Endless Night (song)

"Endless Night"
Song by
from the album The Lion King - Original Broadway Cast Recording
Released November 14, 1997
Format
Length 4:41
Label Disney
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Mark Mancina

"Endless Night" is a song written by composers Lebo M., Hans Zimmer, and Jay Rifkin. It premiered in the musical The Lion King, a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated film of the same name. Mark A. Brymer was the composer, and theatre director Julie Taymor wrote the lyrics. Taymor adapted the melody from "Lala", a song from the 1995 soundtrack album Rhythm of the Pride Lands. Composer Mark Mancina produced "Endless Night". It was first performed and recorded by Jason Raize, who originated the role of Simba for the Broadway production; his version was included on the original cast recording.

In "Endless Night"—a ballad—Simba grieves the death of his father Mufasa. The song includes vocals by Rafiki and a chorus that encourages Simba to move forward. Because of the use of chants, critics identified African music as an influence for "Endless Night". Reception to the song was mainly positive. Some commentators praised its contribution to Simba's character and the incorporation of African music. Others felt it did not fit with the pop-oriented songs by singer-songwriter Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice. "Endless Night" has been performed in different contexts outside the show; Nick Afoa released a version in support of the United Kingdom charity Centrepoint, and Adam Jacobs sang it as part of a mashup with "Proud of Your Boy" at the Feinstein's/54 Below.

Background and release

An image of a woman smiling towards the camera.
Julie Taymor wrote the lyrics for "Endless Night".

The music for "Endless Night" was written by South African composer Lebo M., German composer Hans Zimmer, and American musician Jay Rifkin,[1] and arranged by Mark A. Brymer.[2][3] American theatre director Julie Taymor composed the lyrics.[1] Looking back on the writing process, Taymor said she developed "Endless Night" as Simba's signature song for the musical.[4] The Hal Leonard Corporation published and distributed the track.[2][3] It was one of ten new songs composed for the musical production of the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King.[5][6] The melody was based on "Lala" from the 1995 soundtrack album Rhythm of the Pride Lands.[4] Written in Zulu, "Lala" deals with the loss of a family member.[4][7] Discussing the connections between the songs, Taymor said compositions were selected from Rhythm of the Pride Lands for their mood not their lyrics.[4]

"Endless Night" was first performed and recorded by American actor and singer Jason Raize, who originated the role of Simba for the Broadway show.[8] The original cast recording includes Raize's version of the song, and the accompanying vocalists are called "The Lion King Ensemble".[9] "Endless Night", and the rest of the soundtrack, were recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City; the music was mixed at The Village in Los Angeles and mastered at Oceanview Digital Mastering in Manhattan Beach, California. American composer Mark Mancina produced the song.[10]

The Walt Disney Company released the soundtrack on November 14, 1997, in both cassette and CD formats.[11][12] It was made available as a digital download in 2006.[11] Raize promoted "Endless Night" with a performance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.[13] NASA interns included the song on their playlist for the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.[14] "Endless Night" was included on cast recordings in other languages, including Japanese,[15] Dutch,[16] and German.[17] Stage Stars Records released a karaoke version of the song in 2011.[18][19]

Context and composition

"Endless Night" is a ballad composed in D major;[1][20] its instrumentation is provided by a piano, chords, a synthesizer, a guitar, and drums.[1][2] With a vocal range spanning from the low note of D4 to the high note of A5,[1] the song is performed either by a tenor or a baritone,[23][24] with a chorus prominently featured.[3] Music critics identified African music as an influence for "Endless Night", specifically through its use of chants.[20][21][22] Tom Millward of the New York Theatre Guide associated the track with folk music.[25] As part of The Lion King's second act, "Endless Night" is performed in a setting the playbill describes as "Under the Sun".[26] To add to the power of the performance, the actor portraying Simba appears alone in front of a cyclorama emphasized by a "bold lighting change".[27] The song's opening lines are sung from a crouched position.[28]

Constructed as a lament and a monologue,[29][30] the song shows Simba grieving the death of his father Mufasa,[8] while accompanied by chants by Rafiki and a chorus.[20] Simba sings the song directly to his father;[7] the opening lines are "Hem hem hem. Hem hem. Where has the starlight gone?".[1] The chorus is: "I know that the night must end, and that the sun will rise. I know that the clouds must clear and that the sun will shine."[2][28] The song focuses on Simba's growth into new responsibilities and his memories of his father's promise to remain with him.[27][29] He questions whether he should help to reclaim the Pride Lands,[31] and sings to his father: "Whenever I call your name / You're not anywhere."[28] Symbolizing "voices of hope in the night",[7] the chorus reminds Simba "even the longest night is followed by sunrise".[31] At the song's conclusion, Simba realizes his father will always guide him.[7] Wei-Huan Chen of the Houston Chronicle said the song contains the core message of The Lion King, "a story about a father and a son, where the son loses the father and must then find his purpose in life".[29]

Reception

"Endless Night" received mainly positive reviews from critics. Juliet Pennington of The Sun Chronicle praised the song's content, writing it was "emotionally charged and powerful".[8] Positively responding to the track's placement in the show, The Denver Post's John More described it as part of "a wildebeest stampede of ongoing powerful moments".[30] Eric Andrews of the Seattle Gay News cited "Endless Night" as the "shining moment" for Simba.[32] The Toronto Star's Richard Ouzounian felt the song was one of the strongest moments in The Lion King due to its focus on the actor's performance and Simba's character development.[27] WLOS' Justin Hinton wrote that the adult version of Simba had the best musical numbers, highlighting "Endless Night" and "He Lives in You (Reprise)" as examples.[33] Wei-Huan Chen said the track has "standalone power" due to its staging in "a creation whose achievement is self-contained."[29] However, Pam Kragen of The San Diego Union-Tribune dismissed "Endless Night" as boring.[34]

The song's African musical influences were the subject of reviewers' praise.[20][22] The Houston Chronicle's Everett Evans wrote that "Endless Night", along with "Shadowland", provides the musical with "moments of emotional clout" and an "authentic African flavor".[20] A writer from Whatsonstage.com commended "Endless Night" as a high point of the musical due to its incorporation of African music.[22] On the other hand, Alan Morrison of The Herald described "Endless Night" and "Shadowland", both written for the theatre, as "more synth-string dated than the others written earlier."[35]

Some critics responded negatively to the way "Endless Night" fits into the context of The Lion King.[20][21] Evans felt the parts written by Lebo M. were at odds with the more pop-oriented songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice saying: "But the disparity between the two halves leaves some seams showing in the overall score."[20] Michael Billington of The Guardian identified a split in the musical's sound and style, writing: "What is curious about the show is that it borrows from so many different traditions."[21] Alternatively, the Los Angeles Daily News' Evan Henerson viewed the songs by Mancina, Lebo M., and Zimmer, including "Endless Night", as giving the show a "musical excitement" far greater than those by John and Rice.[36]

Live performances and other versions

Nick Afoa performed "Endless Night" in 2013 for his audition for Simba for an Australian production of The Lion King. While singing it, he thought about his son "who lives across the other side of the world" and "broke down and couldn't carry on".[37] In 2015, he performed it on the New Zealand version of Dancing with the Stars,[38] and a telethon.[39] Afoa released his version of the song in 2018 through Disney on Broadway's YouTube page to support the United Kingdom charity Centrepoint.[40][41] The same year, he sang "Endless Night" at the Lyceum Theatre as part of a Facebook Live event; the performance was uploaded to Disney on Broadway's account.[42]

Adam Jacobs cited "Endless Night" as the most enjoyable aspect of playing Simba in a North American tour version of the show.[43] In 2016, he performed a mashup of "Endless Night" and "Proud of Your Boy" for the Broadway Prince Party at the Feinstein's/54 Below. The arrangement was by Benjamin Rauhala, who planned and produced it with Laura Osnes.[44] Josh Tower, who portrayed Simba the longest in the Broadway production, sang "Endless Night" for a 2014 event celebrating African-American history at Upper Dublin High School to a positive audience response.[45] Tower's performance of the song as part of the stage show received positive reviews from critics.[24][46] Alton Fitzgerald White, who played Mufasa in various American productions of The Lion King, recorded "Endless Night" for his studio album Disney My Way!.[47]

Credits and personnel

  • The following credits were adapted from the booklet of The Lion King - Original Broadway Cast Recording:[10]
Management
  • The Walt Disney Company
Recording locations
  • Sony Music Studios (New York City)
  • The Village (Los Angeles)
  • Oceanview Digital Mastering (Manhattan Beach)
Credits
  • Composers – Hans Zimmer, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Lebo M.
  • Arrangement – Mark A. Brymer
  • Production – Mark Mancina

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Endless Night". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Endless Night (from The Lion King: Broadway)". Sheet Music Plus. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Endless Night (from The Lion King: Broadway)". J.W. Pepper & Son. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Taymor & Greene (1998)
  5. ↑ Kubersky, Seth (Mar 8, 2017). "'Disney's The Little Mermaid' at the Dr. Phillips Center is the theatrical equivalent of red tide". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ McCormick, Moira (February 14, 1998). "'Lion King' Stage Score A Departure For Broadway". Billboard. 110 (7): 67. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Wolf (2017): p. 123
  8. 1 2 3 Pennington, Juliet (February 19, 2010). "Review: 'Lion King' roars anew". The Sun Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Lion King (Original Broadway Cast Recording)". iTunes Store (US). January 1, 1997. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017.
  10. 1 2 The Lion King - Original Broadway Cast Recording (Inlay cover). Walt Disney Records. January 1, 1997.
  11. 1 2 "Releases". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018.
  12. ↑ "The Lion King [Original Broadway Cast]". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Endless Night". YouTube. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016.
  14. ↑ Dickman, Maggie (August 21, 2017). "Clearly There's an Emo Intern at NASA, Just Look at this Eclipse Playlist". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Disney'sライオンキング : ミュージカル original Japanese cast recording". WorldCat. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Lion King [Original Dutch Cast]". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Lion King [German Cast]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Karaoke: Songs from the Lion King (Track listing)". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Karaoke: Songs from the Lion King (Releases)". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Evans, Everett (July 13, 2012). "Theater Review: 'Lion King's circle of life still a marvel". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Billington, Michael (October 20, 1999). "The Lion King". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "The Lion King". Whatsonstage.com. October 25, 1999. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014.
  23. ↑ "The singer's musical theatre anthology. Tenor. Volume 4 : a collection of songs from the musical stage, categorized by voice type". WorldCat. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  24. 1 2 Young, Allen (May 10, 2002). "The Lion King". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  25. ↑ Millward, Tom (November 8, 2017). "The Lion King - A 20th Anniversary Report by Kyle Wrentz". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  26. ↑ Viagas & Asch (2006): p. 225
  27. 1 2 3 Ouzounian, Richard (April 20, 2011). "Review: The Lion King still rules triumphant". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 "Simba and Nala's Dance of Love". Inlander. October 26, 2005. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015.
  29. 1 2 3 4 Chen, Wei-Huan (July 5, 2017). "'The Lion King' in Houston: Did Nala just stage a Women's March?". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017.
  30. 1 2 Moore, John (November 7, 2011). "Review: "The Lion King" still rules musical jungle". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017.
  31. 1 2 Hischak & Robinson (2009): p. 49
  32. ↑ Andrews, Eric (March 21, 2014). "Long live The Lion King!". Seattle Gay News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014.
  33. ↑ Hinton, Justin (June 2, 2017). "The Lion King Musical returns to the Peace Center!". WLOS. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017.
  34. ↑ Kragen, Pam (September 9, 2016). "'Lion King' still has power to awe". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017.
  35. ↑ Morrison, Alan (October 26, 2013). "The Lion King - Sunday Herald view". The Herald. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018.
  36. ↑ Henerson, Evan (November 23, 2006). "'Lion King' Still Rules the Stage". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Twelve Questions: Nick Afoa". The New Zealand Herald. October 10, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Nick Afoa - Endless Night". YouTube. June 2, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  39. ↑ "On Stage - The Lion King - Telethon 2015". YouTube. October 18, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  40. ↑ "The Lion King: 'Endless Night' performed by Nick Afoa in support of Centrepoint". YouTube. January 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Centrepoint Teams Up with Disney's The Lion King". Centrepoint. January 29, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  42. ↑ "The Lion King: 'Endless Night' Facebook Live". YouTube. May 17, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  43. ↑ Oliveros, Oliver (November 18, 2010). "Exclusive Interview: Adam Jacobs, The Lion King's New Simba". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014.
  44. ↑ "Adam Jacobs - "Proud Of Your Boy/Endless Night" (The Broadway Prince Party)". YouTube. December 11, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018.
  45. ↑ Goldshalk, Dutch (April 7, 2014). "Upper Dublin School District celebrates its African-American history". The Ambler Gazette. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  46. ↑ Handelman, Jay (December 20, 2002). "Lavish 'Lion King' is thrilling to the eye". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  47. ↑ Gans, Andrew (October 1, 2012). "Alton Fitzgerald White's "Disney My Way!" CD Released Oct. 1". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2018.

Book sources

  • Hischak, Thomas S.; Robinson, Thomas S. (2009). The Disney Song Encyclopedia. Los Angeles: Plymouth. ISBN 978-0-8108-6937-0.
  • Taymor, Julie; Greene, Alexis (1998). The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway. Los Angeles: The Walt Disney Company. ISBN 978-0-786-86342-6.
  • Viagas, Robert; Asch, Amy (2006). The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2005 - May 2006. New York: Playbill Books. ISBN 978-1-557-83718-9.
  • Wolf, Stacy E. (2017). "The Lion King: A 'Blockbuster Feline' on Broadway and Beyond". In Rodosthenous, George. The Disney Musical on Stage and Screen: Critical Approaches from 'Snow White' to 'Frozen'. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 117-132. ISBN 978-1-4725-8436-6.
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