Entertainment

The 'Lion King' Soundtrack Tracklist Has Fans Thinking A New Beyoncé Song Is Coming

by Dylan Kickham
Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Once audiences found out that Beyoncé joined the Lion King remake, every fan had the same question: Would the singer be recording a new song for the project? Rumors have been swirling for months about the possibility of a new Beyoncé track, but so far nothing has been confirmed. Now, Disney has officially released the Lion King soundtrack tracklist, and one specific track is basically screaming "secret Beyoncé song."

The newly released tracklist for the Lion King soundtrack is mostly what fans would expect, but there are a couple very notable surprises. The bulk of the soundtrack is comprised of Hans Zimmer's score, and another returning force from the original movie is South African singer Lebo M., who has recorded new versions of "Circle of Life," "He Lives in You," and "Mbube" (the song better known to American audiences as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"). The soundtrack also features its new stars performing new renditions of the movie's classic hits, such as "I Just Can't Wait to be King," "Be Prepared," "Hakuna Matata," "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."

All of that was expected, but the tracklist includes a couple surprises. Elton John has a brand new song in the movie called "Never Too Late," and there is also the very suspicious Track 14, with is the only track still listed as TBA. Since there had already been some chatter about Beyoncé possibly working on an original song for the movie, and it is famously her style to keep her projects hidden until the very last minute, it is hard not to assume that this TBA track is a brand new Beyoncé song. Check out the full tracklist below:

  1. Lindiwe Mkhize / Lebo M: “Circle of Life / Nants’ Ingonyama”
  2. Hans Zimmer: “Life’s Not Fair”
  3. Hans Zimmer: “Rafiki’s Fireflies”
  4. JD McCrary / Shahadi Wright Joseph / John Oliver: “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”
  5. Hans Zimmer: “Elephant Graveyard”
  6. Chiwetel Ejiofor: “Be Prepared (2019 Version)”
  7. Hans Zimmer: “Stampede”
  8. Hans Zimmer: “Scar Takes the Throne”
  9. Billy Eichner / Seth Rogen / JD McCrary / Donald Glover: “Hakuna Matata”
  10. Hans Zimmer: “Simba Is Alive!”
  11. Billy Eichner / Seth Rogen: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
  12. Beyoncé / Donald Glover / Billy Eichner / Seth Rogen: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”
  13. Hans Zimmer: “Reflections of Mufasa”
  14. TBA
  15. Hans Zimmer: “Battle for Pride Rock”
  16. Hans Zimmer: “Remember”
  17. Elton John: “Never Too Late”
  18. Lebo M: “He Lives in You”
  19. Lebo M: “Mbube”

The soundtrack announcement comes just a few days after Disney released a teaser featuring a snippet of Beyoncé and Donald Glover singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" together.

Adding to the probability that this mysterious Track 14 will be a new Beyoncé song is a statement that Elton John made last year. John said that he had been working closely with Beyoncé on the movie's soundtrack, and hinted that the duo were recording a new song for the closing credits. It would definitely feel like a wasted opportunity to have Beyoncé starring in a musical movie but only give her one song, so hopefully this hidden track really is a Beyoncé song.

The Lion King will land in theaters on July 19.