There isn’t a ton of crossover between rock and Disney, but a rock singer did sing in a massive ’90s Disney movie.
We’re not talking about Phil Collins, who worked on the soundtracks for the animated Disney films Tarzan (1999) and Brother Bear (2003). This story is about Joseph Williams, the lead singer of Toto.
Williams first stepped in as Toto’s frontman in 1986 until ’88. He rejoined the band a decade later for a brief time, again from 2010 until 2019 and then once more when they regrouped in 2020. He’s been their vocalist ever since and has appeared on a total of six Toto albums.
Between his first two stints in Toto, Williams was approached by the Disney team to sing in a few different movies. Ultimately, his voice was chosen for 1994’s The Lion King.
What Did Joseph Williams Sing in ‘The Lion King’?
While actor Matthew Broderick voiced adult Simba in The Lion King, Williams provided the character’s singing voice, particularly on the songs “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” both of which were composed by fellow rocker Elton John.
‘Hakuna Matata’ From The Lion King
How Did Joseph Williams End Up Singing in ‘The Lion King’?
During an interview with Rock History Music, Williams recalled that he was initially approached by producer Chris Montan to sing in Aladdin (1992). Scott Weinger, who voiced the character Aladdin, had already sang and recorded all of the songs but the producers wanted to replace his vocals with someone that had more of a “pop quality.”
Williams went into the studio and recorded all of the vocals, only for the composer of the film to reject them because he wanted to use Weinger’s singing parts instead.
So although Williams’ vocals were never used for Aladdin, he received a phone call a bit later about singing in The Lion King. John and lyricist Tim Rice had already written a batch of songs for the movie and the team wanted Williams to sing on the demos.
A few months after completing the demos, Williams received another phone call asking him to come to Hans Zimmer’s studio to record them again. They couldn’t guarantee his recordings would actually be used in the finished product but he agreed to the job anyway.
“Hakuna Matata” hadn’t been written when Williams worked on the initial demos, so the team was trying to figure out how the vocals were going to transition from young Simba to adult Simba in the song. Williams’ wife suggested they let her husband sing the part and they conceded.
READ MORE: 8 Rock Artists You Forgot Worked on Animated Disney Movie Soundtracks
“I didn’t know that I was even going to be in the movie until over a year later when they called and said, ‘We want you to come to the premiere’,” the singer admitted.
Check out the full interview clip below.
How Joseph Williams Was Cast to Sing in The Lion King
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner