The Bare Necessities
Encyclopedia
"The Bare Necessities" is a song
, written by Terry Gilkyson
, from the animated 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book
sung by Phil Harris
as Baloo
and Bruce Reitherman
as Mowgli
. Originally, it was written for an earlier draft of the movie that was never produced. The Sherman Brothers
, who wrote the other songs of the film, kept this as the only song used from the previous version. A reprise of the song was sung by Sebastian Cabot
as Bagheera
and Phil Harris as Baloo at the end of the film. Van Dyke Parks
worked on the arrangement as his first paid gig after moving to California. The song was also sung by Louis Armstrong
. In 1967
, "The Bare Necessities" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
. A hip-hop version of the song was used as the theme song for Jungle Cubs
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, written by Terry Gilkyson
Terry Gilkyson
Hamilton H. Gilkyson III , better known as Terry Gilkyson, was an American folk singer, composer, and lyricist.-Biography:...
, from the animated 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
sung by Phil Harris
Phil Harris
Harris and Faye married in 1941; it was a second marriage for both and lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens and Faye had ended a romantic...
as Baloo
Baloo
Baloo is the fictional bear featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895.-Name and species:He is described in Kipling's work as "the sleepy brown bear"...
and Bruce Reitherman
Bruce Reitherman
Bruce Reitherman is an American filmmaker and former child actor and singer. He is the son of the late Disney animation director Wolfgang Reitherman.- Life and work :Reitherman was born in Burbank, California...
as Mowgli
Mowgli
Mowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
. Originally, it was written for an earlier draft of the movie that was never produced. The Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
, who wrote the other songs of the film, kept this as the only song used from the previous version. A reprise of the song was sung by Sebastian Cabot
Sebastian Cabot (actor)
Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot was an English film and television actor, best remembered as the gentleman's gentleman, "Giles French," opposite Brian Keith's character, in the 1960s sitcom Family Affair. He was also known for playing Dr...
as Bagheera
Bagheera
Bagheera the black-toned Indian Leopard is an animal fictional character in Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories in The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book...
and Phil Harris as Baloo at the end of the film. Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
worked on the arrangement as his first paid gig after moving to California. The song was also sung by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. In 1967
40th Academy Awards
The 40th Academy Awards honored film achievements of 1967. Originally scheduled for 8 April 1968, the awards were postponed to two days later, 10 April 1968, because of the assassination of Dr...
, "The Bare Necessities" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. A hip-hop version of the song was used as the theme song for Jungle Cubs
Jungle Cubs
Jungle Cubs is an animated series produced by Disney for ABC in 1996. It was based on their 1967 feature film The Jungle Book, but set in the youth of the animal characters. The show was a hit, running for two seasons in syndication before moving its re-runs to the Disney Channel...
.
In other media
- In 1969, Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
recorded this song for their album The Chipmunks Go to the MoviesThe Chipmunks Go to the Movies (album)The Chipmunks Go to the Movies is a 1969 music album by David Seville and The Chipmunks, released by Sunset Records, the budget-line subsidiary of Liberty Records....
. - In 1991, the song was covered by Harry Connick, Jr.Harry Connick, Jr.Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
for the Simply Mad About The MouseSimply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of ImaginationSimply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination is an 1991 direct-to-video release featuring top contemporary singers performing "classic Disney songs". Released 27 September 1991, the 35-minute-long series of music videos was released on VHS, LaserDisc, and 8mm video...
an album and a TV Special. - In 2005, Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
chose the song for her album "Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs". - Tituss BurgessTituss BurgessTituss Burgess is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in four Broadway musicals, and is known for his very high tenor voice.-Biography:...
performed the song for the BBC radio special "BBC Radio 2 Celebrates The Music of Disney". - Bowling for SoupBowling for SoupBowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
recorded this song for Disney's DisneyMania 3DisneyMania 3-Track listing:# Raven-Symoné - "Under the Sea" - 3:15# Jump5 - "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" - 3:04# Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson - "A Whole New World" - 4:11...
Album. - In Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's 1994 live-action film Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, Dr. Julius Plumford exclaims "The bare necessities of life!" in the ballroom scene. - On the 5th episode of the 10th season of ABC's Dancing With The Stars, American footballer Chad Ochocinco and professional partner Cheryl BurkeCheryl BurkeCheryl Stephanie Burke is a professional dancer. She is best known for being one of the professional dancers on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where she was the first woman to win the show and the first person to win twice ....
danced a quickstep to the song. - Eliza GilkysonEliza GilkysonEliza Gilkyson is an Austin, Texas-based folk musician. She is the daughter of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and Jane Gilkyson. She is the sister of guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who played with the Los Angeles-based bands Lone Justice and X...
, the daughter of the song's composer, Terry GilkysonTerry GilkysonHamilton H. Gilkyson III , better known as Terry Gilkyson, was an American folk singer, composer, and lyricist.-Biography:...
, performed the song on her live 2007 album, Your Town Tonight. - The song will be covered by Tiffany ThorntonTiffany ThorntonTiffany Dawn Thornton is an American actress and singer-songwriter best known for her co-starring role as Tawni Hart on the Disney Channel Original Series, Sonny with a Chance and So Random!.- Career:...
on the album DisneyMania 8 in 2011. - Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
covered it on his album In the Key of Disney, which was released on October 25, 2011. - From September 2011, the song has been used in adverts for supermarketSupermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain Sainsbury's, promoting new slogan 'Live Well For Less'.