It was planned to be sung only by Timon and Pumbaa, but John disliked the comical nature of the concept as he declared that the song was meant to follow "Disney's tradition of great love songs", and that it could "express the lions' feelings for each other far better than dialogue could". The final result was the song mainly sung by an off-screen voice (Edwards) with short lines from Simba (Williams) and Nala (Dworsky), and the beginning and end parts by Timon (Lane) and Pumbaa (Sabella).[4] It also included Zulu vocals that, while mostly muted in the on-screen version, were much more prominently featured in the audio-only releases.[5]
Within around one and a half months before the film was released in June 1994, John's recording was released throughout radio stations as a commercial single and entered the US Billboard Hot 100.[6] The music video of John's recording, directed by Matthew Amos, contains montages of John performing the song and scenes from the film.[7][6]
In 2003, a remixed version of the song was included in the Special Edition soundtrack of The Lion King, again sung by Elton John. In the follow-up film, The Lion King 1½, the romantic scene where the song was originally featured also had the song playing, but with a difference: interspersed with the romantic scenes were short comedic shots of Timon and Pumbaa trying to disrupt Simba and Nala's night out with the "Peter Gunn Theme" playing while they try.
The single release of John's recording (the closing credits version) peaked at number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for eight weeks.[8] It also sold 500,000+ units in France.[9]
Swedish Aftonbladet complimented "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" as a "really good ballad".[10]AllMusic Heather Phares declared it as a "Lion King classic".[11]Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "John's distinctive voice slices through the quasi-orchestral tone of this power ballad. He taps into the song's pensive lyric, giving it a warm, human dimension that would be lost on a lesser performer."[12] Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box commented, "From Hollywood’s The Lion King soundtrack comes the always welcome voice of Elton John, who takes a stab at reclaiming his talent for crossover hitmaking with this orchestrated ballad, his most affecting single choice in years." He added, "Moving performance and a heady theme add up to hits radio action as well the usual adult formats and even some classic rock attention. A winner."[13] Howard Reich from Chicago Tribune called it "a swelling romantic ballad", and a proof of that "his songwriting holds echoes of an earlier era."[14] Another editor, Michael Wilmington, complimented John as "one of the melodic hook-masters of the modern pop song, noting that when he plays and sings the ballad under the titles in the movie, "it seethes with pop romanticism."[15]David Browne from Entertainment Weekly felt that John's croon and piano skills "are aging quite well".[16] Another editor, Leah Greenblatt, described the song as a "soaring Simba tribute".[17]
A reviewer from Swedish Expressen called it a "typical Elton ballad with echoes of several of his old successes".[18] Fell and Rufer from the Gavin Report said it is "sure-to-be a summer of '94 anthem."[19] Another editor, Dave Sholin, declared it as a "beautiful ballad", adding, "It isn't too early to work on that acceptance speech for next year's Academy Awards, Elton."[20] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five, calling it "a heavily orchestrated and dead slow ballad" and "one of Elton's more memorable recent melodies."[21]The Network Forty complimented it as an "elegant ballad".[22] A reviewer from People Magazine called it "sappy" and "sure to be song of the year".[23] In 2016, David Ehrlich of the Rolling Stone magazine ranked John's performance of the song at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995 at number 12.[24] Paul Jarvey from Telegram & Gazette wrote, "Although it's a simple song about the young cubs Simba and Nala, the tune advances the plot. The two cubs start as playful buddies. A spark of romance flashes when they meet later as full grown lions. The song defines the feelings of the two lions while indicating that changes may be in store for them and other animals in the kingdom."[25]The Staffordshire Sentinel stated that the song "creates the perfect romantic atmosphere".[26]
In Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom's Festival of the Lion King, the song is sung by Nakawa and Kibibi. As they sing, two ballet dancers (one male, one female) dressed as birds dance on the stage. After the main chorus is sung, the male bird dancer attaches his partner to a harness that allows her to fly through the air.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Reich, Howard (19 June 1994). "With A Smile And A Hummable Song Disney's Lush Movie Musicals Have Brought Tunefulness Back To Popular Music". Chicago Tribune.
^Wilmington, Michael (24 June 1994). "'The Lion King' Rules Disney Draws Deeply From Its Own Past To Paint A Modern Masterpiece". Chicago Tribune.
^McCormick, Moira (14 May 1994). "Child's Play". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 20. p. 68. The first single, Elton John's end-credit reprise of 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight,' was shipped to adult contemporary and top 40 radio May 2 by Hollywood Records.
