Circle of Life

Circle of Life is one of five songs written by composer Elton John, and lyricist Time Rice, for the film The Lion King. In the film the song was performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M. In 1995, the song was nominated for the Academy award for Best Song.

In The Lion King
The song takes place at the very beginning of the film, the dawn of Simba's presentation. As the song progresses, various animal herds travel through the Pride Lands to gather at Pride Rock. There, Rafiki meets up with the current King of the Pride Lands, Mufasa. After blessing Mufasa's newborn cub Simba, Rafiki lifts the cub up high for all the animals to see, and the animals bow before their future king.

The song reprises at the end of the film, after Simba has taken the throne. Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub, recalling the opening.

In other media
The popularity of the song had led to many performances by artists. At the time of the film's release, Elton John released a full length pop version of the song, which was included in the soundtrack of the movie. The song also features in musical version of the Lion King, playing a similar role as in the film. Finally, in 2003, the song was recorded by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, a group of actors from various Disney Channel televison series and movies.