the dialog as some soundtracks do I think that was a real
missed opportunity like they have life's not fair which is just Hans Zimmer's
musical background music well score obviously to be respectful and it's good
but I would really have liked to her I've heard Chua tell Ejiofor deliver
those lines because he did a fantastic job there so I missed opportunity Lion
King soundtrack so again what do you think share your rankings and thoughts
down below be sure to hit that subscribe button thanks to that BTT member for the
suggestion for this video and of course as always you can check out some more
videos right now