...To Die For

"...To Die For" is a musical piece composed by Hans Zimmer for The Lion King. It was released on May 31, 1994, as part of the film's soundtrack. It was re-released on September 30, 2003, as part of the film's Special Edition soundtrack.
==Conception and development==
Hans Zimmer composed the score of the 1994 film The Lion King as well as its original and Special Edition soundtracks. "...To Die For" was written to represent the stampede and its aftermath, most notably the death of Mufasa.
Zimmer composed the film's score linearly and so did not write "...To Die For" until he reached Mufasa's death. At this point, his experience became far more personal due to his own father's death when he was a child, which prompted him to compose a "serious requiem" to represent the sequence. He wrote the transition between the stampede and Mufasa's fatal fall intentionally, as he believed that "the audience is already thinking ahead, bracing for the tragedy to come."
Zimmer's influences stemmed largely from his German background, particularly the music of Mozart. He consulted with Lebo M on how to meld African and German culture for the piece. "I'm a German, so I'm going to write with a German accent, just the way we're speaking now," Zimmer said. "And let me go and take this into Africa and give it to Africa, and let them just respond with their culture, and see what happens where the two cultures collide, if another new thing can come out of it."
==Releases and alternative versions==
"...To Die For" was released on May 31, 1994, as part of the soundtrack of The Lion King.
Shortly after the release of the film's soundtrack, the complete score was unofficially released. For this album, "...To Die For" was split into two uncut tracks titled "Stampede" and "Mufasa's Dead".
The stage musical version of The Lion King uses a much more vocal-heavy rendition of the score titled "The Stampede". It was released in 1997 as part of the original cast recording.
"...To Die For" was re-released on September 30, 2003, as part of the film's Special Edition soundtrack.
On June 24, 2014, The Legacy Collection: The Lion King was released, with "...To Die For" having been split into two uncut tracks: "Stampede" and "Mufasa Dies".
"...To Die For" was reimagined for the 2019 remake of The Lion King. It was released under the title "Stampede" on July 11, 2019, as part of the film's soundtrack.
==Use==
===In the canon===
"...To Die For" is heard in The Lion King as a representation of the stampede, during which Scar baits Mufasa into rescuing his son, Simba. The score starts when Simba notices a herd of wildebeests stampeding into the gorge. It carries through his flight from the wildebeests and into Mufasa's successful rescue attempt. After Mufasa falls to his death, the score changes tone, moving into the mournful themes heard as Simba discovers and grieves over his father's body. It plays through his tearful confrontation with Scar and ends on the flute notes heard as he flees the Pride Lands.
===In other media===
A reimagined version of "...To Die For" is heard in the 2019 remake of The Lion King. It plays during the stampede and its aftermath, including the hyena chase.
The stage musical version of The Lion King breaks "...To Die For" into three separate cues: "Stampede - Part 1", "Stampede - Part 2", and "Eulogy". This version of the score is heard in the same sequence of events as its film counterpart. However, unlike the film, the stage musical follows up the score with a song titled "Rafiki Mourns".
A reimagined version of "...To Die For" is heard in the 1994 video game The Lion King. It plays during the stampede level. There are two slightly different versions of the score: one for Genesis and one for SNES.
==Trivia==
* "...To Die For" is named for Scar's line of dialogue: "Simba, it's to die for."
* In a story reel for The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, "...To Die For" serves as background music for Zira's suicide.
==References==
Category:The Lion King (1994 soundtrack)
Category:The Lion King scores
Category:The Lion King: Special Edition
Category:Real world
Category:Scores