Shadowland (song)
"Shadowland" is a song written by Lebo M, Hans Zimmer, and Mark Mancina for the musical The Lion King (1997), a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name.
Originally performed by Trinidadian-American singer and actress Heather Headley as Nala, and South African actress Tsidii Le Loka as Rafiki, roles both performers originated on stage, "Shadowland" narrates Nala's decision to leave the Pride Lands in search of a more habitable environment upon realizing that her homeland has grown dry and barren in the midst of Scar's reign.
Disney decided that the five pop-oriented songs composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice had written for the animated film would be augmented by more exotic-sounding, percussive and African-influenced musical numbers for its stage adaptation.
So I threw out a lot of the soft stuff in the film and made Nala very strong", giving the character "one of the best songs in the show, 'Shadowland,' which is about being a refugee," a subject the director believes remains "very topical".
[20] Calling the ballad "extraordinary",[4] Taymor identified "Shadowland" as one of her favorite songs in the musical, second to "Circle of Life",[13] and continues to get emotional when she hears it.
[25] Seeking permission from them before she leaves in search of a fertile land to where they can possibly relocate,[6] Nala bids an emotional farewell to her fellow lionesses and homeland, which has grown dry and barren due to famine and drought under Scar's reign.
[2][18] Performed against a background of "jungle fauna",[26] the lionesses join Nala in chanting while mourning the decrepit state of what was once their ancestors' home,[6] voicing their dissatisfaction with the condition of its ecosystem.
[31] John Moore of The Denver Post believes that by preceding “Endless Night" and "He Lives in You", "Shadowland" initiates a climax that becomes a "stampede of ongoing powerful moments".
[18] Simmons believes that, at this point in the musical, most of the lionesses have already either been raped or sexually harassed by Scar by the time Nala realizes how dangerous the Pride Lands have become, forcing her to leave in search help.
[36] Nala experiences several different emotions during the song, beginning reserved as she observes how barren her homeland has become, a feeling that transitions into sadness and vulnerability, before she ultimately accepts that she must "fight for this land, and get things to where they used to be”, according to actress Noxolo Dlamini.
[29] Ensemble actress Pia Hamilton agreed with Taymor's conscious decision to make certain scenes, such as "Shadowland", particularly "female heavy", believing that the song is used to depict "women in power".
[19] Writing for the Houston Chronicle, Wei-Huan Chen agreed that "Shadowland" explores several political themes and subtexts that include feminism, believing its title is "applicable to any period in history shrouded by injustice".
[20] Janice M. Nargi, writing for JMN Publications, agreed that the song "fuse[s] contemporary messages of courage and empowerment with insistent cadences that suggest universality and timelessness".
[57] Billboard music critic Larry Flick said Headley and actress Tsidii Le Loka exchange "smooth pop vocals and traditional tribal chants"; the soloists are augmented by a choir who "gradually builds the song to anthemic proportions".
[60] In August 1997, Chris Hewit of the St. Paul Pioneer Press commended Headley's "passionate" interpretation,[61] while Playbill's Robert Simonson reported that the singer's performance "draws applause every night".
[30] Praising actress Ta'Rea Campbell's performance at the Bass Concert Hall in 2007, Robert Faires of The Austin Chronicle wrote that she "fills 'Shadowland' with such urgency as to make it a potent dramatic statement as well as a lovely ballad.
"[71] Describing "Shadowland" as both "inspiring" and "lovely", The San Diego Union-Tribune critic Pam Kragen wrote that actress Marja Harmon sung the song "with great beauty".
[72] Actress Nia Holloway has also garnered strong reviews, whose rendition Shannon McLoud of Motif Magazine deemed worth "The price of admission".
[74] Recognizing Holloway's performance as a standout, the News and Tribune contributor Claire White said her "combination of vocals and movement gave a great display of emotion to the audience".
[75] In a less positive review, Susan Haubenstock of the Richmond Times-Dispatch dismissed "Shadowland" as one of the new songs that resemble "filler", accusing it of slowing down the pace of the production and causing "the action and the energy peter out in the second act.
[16][82] WLCK's Ray Cornelius speculated, "While this tune was not in the original movie, I’m sure the film’s producers will make an exception and allow Beyoncé to perform it or create a new song for her.
