I Just Can't Wait to Be King
Encyclopedia
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is a stylistic musical number from Disney's popular 1994 animated film, The Lion King
.
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is a large contrast from the film's non-musical segments, as emphasized by the number's usage of lively colors and sounds. The song is performed near the beginning of the film by a young Simba
and Nala to distract Zazu, as well as to enunciate Simba's desires to become King of the Pride Lands. It also sets the character up for his profoundly shattering emotional fall when he is tricked into thinking he killed his father, Mufasa. Laura Williams (young Nala's singing voice) had only one individual line during the song.
The song was composed by Tim Rice
(lyrics) and Elton John
(music). It largely reuses the melody and chord structure of "A Word In Spanish" from Elton John's 1988 album Reg Strikes Back
. It was performed by Jason Weaver
, Laura Williams, Rowan Atkinson
, and the chorus. In the original Broadway cast recording of The Lion King
, it is performed by Scott Irby-Ranniar
, Kajuana Shuford, and Geoff Hoyle
. In the Spanish language
version of The Lion King, "I Just Can't Wait to be King" was performed by Mexican
singer and entertainer Kalimba. Elton John himself also recorded his own version of the song for the film's soundtrack.
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is a large contrast from the film's non-musical segments, as emphasized by the number's usage of lively colors and sounds. The song is performed near the beginning of the film by a young Simba
Simba
Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane...
and Nala to distract Zazu, as well as to enunciate Simba's desires to become King of the Pride Lands. It also sets the character up for his profoundly shattering emotional fall when he is tricked into thinking he killed his father, Mufasa. Laura Williams (young Nala's singing voice) had only one individual line during the song.
The song was composed by Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
(lyrics) and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
(music). It largely reuses the melody and chord structure of "A Word In Spanish" from Elton John's 1988 album Reg Strikes Back
Reg Strikes Back
Reg Strikes Back is the twenty-first studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1988. It was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in Reg Strikes Back refers to Elton John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight. This...
. It was performed by Jason Weaver
Jason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
, Laura Williams, Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
, and the chorus. In the original Broadway cast recording of The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
, it is performed by Scott Irby-Ranniar
Scott Irby-Ranniar
Scott Irby-Ranniar is an American actor and singer born in Harlem, New York. He is well known for originating the role of Young Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King in 1997. He is a former member of the band Steel Train....
, Kajuana Shuford, and Geoff Hoyle
Geoff Hoyle
Geoff Hoyle is a British performer who originated the role of Zazu in the Broadway theatre production of The Lion King. Hoyle has also performed in vaudeville shows, worked with Bill Irwin in "The Pickle Family Circus", performed with Cirque Du Soleil's Nouvelle Expérience, and performed with the...
. In the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version of The Lion King, "I Just Can't Wait to be King" was performed by Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
singer and entertainer Kalimba. Elton John himself also recorded his own version of the song for the film's soundtrack.
Cover versions
- The song is often performed live by the ska/funkFunkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band Suburban LegendsSuburban LegendsSuburban Legends are a third wave ska/pop band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998, and are currently based out of Santa Ana, California.- History :...
, most often when performing at Disneyland's Tomorrowland TerraceTomorrowland TerraceTomorrowland Terrace is a restaurant located in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California that is notable for its unique concert stage, which hydraulically rises out of the ground. It opened with the new Tomorrowland in 1967...
, but occasionally while on tour as well. Vincent Walker sings the part of Simba, while Brian KlemmBrian KlemmBrian Wayne Klemm is the guitarist for the Orange County-based third-wave ska band Suburban Legends. He joined Suburban Legends in 1999, shortly before the release of Origin Edition, although he did not play guitar on the album. Klemm also briefly joined Big D and the Kids Table in 2009 as their...
sings the part of Zazu. - Pop star Aaron CarterAaron CarterAaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
remixed the song on DisneyManiaDisneyManiaDisneymania is the first of a series of albums released by Walt Disney Records featuring various musical artists performing Disney songs. The original album, released on September 17, 2002, featured contemporary Disney classics...
. - Allstar WeekendAllstar WeekendAllstar Weekend is a pop rock band based in Poway, California. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel television network. The band originally consisted of lead singer Zach Porter, bassist Cameron Quiseng, guitarist Nathan Darmody, and drummer Michael Martinez but as of September 16,...
remade the song for DisneyMania 7DisneyMania 7Disneymania 7 is the seventh and latest installment in the Disneymania series. It features a variety of contemporary performers taking on their own remixes of classic Disney songs...
. - The Brazilian musical group “Exaltasamba” recorded a Portuguese version of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” (O que eu quero mais é ser rei, roughly translated as “What I want most is to be king”) in a samba style to the CD Disney Adventures in Samba.