The song was written by songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman,[1] and was performed by singer and musician Louis Prima as King Louie, with Phil Harris providing additional vocals as Baloo the bear.
[2] Walt Disney sought to make his version of The Jungle Book a lot more upbeat than the Rudyard Kipling-penned source material, the original Bill Peet script, and the initial score composed by Terry Gilkyson (whose song "The Bare Necessities" ultimately made it into the final film).
"[5] Working with concept art of what the monkeys would look like,[6] Richard Sherman said he and his brother aimed for a jazz sound, with a Dixieland-like melody.
"[7] After suggesting that Louis Prima could play the part of King Louie,[8] Walt Disney Records president Jimmy Johnson and music director Tutti Camarata asked the Sherman brothers to fly to Las Vegas and perform the song for Prima.
"[5] The instrumentals were originally recorded by Prima - who also played the trumpet - and his band, Sam Butera & The Witnesses, but the music was replaced by one written by the film's composer, George Bruns, and orchestrated by Walter Sheets.