The Madness of King Scar
{{Short description|1997 song from the musical The Lion King}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2022}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox song
| name = The Madness of King Scar
| cover =
| alt =
| type = song
| artist = Heather Headley, Geoff Hoyle, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Stanley Wayne Mathis, Kevin Cahoon and John Vickery
| album =The Lion King: Original Broadway Cast Recording
| released = 1 January 1997
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=5|s=27}}
| label = Walt Disney
|composer=Elton John|lyricist=Tim Rice| producer = {{flatlist|
- Mark Mancina
- Robert Elhai
}}
}}
"The Madness of King Scar" is a song written by English musician Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, which premiered in the musical The Lion King, a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. "The Madness of King Scar" had been added to the musical along with two other songs. It is one of two tracks that more prominently features vocals from the character Nala. The title is a reference to the 1994 film The Madness of King George.
Opening the musical's second act, "The Madness of King Scar" primarily consists of dialogue between Scar, Nala, Zazu, and the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed following Scar's rise to power due to his brother Mufasa's death. The lyrics revolve around Scar's paranoia, specifically his anxiety on the comparisons between himself and Mufasa, and his plan to produce an heir for his kingdom with Nala. Scholars had various interpretations of the song's lyrics and composition, who felt it used stream-of-consciousness to portray Scar as a Shakespearean character or interpreted the instrumental as a tango underscoring Scar's behaviour towards Nala. For later productions of the musical, "The Madness of King Scar" was made shorter in length, before it was removed completely. Despite this, the song was included on the cast album for the original production, with John Vickery portraying Scar. It was also put on the records for the Mexican and Madrid productions.
"The Madness of King Scar" primarily earned positive reviews from music critics, who believed it added more depth to the character of Scar. However, some commentators had more mixed to negative responses; some felt uncertain about the decision to add new material not found in the film to the musical, while others disagreed with the song's explicit content. In 2014, animator Eduardo Quintana created an animated sequence for the song for the 20th anniversary of the animated film. The video received positive reviews from media outlets, who found the animation quality to be on a professional level.
Background
"The Madness of King Scar" is one of three original songs that Elton John and Tim Rice had added for the musical adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5A0EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Madness+of+King+Scar%22&pg=PA68|title='Lion King' Stage Score A Departure For Broadway|last=McCormick|first=Moira|date=14 February 1998|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Eldridge Industries|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820012514/https://books.google.com/books?id=5A0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68&dq=%22Madness%2Bof%2BKing%2BScar%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi34rqd0OTVAhWISCYKHWZSAIc4FBDoAQg3MAM#v=onepage&q=%22Madness%20of%20King%20Scar%22&f=false|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=live}} John had composed the music while Rice wrote the lyrics; the title is a reference to the 1994 film The Madness of King George.Hischak & Robinson (2009): p. 126 Created to further elaborate the storyline,{{cite web|url=http://www.australianstage.com.au/201511227525/reviews/perth/the-lion-king-%7C-disney.html|title=The Lion King|last=Green|first=Megan|date=22 November 2015|publisher=Australian Stage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426122710/http://australianstage.com.au/201511227525/reviews/perth/the-lion-king-%7C-disney.html|archive-date=26 April 2017|url-status=live}} it is one of two new tracks that feature the character Nala, along with "Shadowland". In the original film, she had only performed in a supporting role in the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".{{cite web|url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/beyonc%C3%A9-is-being-courted-for-the-new-lion-king-ce34139546ff/|title=Beyoncé is Being Courted for the New 'Lion King'|last=Orthwein|first=Jake|date=31 March 2017|publisher=Film School Rejects|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517054225/https://filmschoolrejects.com/beyonc%C3%A9-is-being-courted-for-the-new-lion-king-ce34139546ff/|archive-date=17 May 2017|url-status=live}}
The song was inspired by a planned reprise of "Be Prepared" that was storyboarded for the original film, but was ultimately cut from the final version.{{cite web|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/someone-animated-the-creepy-scar-nala-song-from-the-lio-1642911004|title=Someone Animated The Creepy Scar/Nala Song From The Lion King Musical|last=Davis|first=Lauren|date=6 October 2014|publisher=io9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829112430/http://io9.gizmodo.com/someone-animated-the-creepy-scar-nala-song-from-the-lio-1642911004|archive-date=29 August 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://moviepilot.com/posts/3536391|title=Be Prepared for the Disturbing Lost 'Lion King' Song Which Has Been Turned Into a Creepy Animation|last=Will|first=Olivia van der|date=10 September 2015|publisher=Moviepilot|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820201642/https://moviepilot.com/posts/3536391|archive-date=20 August 2017}} Smosh's Mikey McCollor wrote that it was removed from the film for being "so creepy", primarily due to Scar's sexual comments toward Nala.{{cite web|url=http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/animated-lost-lion-king-song-where-scar-tries-get-nala|title=Someone Animated the Lost Lion King Song Where Scar Tries to Get With Nala|last=McCollor|first=Mikey|date=19 August 2014|publisher=Smosh|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125024323/http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/animated-lost-lion-king-song-where-scar-tries-get-nala|archive-date=25 November 2016|url-status=live}} Echoing McCollor's comments, io9's Lauren Davis described Scar's interactions with Nala as creepy, and Moviepilot's Olivia van der Will attributed the exclusion of the song to its lyrics' reference to sexuality. Matthew Roulette of TheFW believes that the scene was abandoned because of the characters' significant age difference.{{Cite web|url=http://thefw.com/be-prepared-reprise-disney-songs-youve-never-heard/|title='Be Prepared (Reprise),' 'The Lion King' — Disney Songs You've Never Heard|last=Roulette|first=Matthew|date=15 January 2012 |publisher=TheFW|access-date=5 November 2015}}
In later productions of the musical, "The Madness of King Scar" was cut down to a shorter length,{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/the-lion-king|title=The Lion King Review|last=O'Hanlon|first=Dom|date=17 September 2015|publisher=LondonTheatre.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820012515/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/the-lion-king|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=live}} before it was fully removed altogether. However it was included on the cast album for the musical, which was released on 1 January 1997. The song included the show's original members Heather Headley, Geoff Hoyle, Tracy Nicole Chapman, Stanley Wayne Mathis, Kevin Cahoon, and John Vickery;{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-lion-king-original-1997-broadway-cast-recording/1440721415|title=The Lion King (Original Broadway Cast Recording)|date=1 January 1997|publisher=iTunes Store (US)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820012515/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-lion-king-original-broadway-cast-recording/id156779968|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=live}} Vickery had played the role of Scar for the official recording. The song was also featured on albums for the musical's Mexican and Madrid productions.{{Cite web|url=http://castalbums.org/songs/Madness-of-King-Scar-The/3100/|title=Madness of King Scar|publisher=CastAlbums.org|access-date=20 August 2017}}
Context and composition
Part of the opening to the show's second act, "The Madness of King Scar" takes place entirely in Scar's cave, and involves Scar, Zazu, Nala, and the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.Viagas & Asch (2006): p. 225 The lead vocal for "The Madness of King Scar" spans between Eb4 to G5, with the instrumental including a piano and chords.{{cite web|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0058316|title=The Madness of King Scar|last=Vickery|first=John|date=9 July 2007|publisher=Musicnotes.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501090028/http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0058316|archive-date=1 May 2009|url-status=live}} An "extended character song for the dissatisfied lion monarch", the lyrics revolve around Scar's "paranoid pursuit of the lion throne".{{cite web|url=https://www.backstage.com/news/15-terrifying-musical-theater-villains/|title=15 Terrifying Musical Theater Villains|last=Wright|first=KC|date=3 November 2015|work=Backstage|publisher=Backstage, LLC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207164627/http://www.backstage.com/news/15-terrifying-musical-theater-villains/|archive-date=7 December 2016|url-status=live}} The song is primarily composed of dialogue rather than singing, with Rice describing it, along with "Chow Down", as "just potboilers".{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/musicals/rices-roar-talent-back-on-show-20130507-2j5ko.html|title=Rice's roar talent back on show|last=Blake|first=Elissa|date=8 May 2013|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924214351/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/musicals/rices-roar-talent-back-on-show-20130507-2j5ko.html|archive-date=24 September 2016|url-status=live}} The Buffalo News' Heather Violanti summarised the performance as "five minutes of painful rumination by the evil Scar and his hyena henchmen after Scar's usurpation of the throne".{{cite web|url=http://buffalonews.com/1998/01/19/in-the-music-of-the-lion-king-beauty-and-beastliness/|title=The Lion King (Original Broadway Cast Recording)|last=Violanti|first=Heather|date=19 January 1998|work=The Buffalo News|publisher=Berkshire Hathaway|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820012515/http://buffalonews.com/1998/01/19/in-the-music-of-the-lion-king-beauty-and-beastliness/|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=live}}
During the song, the hyenas express their discontent with Scar for his inability to deal with a drought affecting the Pride Lands, begging for him to give them a "fix of flesh" to satisfy their "needs". Through the course of the lyrics, Scar becomes increasingly paranoid about comparisons to his deceased brother Mufasa. After fixating on a plan to produce an heir for his kingdom, Scar makes sexual advances to Nala, who explicitly refuses him. Some of Scar's comments to Nala include: "She's got those assets feminine, I have to make her mine!" and "Nala, my, my, how you have grown."
Scholars had various interpretations of the song's lyrics and composition. In their book The Disney Song Encyclopedia, Thomas S. Hischak and Mark A. Robinson described the composition as a "stream-of-consciousness number alternat[ing] between buffoonish comedy and cold-blooded evil". Alfredo Michel Modenessi wrote, in his article "Disney's 'War Efforts': The Lion King and Education for Death; or Shakespeare Made Easy for Your Apocalyptic Convenience" that the song drew close parallels between Scar and a Shakespearean character, and further develops his relationship with the hyenas following his assumption of power.Modenessi (2009): p. 193 Modenessi identified "The Madness of King Scar" as taking on qualities of a tango. Connecting Scar's behaviour with the Argentine tango, Modenessi described his attempts to approach Nala as occurring to "the beat of that stereotyped 'music of seduction'".Modenessi (2009): p. 195
Reception and impact
"The Madness of King Scar" received primarily positive reviews from music critics. Ben Hewis of WhatsOnStage.com included the song in his list of his top five favourite show tunes, writing that it "shin[ed] a humanising light on the thought process of Scar is brilliantly effective storytelling". Hewis found the track to be an interesting exploration of Scar, and felt its removal from current productions of the musical was disappointing.{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/my-top-5-showtunes-trevor-dion-nicholas_41788.html|title=My Top 5 Showtunes: Trevor Dion Nicholas|last=Hewis|first=Ben|date=17 September 2016|publisher=WhatsOnStage.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129021759/http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/my-top-5-showtunes-trevor-dion-nicholas_41788.html|archive-date=29 November 2016|url-status=live}} Featuring it as an example of why Scar was one of the "15 most terrifying musical theater villains", Backstage's KC Wright described it as a "snarling signature song". Megan Green of Australian Stage wrote that "The Madness of King Scar" was an example of one of the "new, and equally memorable, songs" created for the musicals. James MacKillop of The Syracuse New Times described "The Madness of King Scar" and "Be Prepared" as the show's standouts.{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2478561121.html|title=The Mane Event|last=MacKillop|first=James|date=14 September 2011|work=Syracuse New Times|publisher=All Times Publishing LLC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820012515/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2478561121.html|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=live}} {{subscription required}}
Some commentators had more mixed to negative responses to the song. Brandon Jones of The Global Dispatch criticised "The Madness of King Scar" and "Chow Down" as "a bit too tedious", and felt that the beginning of the second act was too long.{{cite web|url=http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/the-lion-king-broadway-play-amazes-and-entertains-83373/|title='The Lion King' Broadway play amazes and entertains|last=Jones|first=Brandon|date=25 January 2016|publisher=The Global Dispatch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613041637/http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/the-lion-king-broadway-play-amazes-and-entertains-83373/|archive-date=13 June 2017|url-status=live}} Heather Violanti was critical of the song's content, writing that its "disgusting jokes about intestinal worms may drive you mad yourself", and negatively compared it to the Lebo M-written "One by One".
= Fan-made animation =
{{external media
| float = right
| width = 25
| video1 = "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kGEz1zDGgY The Lion King 20th Anniversary Tribute: "The Madness of King Scar"]"
Eduardo Quintana's fan-made animation for "The Madness of King Scar"
}}
In 2014, animator Eduardo Quintana released an original sequence using a portion of Vickery's version of "The Madness of King Scar". Created as a "tribute" to the musical and the 20th anniversary of the animated film,{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Impressive-Madness-Of-King-Scar-Song-Scene-For-THE-LION-KING-20141019|title=Impressive 'Madness Of King Scar' Song Scene For The Lion King|last=Cerasaro|first=Pat|date=19 October 2014|publisher=Broadway World|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231150627/http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Impressive-Madness-Of-King-Scar-Song-Scene-For-THE-LION-KING-20141019|archive-date=31 December 2014|url-status=dead}} Quintana had spent roughly two years completing the animation for the video. Focused on the dialogue between Scar and Nala, the scene begins with Scar chewing on a bone before progressing to his sexual propositions to Nala.{{cite web|url=https://panamericana.pe/entretenimiento/216501-youtube-cancion-censurada-pelicula-rey-leon-pondra-pelos-punta-video|title=Youtube: Cancion Censurada Pelicula 'El Rey Leon' Y Te Pondra Los Pelos De Punta [Video]|date=23 November 2016|publisher=Panamericana Televisión|language=es|access-date=23 August 2017}} Released on Quintana's official YouTube account, the video reached over two and a half million views as of 23 November 2016.
Critical response to the video has been positive. Mikey McCollor praised the animation, writing that he had initially believed it was done by Walt Disney Animation Studios animators. Van der Will wrote that Quintana's animation was "seriously out of this world!" Christophe Foltzer of the website Ecranlarge.com also praised Quintana, emphasising the amount of animation that he did as the video's sole animator. Foltzer wrote that he wanted to see further work from Quintana.{{cite web|url=https://www.ecranlarge.com/films/news/930990-une-sequence-inedite-pour-les-20-ans-du-roi-lion|title=Une séquence inédite pour les 20 ans du Roi Lion|date=17 October 2014|last=Foltzer|first=Christophe|publisher=Ecranlarge.com|language=fr|access-date=23 August 2017}}
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References
=Citations=
{{Reflist|30em}}
=Book sources=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last1 = Hischak|first1 = Thomas S. |last2 = Robinson|first2 = Mark A.|title =The Disney Song Encyclopedia|year = 2009 |publisher =Scarecrow Press |location = New York |isbn = 978-1-589-79713-0 |ref = HischakRobinson2009 }}
- {{cite book |last1=Modenessi |first1= Alfredo Michel |chapter=Disney's 'War Efforts': The Lion King and Education for Death; or Shakespeare Made Easy for Your Apocalyptic Convenience |title=Apocalyptic Shakespeare: Essays on Visions of Chaos and Revelation in Recent Film Adaptations |editor-last1 = Croteau |editor-first1 = Melissa |editor-last2 = Jess-Cooke |editor-first2 =Carolyn|year = 2009 |publisher =McFarland|location = New York |pages= 191–202 |isbn = 978-1-4422-3149-8 |ref = Modenessi2009}}
- {{cite book |last1 = Viagas|first1 = Robert |last2 = Asch|first2 = Amy|title =The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2005 - May 2006|year = 2006 |publisher = Playbill Books |location = New York |isbn = 978-1-557-83718-9 |ref = ViagasAsch2006 }}
{{refend}}
{{The Lion King}}
{{Elton John songs}}
{{Tim Rice}}
{{Heather Headley}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madness of King Scar}}
Category:Songs about mental health
Category:Songs about fictional male characters
Category:Songs from The Lion King (franchise)