Spoiler warning: This story discusses little details about the story of the movie Mufasa: The Lion King, which is currently in theaters.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and composer Dave Metzger knew the great musical legacy they had to uphold when writing the music for Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
The “Lion King” prequel tells the story of young Mufasa, voiced by Aaron Pierre, and his adopted brother Taka, who will become known as Scar (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.). While writing the original songs and composing new music, Miranda and Metzger researched how to pay homage to scores written by Elton John and Tim Rice, as well as Hans Zimmer’s music from the original animated film. Under the supervision of Barry Jenkins, they also aimed to introduce new music and give the prequel a distinct sound.
South African musician Lebo M, whose songs and sound were integral to the “Lion King” universe, returns to maintain this constant thread, while Miranda drew inspiration from ’90s R&B band Jodeci in writing the film’s love song.
Here Metzger and Miranda discuss diverse Navigate the balancing act and reveal the secret to writing music that will live forever in the Disney canon.
When you come into this world, you have to respect the legacy that came before you, but you also have to bring this breath of fresh air of music into the film. So, where does it start for each of you?
Dave Metzger: Hans Zimmer’s score was iconic, so you have to admit. It wouldn’t be fair to the movie if I didn’t go there. But the hardest part was trying to figure out how much of the original score to use to make sure everyone knew we existed in this world.
However, when speaking with Barry Jenkins, he wanted this to have its own voice and identity. So, it was a matter of coming up with topics.
In Rafiki’s case, I came up with a new topic for him that didn’t exist before. I gave him a voice that he didn’t have in the original movie.
I also have to use Lean’s themes in the score, because you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t – not only to the audience but to the film itself. So, it’s a matter of finding the best place to take advantage of them. A great example of this is “I’ve Always Wanted a Brother.” She was able to change that throughout the movie and add another level of depth to their character and relationship.
Lin-Manuel Miranda: One of my favorite discoveries in writing this music was finding the theme of “I’ve Always Wanted a Brother” because it represents this joy when we get to know Mufasa and Taka, but then Taka takes a turn, and that theme comes back in a really sad way. The notes don’t change, but the context changes, and Dave caught that ball and ran with it.
Lebo M returns for the soundtrack. How integral is it to your work and finding Mufasa’s music?
Miranda: If there’s a connective tissue in “The Lion King,” it’s Lebo M. It’s the African rhythms and harmonies and the unique sound he brings to it. It’s the first sound we hear in the original film. I think his work with you, Dave and Mark Mancina on the Broadway soundtrack, is what expanded the musical palette of what “The Lion King” could be on Broadway, and it’s one of the reasons it’s one of the longest-running shows of all time. Broadway and around the world. So, to me, it’s synonymous with it.
It was really fun working with him. And I think he was very excited to work on new songs because he was the one responsible for Elton John and Tim Rice’s great songs in the different ways they came about, and I was very intentional about making room for his work.
On “Melili” I knew he would come with his beautiful choral counterparts. And he did. He writes in his own voice, and it’s amazing to watch. He listens to the piece, absorbs it, goes to the microphone, and then chimes in with himself. It was fun to witness that and then watch him translate that into his chorus a year later when we recorded the soundtrack. That was part of the reason I agreed to do this, was to be in the room while that creation was happening.
Metzger: Lebo has been a brother to me for 30 years. It is the voice of “The Lion King”.
At the end of the film, Mufasa and Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) roar, and it turns into an African choral element with Lebo singing. I wrote my post about Kiara, and the night before, I thought it would be cool for Lebo to do something on her. So the next morning, we were in the studio with the choir. He listened to my theme and my music, and he sat there in the control room, absorbing it. He ran into the studio, and this chorus is there waiting. And then he starts singing a line, and points to a group of singers, and then they start singing, and suddenly you have this amazing creativity. So Lipo is like a miracle.
I love a good Disney love song, and “Tell Me It’s You” is the perfect one. What is your approach to writing that?
Miranda: It starts with a script by Jeff Nathanson. That moment in the script was about how much the loss affected Mufasa, and he has such humility and humility. Sarabi tells him: “You are capable of much more than that. I see greatness in you.” Slowly, he has all these feelings for her, but he doesn’t feel like he has the right to feel them. Man, how relevant is this?
I think we’re all going through some version of that. It’s also hinted at in the line of dialogue, “Tell me it’s you.” It’s okay to say it, and once they say it, they can’t stop saying it. So the fun discovery within the song is (the lyric), “Say it again,” and when you’re having your first bout of acne, you want to tell the world, and you want to never stop being in it and saying and hearing someone say that to you.
And Barry’s location – those ice caves gave us everything, they’re taking advantage of the opportunity to have sex with the Echo. This kind of K-Ci and JoJo and Jodeic, that’s what I was doing – my little love, a gooey center. These are the energies I call upon when writing that tune.
Speaking of Barry, what was it like collaborating with him and getting the music to him?
Metzger: Barry is a really great person. I felt like he led me places I wouldn’t have gone naturally. In the underwater battle near the end, my first shot was very different from what I ended up with in the film. But it challenged me, in a positive way, to dig a little deeper and do something else that wasn’t the way I naturally would have written. This has helped me grow as a musician and composer.
Miranda: I agreed to this gig because I wanted to work with and learn from Barry Jenkins. Dave, what you said about him pushes you beyond what you know how to do. I remember sending Barry the first verse and chorus of “I’ve Always Wanted a Brother.” I said: I think this is the general atmosphere. Am I on the right track? Am I on the wrong track?” He sent me an incredibly long and thoughtful email and said, “I wonder if you could forward this message?”
We have a conversation where Mufasa and Taka are talking about birds, and Taka says, “I’m responsible for them, too,” and Mufasa tells him, “No one is responsible for birds.” This became the fuel for the second verse of the song. I find this verse to be almost the most poignant because it refers to entitlement versus nurture. Regarding what Taka believes the world owes him versus what Mufasa sees as his place in the circle of life. It’s this very organic conversation between these birds while these two brothers are climbing a tree, and it takes on even more resonance the second you watch the movie.
Barry by virtue of “How about this?” He brought us to that place. The iterative process of working with Barry allows you to only add layers. But sometimes these songs don’t always have the luxury of having access to them.
What’s your secret to writing songs and music for the Disney canon that will be remembered forever?
Miranda: Improve your first draft. This thing has to stand up. You should be able to handle this song. It can’t be like you want to honor that first impulse. But it’s also this thing that might come out of a game or be played at a fireworks show. You have to like it before you even send it. To me, it’s just increased tire kicking. I make sure my kids really like it. I’ll make sure my wife really likes it.
Metzger: You just want to make sure you really get it as much as possible. I always ask my wife to come before I send out any signals. It’s my preservation of the whole deal as far as making sure I’m not missing something, or that it’s as solid as it can be.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.