Music and the Fictive Dream 2.0

“Hakuna Matata”

Composed by Elton John and Time Rice, USA, 1994

Background

For this blog I decided to go with a fun song that I’m sure we all know called “Hakuna Matata.” “Hakuna Matata” is a Swahili phrase that is literally translated to “there are no worries” or just “no worries” and was given international recognition in 1994 by Walt Disney’s film “The Lion King.” (Disney Wiki) The scene starts out with Simba, a lion who is the main protagonist of the movie. His father, Mufasa, is king of the African pride lands but dies after getting lured into a wildebeest stampede by his evil brother Scar. (Disney Wiki) Scar consequentially becomes the king… who would have guessed right? Young Simba doesn’t know the whole story or know that his uncle is evil so he blames himself for his father’s death and exiles himself to the jungle. This is where he meets an unlikely duo: Timon the Meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog who live by this carefree motto, “hakuna matata.”

Social Commentary

Timon and Pumbaa try to cheer sad Simba up by telling him that you can’t change the past so you shouldn’t dwell on it. When you’re stuck on the past, it’s impossible to find peace and happiness in the present. Being sad and feeling guilty only hurts yourself.

Lyrics

Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata!
Ain’t no passing craze

It means no worries
For the rest of your days
It’s our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!

Why, when he was a young warthog
When I was a young wart-hoooog!
Very nice!
Thanks!
He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal
He could clear the Savannah after every meal
I’m a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned
And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind
And oh, the shame
(He was ashamed!)
Thought of changin’ my name
(Oh, what’s in a name?)
And I got downhearted
(How did you feel?)
Every time that I-
Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!
Oh… sorry

Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata!
Ain’t no passing craze
It means no worries
For the rest of your days
Yeah, sing it, kid!
It’s our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!

Hakuna Matata
Hakuna Matata
Hakuna Matata
Hakuna

It means no worries
For the rest of your days
It’s our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata

Opinion

As you may have noticed there’s a section about Pumbaa’s flatulence problem which adds to the song’s lighthearted and upbeat timbre. It sounds like this song was made to appeal to a younger generation due to the simple and repetitive lyrics. However, the symbolism throughout may not be so shallow. The visuals to the song show Simba growing up, maturing from a naive cub to a full grown lion. After he’s full grown, you see    him carelessly leaping off a cliff, trying to latch onto a vine but falling into the water instead. This could symbolize that Simba may need to learn to maintain a balance in life: between being carefree and still being aware of consequences (after all, he desperately needs to reclaim rightful throne from his dictating uncle Scar).

Sources

Tam, Wai-Chai. “Music Analysis Lion King – I Just Can’t Wait to Be King & Hakuna Matata.” Academia.edu, http://www.academia.edu/27694981/Music_Analysis_Lion_King_I_Just_Cant_Wait_to_be_King_and_Hakuna_Matata.

“Hakuna Matata.” Disney Wiki, disney.wikia.com/wiki/Hakuna_Matata.

“Hakuna Matata (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuna_Matata_(song).