Today marks the 70th birthday of Tim Rice, one of the most accomplished lyricists in both film and theatre. Even if the name doesn't ring a bell, you'll no doubt recognize many of the songs listed below and the works they appear in. After all, Rice has worked on many a project along with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John and more. These are just eight we knew offhand, ranked in terms of our personal favorites, but the rest of his catalogue deserves perusal.
08) "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from The Lion King
Expect to see a lot of The Lion King on this list because it was probably the defining soundtrack of my generation. Tough stuff to escape. Although Rice is at his best during more dramatic, emotional compositions, this fun-loving single best highlights the vocals of (then) young Jason Weaver while giving Laura Williams a chance to shine as well, while working in comic relief from Rowan Atkinson throughout.
07) "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and The Technicolor Dreamcoat has never been one of our favorite musicals (your correspondent's fiancé is more fond of it). Still, it's nice to hear a "single" as simple as "Any Dream Will Do" coming from the field of musicals. The avoidance of huge orchestration and harmonies by Webber means that Rice's lyrics need to hit the spot (and they do). Jason Donovan's 1991 version from the West End performance of the show went to no. 1 with good reason.
06) "I Know Him So Well" from Chess
Rice is of course best known for his theatre work with Webber but he's collaborated with many a composer onstage. It's interesting that Chess didn't feature lyrics from Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, the guys best known for being members of ABBA (and writing that group's hit singles as well) while composing this musical. "I Knew Him So Well" is the most popular track from that musical, featuring a duet of sorts between two women—the wife and mistress—of the title chess player, lamenting how their relationships with him have fallen apart.
05) "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" from The Lion King
Although Elton John was involved in writing most of the music for The Lion King, he's most associated with the lead radio single from the film due to his performance therein. We've heard many a cynic profess profound hatred for the track and we have no idea why it deserves such vitriol. No doubt Elton deserves credit for his vocal approach to the track but we (as fans of very non-sappy forms of music otherwise) have to give Rice credit for exploring the phenomenon of romance from such a well-rounded angle, instead of the more popular brick-to-the-head preferred by many songwriters.
04) "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar
Having recently listened to the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, we have to acknowledge it sounds a bit dated (thank God for reprises). Try to place yourself in that era, 1970, and then imagine the themes of this musical. The divinity of Christ is never confirmed and the Webber/Rice teams was eons ahead of Martin Scorsese with the sexual tension between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. "I Don't Know How To Love Him" doesn't shy away from her historical past as a whore (often glossed over by The Church), her doubts about his divine status ("he's a man, he's just a man") and, of course, her attraction to him. Bold stuff.
03) "Be Prepared" from The Lion King
This will probably be the most controversial entry on this list because we're claiming "Be Prepared" is the best track on The Lion King soundtrack. The villain's song on Disney films has always gotten a bad rap (because evil doesn't fly as a single) but Elton/Rice's showcase for Jeremy Irons as Scar is magnificent. The song was a bold move for both the animators and orchestrators, crafting undeniably Nazi-thematics into the march of the hyenas during the song's second half. It may not be charming, per se, but it's certainly alluring, in a way that makes you feel beyond uncomfortable with yourself.
02) "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from Evita
One of the most celebrated songs in the catalogues of both Webber and Rice, this ballad is deserving. Although it shares a melody with several other tracks from Evita but this version has stuck in the mind of theatergoers for years because of Eva Perón's moving words about regret and her lack thereof. The title of the song comes directly from Perón's grave, a nice tough. We're not experts but we can't think of any other Rice song that has been covered as many times as this.
01) "A Whole New World" from Aladdin
Most of the credit Rice has gotten when it comes to Disney soundtracks has been with regards to The Lion King (we're guilty as any) but we would argue that his best number of all came from his first work with the animation company, Aladdin. We wouldn't recommend "accidentally" playing "A Whole New World" on your iPod during the first date-might be overcommitting-but if you're feeling confident around the third date, let it drop. We apologize to the 2 percent of women who don't actually enjoy this track but in your correspondent's experience, no other song melts her heart like this one. As for the huge majority of guys who pretend to hate this song: Grow up/no one's questioning your manhood.
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