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Can You Feel the Love Tonight
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Can You Feel the Love Tonight
| cover = Elton_john-can_you_feel_the_love_tonight_s_1.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Elton John
| album = The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| released =
| recorded = 19931994
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop, soft rock
| length = 4:01 (album version)
| label =
| composer = Elton John
| lyricist = Tim Rice
| producer = Chris Thomas
| prev_title = Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing
| prev_year = 1994
| next_title = Circle of Life
| next_year = 1994
| misc =
}}
"'Can You Feel the Love Tonight'" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film 'The Lion King' composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. At the 67th Academy Awards in March 1995 it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The same year the song also won Elton John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
It was a chart hit in the UK, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and achieved even more success in the US, reaching number four on the 'Billboard' Hot 100. The song was a number-one hit in Canada and France.
History
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, 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 Robert Englund, Rick Astley, Gary Barlow and former collaborator 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). It also included Zulu vocals that, while mostly muted in the on-screen version, were much more prominently featured in the audio-only releases.
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 'Billboard' Hot 100. The music video of John's recording contains montages of John performing the song and scenes from the film.
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 'The Lion King 1', 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 'Billboard' Adult Contemporary chart for eight weeks. It also sold 500,000+ units in France.
Swedish newspaper 'Aftonbladet' described "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" as a "really good ballad".'Aftonbladet'. 12 June 1994. Heather Phares from AllMusic stated that it is a "Lion King classic". Larry Flick from 'Billboard' wrote, "John's distinctive voice slices through the quasi-orchestral tone of this power ballad". He explained, "He taps into the song's pensive lyric, giving it a warm, human dimension that would be lost on a lesser performer." Troy J. Augusto from 'Cashbox' commented, "From Hollywoods '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." David Browne from 'Entertainment Weekly' noted that John's "croon and piano skills are aging quite well". Another editor, Leah Greenblatt, described the song as a "soaring Simba tribute".
A reviewer from Swedish 'Expressen' called it a "typical Elton ballad with echoes of several of his old successes".'Expressen'. 22 July 1994. Ron Fell and Diane Rufer from the 'Gavin Report' said it is "sure-to-be a summer of '94 anthem." The magazine's 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." Alan Jones from 'Music Week' gave it four out of five, noting that it is "a heavily orchestrated and dead slow ballad" and "one of Elton's more memorable recent melodies." 'The Network Forty' deemed it an "elegant ballad". A reviewer from 'People Magazine' called it "sappy", adding that it is "sure to be song of the year". 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. British newspaper 'The Staffordshire Sentinel' concluded with that "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" "creates the perfect romantic atmosphere"."Why Simba is set to be a roaring success". 'The Staffordshire Sentinel'. 15 September 1994. page 18. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
According to a 2020 survey by OnBuy found that couples that chose "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" as the song for the first dance at their wedding were more likely to stay together, with 77% of respondents who chose the song remaining in their marriage.
Track listing
'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.
Cover versions
British pop group S Club, Sara Paxton and Elliott Yamin all covered the song for 'Disneymania', 'Disneymania 4' and 'Disneymania 6', respectively. Beyonc, Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, and Billy Eichner performed the song as Nala, Simba, Pumbaa, and Timon, respectively, in the 2019 remake of 'The Lion King', directed by Jon Favreau. In April 2020 Christina Aguilera performed the song for the ABC's television special, 'The Disney Family Singalong'.
Personnel
* Elton John piano, lead vocals
* Davey Johnstone guitar, backing vocals
* Chuck Sabo strings, drums
* Phil Spalding bass, backing vocals
* Guy Babylon keyboards
* Rick Astley, Gary Barlow, Kiki Dee, Robert Englund backing vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"|+1994 year-end chart performance for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
!Chart (1994)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)
|align="center"|28
|-
!scope="row"|Canada Top Singles ('RPM')
|align="center"|3
|-
!scope="row"|Canada Adult Contemporary ('RPM')
|align="center"|3
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
|align="center"|92
|-
!scope="row"|France (SNEP)
|align="center"|18
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
|align="center"|182
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
|align="center"|25
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)
|align="center"|7
|-
!scope="row"|US 'Billboard' Hot 100
|align="center"|18
|-
!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary ('Billboard')
|align="center"|9
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+1995 year-end chart performance for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
!Chart (1995)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Austria (3 Austria Top 40)
|align="center"|40
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
|align="center"|87
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
|align="center"|35
|-
!scope="row"|France (SNEP)
|align="center"|23
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
|align="center"|111
|-
!scope="row"|Norway (VG-lista) (Winter Period)
|align="center"|6
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)
|align="center"|62
|}
Decade-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of number-one singles of 1994 (Canada)
* List of number-one hits of 1994 (France)
* List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1994 (U.S.)
References
'General'
*
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