- Not to be confused with "Bare Necessities", an episode of Jungle Cubs.
"The Bare Necessities" is the theme song of the 1967 Disney animated feature film The Jungle Book written by Terry Gilkyson, and originally sung by Phil Harris as Baloo and Bruce Reitherman as Mowgli. It was written for an earlier, rejected, draft of the movie, and was, as the only song of that version, kept, on the request of the Sherman Brothers, who wrote the other songs for the film. However, the arrangement heard in the film was not done by the Sherman Brothers, but rather by Van Dyke Parks in his first paid gig after moving to California.
In the 1980s, the song was featured on The Disney Channel as a music video on DTV, set almost entirely to clips of cartoons featuring Humphrey the Bear.
In 1994, the song is covered by Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and the rest of the gang in the Mickey's Fun Songs video Campout at Walt Disney World, along with The Country Bears who join in as they pitch their tents and get ready for the campout.
The song is also performed by Henry, Sammy, Five Bear Rugs, Romeo McGrowl, Shaker, Wendell, Teddi Barra, Bunny, Bubbles and Beulah, and Melvin, Buff, and Max in the Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
Plot[]
In the film, Baloo performs the song to Mowgli to explain life as a bear. During which, their relationship grows and sets up the heart of the movie. The song is later reprised at the end by Baloo and Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot) as they walk off back to their own homes following Mowgli's descent into the Man Village.
The song was notably later used as the theme song to Jungle Cubs, performed by the late Lou Rawls, albeit as a hip-hop rendition. Baloo and Louie later reprised it at the end of the series' finale.
In the sequel, The Jungle Book 2, a reprise is sung as well with John Goodman (Baloo), Haley Joel Osment (Mowgli), and Mae Whitman (Shanti).
Lyrics[]
Baloo: Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Baloo, Mowgli: Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
Mowgli: Yeah, man!
Baloo, Mowgli: I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Baloo: Yeah!
Baloo, Mowgli: With just the bare necessities of life!
Mowgli: Yeah, man!
Look for the bare necessities
Some good old bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why us bears can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Yeah!
I'll live here in the jungle all my life
Yeah, man!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
Ya know I couldn't be fonder of my great big home
Don't spend your time lookin' 'round
For things you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
You go along not thinkin' about it
Bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life (Yeah, buddy)
Baloo: You mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my jungle home
Louie: Don't spend your time filled with doubt
Over things you can’t do nothing about
Baloo: Yeah, that’s it Lou, come on, let’s shout it!
Baloo, Louie: Let’s go along not thinkin' about it
Bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Louie: Forget about your worries and your strife
Baloo: Oh, yeah
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
Louie: With just the bare necessities of life
Now come along with me and take a ride
You'll see what Mother Nature can provide
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities
With fruits and nuts and other things beside
Then as we wonder over my backyard
We'll flip a rock just like it was a card
The beetles are selectable
In fact, they are delectable
So eat 'em up, it's really not too hard
Ba-doh-ba-dee-doh
It's all so easy
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh
No cares, no strife
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh-doh
No matter where we go
We'll find the bare necessities of life
It's nice to ponder as we slowly roam
While growing fonder of our jungle home
We'll watch the busy little bees
Who's making honey just for me
As I dip for the honey from the comb
Ouch!
I've learned to love the food that's by my side
There's hardly anything I can't abide
Now, ants are quite a tasty dish
Don't wait for me, eat all you wish
You'll like the way they tickle you inside
Doh-ba-dee-doh
It's all so easy
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh
No cares, no strife
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh-doh
No matter where we go
We'll find the bare necessities of life
(piano break)
Ba-doh-ba-dee-doh
Ba-doh-ba-dee-doo
So if you learn to live a life of ease
The fruits and nuts will fall out of the trees
If you relax throughout the day
Your hunger simply melts away
From eating just the bare necessities
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh (Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh)
It's all so easy (So easy now)
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh (Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh)
No cares, no strife (No cares, no strife)
Doh-ba-dee-doh-doh-doh
No matter where we go
We'll find the bare necessities of life
We'll find the bare necessities of life
We'll find the bare necessities of life
Ah-doh-ba-dee-doh
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the trees
To make some honey just for me
If you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
And maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Will come to you
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the trees
To make some honey just for me
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Will come to you
Will come to you
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few (That's okay, kid! You can save them for later!)
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Now look at that tree, kid! Ooh, what a memory!
I once had this itch, kid! It was the worst in history!
And man, that itch was a-buggin' me
So I scratched real hard on that tree
I scratched so hard, I'm tellin' you
The bark came out of old Baloo
Have I given you a clue?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Now don't worry, little buddy!
Kaa looked there to wrap things up
But you and I would not give up
Have I taught you something new?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Exercise is fun, ain't it?
And I'm telling you, nothing makes me sweat more than the one, two
Give 'em quick stuff one, two, three, then pop' em sneaky with me knee
Pop 'em good with a big bear claw and show 'em real fast who's the law
Another lesson just for you
While the bare necessities of life just come to you
They come to you!
Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Well, next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue?
Oh, with the right one!
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Zoo-be-doo-bop, zee-bop-dop-dee-bop
Bop-zee-bop-bop-dee-hom-doo
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Oh, monkey!
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that just can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necess- Oh...
(coconut ending)
Good job with that coconut!
You threw it at that hive!
You saw where it landed, kid!
Oh man, it took a dive!
Now the bees are buzzin' on Shere Khan
See, look at that, kid? Now he's gone!
When you listen to your friend Baloo
I'll teach you another lesson or two
I think I'm gettin' through
And the bare necessities of life just came to you
He's solid gone!
(prickly pear ending)
Wow, what a throw, kid! That prickly pear!
You used all your strength, kid, and threw with care!
When you threw that pear, I knew you'd see
He'd run away like a big baby
So listen to your friend Baloo
I'll teach you another lesson or two
All right, you've already proved
And the bare necessities of life just came to you
Way to go, kid!
Baloo, Mowgli: Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at them fancy ants
And then maybe try a few
Mowgli: The bare necessities of life will come to you
Baloo: Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at them fancy ants
And then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They will come to you
Yeah, they'll come to you
Come to you!
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
So just relax in my backyard
If you act like that bee acts
You're working too hard
Don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life
The bare necessities of life
Will come to you
Water, air, love
House with a roof above
Talkin 'bout the bare necessities of life
Wisdom, understanding, sleep
Good health is something you must keep
Forget about your worries and your strife
These are the bare necessities of life
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at them fancy ants
And then maybe, well, try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the trees
Make some honey just for me
You look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance, fancy ants
Maybe try yourself a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
(instrumental break)
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, whenever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the trees
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take glance at the fancy ants
And maybe try a few, haha, try one
The bare necessities of life
They'll come to you
They have come to you
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Now if you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
Let it come to you
They'll come to you!
Henry: Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Henry and Sammy: Forget about your worries and your strife
Chorus: I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Terry Gilkyson was initially going to write all of the songs for The Jungle Book, but Walt Disney did not like the darker tone of the songs (based on the tone of the original Kipling book), so he had the Sherman Brothers rewrite the other songs but kept this song.
- The original version of this song hewed closely to the tone of the Kipling book, with Baloo teaching Mowgli how to search for nuts and berries, aka the "bare necessities".
- In 1991, the song was covered by Harry Connick, Jr. for the Simply Mad About the Mouse, as well as an album and TV special.
- In 2005, Julie Andrews chose the song for her album "Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs".
- Bowling for Soup recorded this song for Disneymania 3.
- In the 1994 live-action film Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, Dr. Julius Plumford exclaims "All the bare necessities of life!" in the ballroom scene during the part where Mowgli is invited to attend Plumford's ballroom.
- In The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story, the live action Baloo slightly mentions "The bare necessities of life."
- On the 5th episode of the 10th season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, American footballer Chad Ochocinco and professional partner Cheryl Burke danced the quickstep to the song.
- Brian Wilson covered the song on his album In the Key of Disney, which was released on October 25, 2011.
- On June 13, 2012, Hong Kong Disneyland opened Grizzly Gulch themed land; the gift stall in the land is called The Bear Necessities.
- In the 2016 live-action film adaptation, the song is performed by Bill Murray and Kermit Ruffins. Dr. John also performed a version of it shown during the end credits.[1]
- An instrumental version is the main title theme of the 1994 video game.
- Despite the official lyrics saying 'fonder', the movie and soundtrack contain the line 'I couldn't be found out my big home.'
- On the Hawaiian language album Mele from Aunty's Beach House, the song appears as "Nā Pono O Ke Ola Nei" (literally translated as "The Needs of Life Today").
- An instrumental version of the song is played in several sketches in the Canadian reality series Just for Laughs Gags.
- In the first episode of the Toon'd In Podcast, Jim Cummings recounted a story from while he was working on the original recording sessions for TaleSpin. During which, he was working alongside Phil Harris, who was prepped to return to the role of Baloo for the series before his work was redubbed by Ed Gilbert, and while conversing, Phil playfully broke into singing this song as if giving Jim advice. Jim then decided "two can play at that game" and broke into "I Wan'na Be Like You", in perfect replication of Louis Prima, to which the ADR team decided to cast Jim as King Louie right then and there.
References[]
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