25 years ago, a generation of children watched two animated lions fall in passionate and steamy love, while a cartoon meerkat and warthog peeped on in despair. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” soundtracked the intimate moment. Among the unimpeachable bangers Elton John and Tim Rice cooked up for The Lion King, the romantic duet between Simba and Nala was at the top. Then Beyoncé happened — and when Beyoncé happens, you let her do whatever she wants. Instead of adding more bombast or bravado, the 2019 update of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” wisely adheres to the 1994 version. Predictably, Bey’s voice anchors the song as it softly delivers the iconic lyrics before soaring into a crescendo, with Donald Glover tagging along.
During a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Glover joked that he was too intimidated to sing in the same room as Beyoncé. “I requested not to be,” Glover said. “I did not want to be looking into Beyoncé’s eyes while doing this.”
“I imagine it’s less intimidating playing basketball with Michael Jordan if you’re at home just throwing pieces of paper in the trash,” he continued.
In addition to “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” Beyoncé is also executive producing and curating an album inspired by the film called The Gift. “This is sonic cinema,” she said in a statement. “This is a new experience of storytelling. I wanted to do more than find a collection of songs that were inspired by the film. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration that isn’t one sound. It is influenced by everything from R&B, hip-hop and Afro Beat.”