The Jungle Book (1967 soundtrack)

Last updated
The Jungle Book
Junglebook DQ1304.jpg
Soundtrack album by
various artists
Released1967
RecordedFebruary 1964 – June 1967
StudioSound Stage A, Walt Disney Studio Lot [1]
Genre
Label Disneyland
Walt Disney
Producer Larry Blakely
Disney film soundtracks chronology
The Sword in the Stone
(1963)		The Jungle Book
(1967)		 The Aristocats
(1970)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]

The Jungle Book, the soundtrack to the Disney film The Jungle Book , has been released in three different versions. The film score was composed by George Bruns, with songs written by Terry Gilkyson and the Sherman Brothers.

Contents

Composition

The instrumental music was written by George Bruns and orchestrated by Walter Sheets. Two of the cues were reused from previous Disney films, with the scene where Mowgli wakes up after escaping King Louie using one of Bruns' themes for Sleeping Beauty , and Bagheera giving a eulogy to Baloo when he mistakenly thinks the bear was killed by Shere Khan being accompanied by Paul J. Smith's organ score from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . [3]

"Overture" and "Jungle Beat" are scores separated from one deleted score "The Sand of Time" from The Sword in the Stone .

Longtime Disney collaborator Terry Gilkyson was brought in to write the songs for the film. Gilkyson delivered several complete songs which were faithful in tone to Rudyard Kipling's novel, but Walt Disney felt that his efforts were too dark. The Sherman Brothers were brought in to do a complete rewrite, on the condition that they not read Kipling's book. The only piece of Gilkyson's work which survived to the final film was his upbeat tune "The Bare Necessities", which was liked by the rest of the film crew. [4] In one of his first union jobs, famed songwriter Van Dyke Parks arranged the version of "Necessities" heard in the film. [5]

Walt Disney asked the Shermans to "find scary places and write fun songs" for their compositions, [3] and frequently brought them to storyline sessions. The duo decided to do songs that fit in the story and advanced the plot instead of being interruptive. The song "Trust in Me" is based upon a song entitled "Land of Sand" which had been written by the Sherman Brothers for, but not used in, Mary Poppins . [4]

"We're Your Friends" was originally conceived as a rock and roll song, sung by the quartet of vultures. The vultures were even designed based on The Beatles, with moptop haircuts and Liverpudlian accents, and would be voiced by the band, which did not come into fruition due to problems with their schedule. During production Disney decided the 60's style rock would cause the song to be considered dated later, leading "We're Your Friends" to be changed to the barbershop quartet that appears in the film. [6] One of The Mellomen's members, Bill Lee, sang as Shere Khan during the final recording of the song because George Sanders was unavailable, and can be heard on the soundtrack. [3]

Versions

Storyteller (1967)

The first version was Walt Disney Presents the Story and Songs of The Jungle Book, also known as the "Storyteller" version, issued on the Disneyland Records label. It featured a retelling of the story with narration by voice actor Dal McKennon as Bagheera, and dialogue and sound effects from the film itself along with the songs. It was a commercial success, being certified Gold by the RIAA, [7] and was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children. [8] Another version, simply titled The Jungle Book, was issued on the Buena Vista Records label, featuring less narration and dialogue to be marketed for adults. [7] It was first reissued on CD in 1990, as Disneyland Records was reworked into Walt Disney Records. [9]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s) (character)Length
1."Trust in Me" Sherman Brothers Sterling Holloway  
2."Colonel Hathi's March"Sherman Brothers J. Pat O'Malley and Verna Felton, chorus ("pachyderm chorus") 
3."The Bare Necessities" Terry Gilkyson Phil Harris and Bruce Reitherman  
4."I Wan'na Be Like You"Sherman Brothers Louis Prima and Phil Harris 
5."Colonel Hathi's March (reprise)"Sherman BrothersJ. Pat O' Malley, Verna Felton and chorus 
6."That's What Friends Are For (The Vulture Song)"Sherman BrothersJ. Pat O'Malley, Chad Stuart, Lord Tim Hudson, Leo De Lyon, Bruce Reitherman, and Bill Lee  
7."My Own Home"Sherman Brothers Darleen Carr  
8."The Bare Necessities" (reprise)" Terry Gilkyson Phil Harris and Sebastian Cabot  

Songs from The Jungle Book and Other Jungle Favorites (1967)

Disneyland Records issued another soundtrack album, Songs from Walt Disney's The Jungle Book and other Jungle Favorites, which featured reworked jazz versions of the film's songs plus two covers, performed by Louis Prima and his band under the title "The Jungle V.I.P.s". [10] [11]

Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Colonel Hathi's March"Sherman Brothers 
2."The Bare Necessities"Gilkyson 
3."I Wan'na Be Like You"Sherman Brothers 
4."The Abba Dabba Honeymoon" Arthur Fields, Walter Donovan  
5."Trust In Me"Sherman Brothers 
6."That's What Friends Are For"Sherman Brothers 
7."My Own Home"Sherman Brothers 
8."Civilization" Bob Hilliard, Carl Sigman  

1997 reissue

Disney Records reissued the soundtrack in 1997, coinciding with the reissue of the film on VHS to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The soundtrack marked the first time a majority of George Bruns' instrumental score was included. This version included an interview with the Sherman Brothers, and four bonus songs: two demos of the discarded Terry Gilkyson songs, and two songs taken from the 1968 Disneyland Records album More Jungle Book, an unofficial sequel to the film written by screenwriter Larry Simmons. [12] [13]

Track listing [2]

All tracks are written by George Bruns, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."Overture" (score)2:43
2."Baby" (score)2:11
3."Colonel Hathi's March (Elephant Song)"Sherman, ShermanJ. Pat O'Malley, Verna Felton and Chorus2:32
4."The Bare Necessities"GilkysonBruce Reitherman, Phil Harris3:31
5."I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)"Sherman, ShermanLouis Prima, Phil Harris4:39
6."Monkey Chase" (score)1:06
7."Tell Him" (score)2:15
8."Colonel Hathi's March (Reprise)"Sherman, ShermanJ. Pat O'Malley, Verna Felton and Chorus2:00
9."Jungle Beat" (score)1:22
10."Trust in Me (Python's Song)"Sherman, ShermanSterling Holloway2:50
11."What'cha Wanna Do" (score)3:09
12."That's What Friends Are For (Vulture Song)"Sherman, ShermanJ. Pat O'Malley, Chad Stuart, Lord Tim Hudson, Digby Wolfe, Bruce Reitherman, Bill Lee2:06
13."Tiger Fight" (score)2:44
14."Poor Bear" (score)1:08
15."My Own Home (Jungle Book Theme)"Sherman, ShermanDarlene Carr3:32
16."The Bare Necessities (Reprise)"GilkysonPhil Harris and Sebastian Cabot0:54
17."Interview with the Sherman Brothers" Spoken interview with Robert E. and Richard Sherman12:26
18."Baloo's Blues"Sherman, ShermanPhil Harris3:02
19."It's a Kick"Sherman, ShermanPhil Harris1:42
20."Brother's All" (Demo Recording)GilkysonGilkyson3:41
21."The Song of the Seeonee" (Demo Recording)GilkysonGilkyson2:27

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
France—100,000 [14]
Germany—100,000 [15]
Netherlands—30,000 [14]
Sweden (GLF) [16] Diamond200,000 [16]
United Kingdom
Original release 		—200,000 [14]
United Kingdom (BPI) [17]
1989 release 		Gold100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [18]
2006 release 		Gold100,000‡
United States (RIAA) [19] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Megamix single

In 1993, a medley of "I Wan'na Be like You" and "The Bare Necessities" called "The Jungle Book Groove" was released by Disney's Hollywood record label. Credited by the Official Charts Company as being by the artist Jungle Book, the record charted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and spent 8 weeks in the UK top 75. The song was credited as "Disney Cast" on German compilation albums. [20] [21] [22] [23]

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References

  1. ↑ "Deja View: Jungle Book Recording Session Break". 18 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 Boissoneau, Ross. "The Jungle Book". AllMusic .
  3. 1 2 3 Richard Sherman (2007). The Jungle Book audio commentary (Media notes). The Jungle Book, Platinum Edition, Disc 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. 1 2 The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book (Media notes). The Jungle Book Platinum Edition Disc 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ↑ Adams, Sam (December 21, 2010). "Interview — Van Dyke Parks". The A.V. Club .
  6. ↑ Lost Character: Rocky the Rhino (Media notes). The Jungle Book Platinum Edition Disc 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. 1 2 Hollis & Ehrbar 2006, p. 105.
  8. ↑ Hollis & Ehrbar 2006, p. 187.
  9. ↑ Hollis & Ehrbar 2006, p. 183.
  10. ↑ Hollis & Ehrbar 2006, pp. 105–7.
  11. ↑ Hogan, Ed. "The Jungle Book 1967". Allmusic .
  12. ↑ McCormick, Moira (October 11, 1997). "Remastered Disney Soundtracks Ready For Retail". Billboard . Vol. 109, no. 41. p. 77. ISSN   0006-2510.
  13. ↑ "The Jungle Book (soundtrack) review". Film Review. Orpheus Publishers. 1994.
  14. 1 2 3 "Disney Labels To Pye On April" (PDF). Cash Box . March 22, 1969. p. 63. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Company Reports". Billboard . Vol. 83, no. 42. October 16, 1971. p. WG-10. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Disneyland: Kiddie King At NARM" (PDF). Cash Box . March 20, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  17. ↑ "British album certifications – Walt Disney – Jungle Book". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  18. ↑ "British album certifications – Soundtrack – The Jungle Book". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  19. ↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Jungle Book". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  20. ↑ "JUNGLE BOOK | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  21. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 75 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  22. ↑ "BBC One - Top of the Pops, 13/05/1993".
  23. ↑ "Discogs, Disney Cast". Discogs .

Bibliography

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