One of the best family movies of the ‘90s is undoubtedly The Lion King for its impressive animation, its powerful lessons about confronting the past, and its memorable tunes. One of the film’s most catchy songs, of course, is “Hakuna Matata,” sung when Simba’s new friends, Timon and Pumba, share their carefree philosophy with the guilt-ridden cub. It’s a wonderful track, and Sir Elton John has shared the full, hilarious story about writing the Best Song nominee.
In The Lion King, Simba is manipulated by Scar to think that his father’s death is his fault, convincing him to leave the Pride Lands. When running away, the young cub meets the best Disney-animated sidekicks, Timon and Pumba. They introduce Simba to their philosophy where they free themselves from worries and responsibilities from the past. This easygoing way of life is summed up in two words: “Hakuna Matata.”
If you’re curious about the origins of the memorable tune, Sir Elton John, who helped write the Disney movie’s uplifting song, spoke to Sirius XM about the musical tune he first pictured for “Hakuna Matata.” He explained,
Of all the lyrics on this film, this was the most Disney-esque. It could have been in any classic Disney film like The Jungle Book. It was like ‘Oo-dee-do!’ You had to be that jolly with this song because it’s about farting, for Christ’s sakes!
Sir Elton John’s not wrong about that. “Hakuna Matata” shares the backstory of warthog Pumba, who was an outcast and ostracized from other animals because of his flatulence problem. The funny reason why Pumba’s signature farts were included in the animated flick was because Pumba actor Ernie Sabella would make farting noises to sleepy Timon actor Nathan Lane. With the voice actor making so many fart noises in between dialogue to entertain his pal, this was the birth of “the first and only Disney character with flatulence.” With many kids loving The Lion King, I’m sure plenty of them get a kick out of a fart joke.
Thirty years later, “Hakuna Matata” is still one of Disney’s most celebrated songs. At the time the song was being created, Sir Elton John had already released 23 studio albums and won two Grammys. With so much success going on in his life since the ‘60s, the British singer was scared at the time that the upbeat jingle would be a career killer:
I said, ‘God, I’m so into my career. I’ve got 30, 40 years into a career, and I’m writing a song about a warthog.’
Per the SiriusXM interview, the Lion King music collaborators all pulled together to come up with ways to make this song an inspiring track. The song’s lyricist, Sir Tim Rice, said Timon and Pumba’s song came together after a Pumba rap sequence got rejected. One of the film’s screenwriters, Irene Mecchi, sent her crew to Kenya to help them look for inspiration for the new song. On a two-week safari, Lion King co-director Roger Allers learned Kenya’s motto at the time “Hakuna Matata,” which means “no worries, no trouble, no problem” in Swahili.
It’s hard to believe that Sir Elton John had his initial doubts about “Hakuna Matata” since it was “a song about a warthog” and “farting.” But, the inspirational song from the top-ranked Disney Renaissance era film continues to be a memorable track and even made its way into the live-action remake (with one minor difference in the new lyrics). Make sure to listen to the care-free musical number in 1994’s The Lion King available on your Disney+ subscription.
