"Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
Single by Elton John
from the album The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
B-side
Released2 May 1994
GenrePop
Length4:01 (album version)
Label
Composer(s)Elton John
Lyricist(s)Tim Rice
Producer(s)Chris Thomas
Elton John singles chronology
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
(1994)		 "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
(1994)		 "Circle of Life"
(1994)
Music video
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" on YouTube

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King[1] composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice.[2] Released as a single in May 1994, the song was a hit in the UK, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved success in the United States, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was a number-one hit in Canada and France. At the 67th Academy Awards in March 1995, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The same year, the song also won John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Completing a trifecta, the song also won a Golden Globe at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards held in 1995 for Best Song - Motion Picture.[3]

Background and release

The song, written by Tim Rice and Elton John, was performed in the film by Kristle Edwards (also known as Kristle Murden), Joseph Williams, Sally Dworsky, Nathan Lane, and Ernie Sabella, while another version used in the film's closing credits was performed by Elton John. It won the 1994 Academy Award for Best Original Song,[2] and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It also earned Elton John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The single version contains background vocals by Rick Astley, Gary Barlow and Kiki Dee.

It was planned to be sung only by Timon and Pumbaa, but John disliked the comical nature of the concept as he declared that the song was meant to follow "Disney's tradition of great love songs", and that it could "express the lions' feelings for each other far better than dialogue could". The final result was the song mainly sung by an off-screen voice (Edwards) with short lines from Simba (Williams) and Nala (Dworsky), and the beginning and end parts by Timon (Lane) and Pumbaa (Sabella).[4] It also included Zulu vocals that, while mostly muted in the on-screen version, were much more prominently featured in the audio-only releases.[5]

Within around one and a half months before the film was released in June 1994, John's recording was released throughout radio stations as a commercial single and entered the US Billboard Hot 100.[6] The music video of John's recording, directed by Matthew Amos, contains montages of John performing the song and scenes from the film.[7][6]

In 2003, a remixed version of the song was included in the Special Edition soundtrack of The Lion King, again sung by Elton John. In the follow-up film, The Lion King 1½, the romantic scene where the song was originally featured also had the song playing, but with a difference: interspersed with the romantic scenes were short comedic shots of Timon and Pumbaa trying to disrupt Simba and Nala's night out with the "Peter Gunn Theme" playing while they try.

Reception

The single release of John's recording (the closing credits version) peaked at number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for eight weeks.[8] It also sold 500,000+ units in France.[9]

Swedish Aftonbladet complimented "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" as a "really good ballad".[10] AllMusic Heather Phares declared it as a "Lion King classic".[11] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "John's distinctive voice slices through the quasi-orchestral tone of this power ballad. He taps into the song's pensive lyric, giving it a warm, human dimension that would be lost on a lesser performer."[12] Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box commented, "From Hollywood’s The Lion King soundtrack comes the always welcome voice of Elton John, who takes a stab at reclaiming his talent for crossover hitmaking with this orchestrated ballad, his most affecting single choice in years." He added, "Moving performance and a heady theme add up to hits radio action as well the usual adult formats and even some classic rock attention. A winner."[13] Howard Reich from Chicago Tribune called it "a swelling romantic ballad", and a proof of that "his songwriting holds echoes of an earlier era."[14] Another editor, Michael Wilmington, complimented John as "one of the melodic hook-masters of the modern pop song, noting that when he plays and sings the ballad under the titles in the movie, "it seethes with pop romanticism."[15] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly felt that John's croon and piano skills "are aging quite well".[16] Another editor, Leah Greenblatt, described the song as a "soaring Simba tribute".[17]

A reviewer from Swedish Expressen called it a "typical Elton ballad with echoes of several of his old successes".[18] Fell and Rufer from the Gavin Report said it is "sure-to-be a summer of '94 anthem."[19] Another editor, Dave Sholin, declared it as a "beautiful ballad", adding, "It isn't too early to work on that acceptance speech for next year's Academy Awards, Elton."[20] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five, calling it "a heavily orchestrated and dead slow ballad" and "one of Elton's more memorable recent melodies."[21] The Network Forty complimented it as an "elegant ballad".[22] A reviewer from People Magazine called it "sappy" and "sure to be song of the year".[23] In 2016, David Ehrlich of the Rolling Stone magazine ranked John's performance of the song at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995 at number 12.[24] Paul Jarvey from Telegram & Gazette wrote, "Although it's a simple song about the young cubs Simba and Nala, the tune advances the plot. The two cubs start as playful buddies. A spark of romance flashes when they meet later as full grown lions. The song defines the feelings of the two lions while indicating that changes may be in store for them and other animals in the kingdom."[25] The Staffordshire Sentinel stated that the song "creates the perfect romantic atmosphere".[26]

Track listing

7-inch single, UK (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Can You Feel the Love Tonight"3:59
2."Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (instrumental)3:59
CD single, Australia (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Can You Feel the Love Tonight"3:59
2."Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (instrumental)3:59
3."Hakuna Matata"3:31
4."Under the Stars" (instrumental)3:43
CD single, US (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Can You Feel the Love Tonight"3:59
CD maxi, UK (1994)
No.TitleLength
1."Can You Feel the Love Tonight"3:59
2."Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (instrumental)3:59
3."Hakuna Matata"3:31
4."Under the Stars" (instrumental)3:43

Festival of the Lion King

In Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom's Festival of the Lion King, the song is sung by Nakawa and Kibibi. As they sing, two ballet dancers (one male, one female) dressed as birds dance on the stage. After the main chorus is sung, the male bird dancer attaches his partner to a harness that allows her to fly through the air.

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[68] Gold 25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[69] Gold 45,000‡
France (SNEP)[70] Gold 500,000[71]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[73] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[74]
Elton John version 		Platinum 600,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[75]
Ernie Sabella/Joseph Williams version 		Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[76] Platinum 1,000,000[77]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 2 May 1994 [78]
Japan 25 June 1994 CD Rocket [79]
United Kingdom 27 June 1994
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Mercury [80]

See also

References

  1. ↑ King, Alex P. (2004). Hit-parade — 20 ans de tubes (in French). Paris: Pascal. p. 339. ISBN 2-35019-009-9.
  2. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 137. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ "Elton John".
  4. ↑ Roger Allers (director), Rob Minkoff (director) (7 October 2003). The Lion King: Platinum Edition, Disc 1, Director's Commentary (DVD). Los Angeles, California: Disney.
  5. ↑ Finch, Christopher (1994). "Afterword". The art of The Lion King. Hyperion. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7868-6028-9.
  6. 1 2 DeLuca, Dan (26 June 1994). "Disney Is Lord of the Pop Charts". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. H1+ – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Production Notes". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 19. 7 May 1994. p. 44.
  8. ↑ Bronson, Fred (4 October 1997). "Charting History". Billboard.
  9. ↑ Sexton, Paul (4 October 1997). "Around the World". Billboard. p. EJ-34.
  10. ↑ Aftonbladet. 12 June 1994.
  11. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Elton John – The Greatest Hits 1970–2002". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Flick, Larry (21 May 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 51. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "Pop Singles: Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Reich, Howard (19 June 1994). "With A Smile And A Hummable Song Disney's Lush Movie Musicals Have Brought Tunefulness Back To Popular Music". Chicago Tribune.
  15. ↑ Wilmington, Michael (24 June 1994). "'The Lion King' Rules Disney Draws Deeply From Its Own Past To Paint A Modern Masterpiece". Chicago Tribune.
  16. ↑ Browne, David (29 July 1994). "Top Summer Singles". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  17. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (22 July 2011). "Chart Flashback: 1994". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  18. ↑ Expressen. 22 July 1994.
  19. ↑ Fell, Ron; Rufer, Diane (6 May 1994). "A/C: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 22. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  20. ↑ Sholin, Dave (6 May 1994). "Gavin Picks — Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  21. ↑ Jones, Alan (25 June 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 18. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 29 April 1994. p. 22. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  23. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: The Lion King Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". People. 4 July 1994. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  24. ↑ Portwood, Jerry; Ehrlich, David; Fear, David (17 February 2015). "20 Greatest Best Song Oscar Performances". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  25. ↑ Jarvey, Paul (23 June 1994). "Rice says work with Elton 'exhilarating'". Telegram & Gazette.
  26. ↑ "Why Simba is set to be a roaring success". The Staffordshire Sentinel. 15 September 1994. page 18.
  27. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  28. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  30. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2557." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  31. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2540." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  32. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 8. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  33. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 August 1994. p. 14. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  35. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  36. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (28.07.1994 – 03.08.1994)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 28 July 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  37. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  38. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 8, 1995" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  39. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  40. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  41. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". VG-lista. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  42. ↑ "Discos más populares de Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón. 26 August 1994. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  43. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  44. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  45. ↑ "Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  46. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  47. ↑ "Elton John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  48. ↑ "Elton John Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  49. ↑ "Elton John Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  50. 1 2 "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  51. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. 12 December 1994. Retrieved 28 July 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  52. ↑ "Top 100 AC tracks of 1994". RPM. 12 December 1994. Retrieved 28 July 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  53. ↑ "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  54. ↑ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1994" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  55. ↑ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Archived from the original on 2 November 2003. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  56. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  57. ↑ "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  58. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  59. ↑ "1994 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. YE-68. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  60. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1995" (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  61. ↑ "Rapports annuels 1995" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  62. ↑ "1995 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 51/52. 23 December 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  63. ↑ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1995" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  64. ↑ "Jaarlijsten 1995" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  65. ↑ "VG-lista Topp 20 Single Vinter 1995" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  66. ↑ "Årslista Singlar, 1995" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  67. ↑ Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam!. Archived from the original on 29 August 2000. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  68. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  69. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". IFPI Danmark.
  70. ↑ "French single certifications – Elton John – Can You Feel the Love" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  71. ↑ "Elton John – 30 Years of Music". Billboard. 4 October 1997. p. EJ-34. Retrieved 6 October 2020 – via Google Books.
  72. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Recorded Music NZ.
  73. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  74. ↑ "British single certifications – Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  75. ↑ "British single certifications – Ernie Sabella/Joseph Williams – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". British Phonographic Industry.
  76. ↑ "American single certifications – Elton John – Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America.
  77. ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 1994". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 3. 21 January 1995. p. 57. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  78. ↑ McCormick, Moira (14 May 1994). "Child's Play". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 20. p. 68. The first single, Elton John's end-credit reprise of 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight,' was shipped to adult contemporary and top 40 radio May 2 by Hollywood Records.
  79. ↑ "愛を感じて | エルトン・ジョン" [Feel the Love | Elton John] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  80. ↑ "Single Releases". Music Week. 25 June 1994. p. 27.

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