Phil Collins on what he learned while recording Tarzan soundtrack

WASHINGTON: There is a reason the Tarzan soundtrack is so iconic, and it all has to do with Phil Collins. Musician and songwriter Phil Collins described the moment he realised he needed to sing all of the film’s music in other languages.

The singer sang in multiple different languages for the ‘Tarzan’ movie. “Someone says, ‘Excuse me, we go to 35 countries. So I’m afraid you’re going to… are you going to try to sing in Spanish or Swahili?'” he recalled in the throwback clip.

Before working on the Disney animated tale, Collins said he had “never ever sung anything in another language before”, reported People. “So that’s another plus, that’s another new thing I’ve learned while doing this project”, he added, noting that it “opened up a whole” new world to him.

Phil Collins’ iconic soundtrack for @Disney‘s “Tarzan” was released this week in 1999. The songs were written and composed by Phil, who performs alongside Glenn Close, Rosie O’Donnell and NSYNC, with an original score composed by Mark Mancina.

Listen: https://t.co/DgY1hl3EgN pic.twitter.com/lsfgs6NGJm

— Phil Collins (@PhilCollinsFeed) May 14, 2025

The old clip then shows Collins singing ‘Strangers Like Me’ from the movie Tarzan in French and Spanish. Collins recorded the songs in five different languages — French, German, Italian, Spanish and English, reported People.

Collins composed the soundtrack to the 1999 Disney film, which went on to win a Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album. ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’ nabbed the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe for the same honour, reported People.

The songs were written and composed by Collins, who performed alongside Glenn Close, Rosie O’Donnell and NSYNC, with an original score composed by Mark Mancina. The film, which made $448.2 million worldwide, starring Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Brian Blessed, Wayne Knight, Close, and O’Donnell.

In 2016, the famed musician’s daughter, Lily Collins, told Harry Connick Jr. that one of her father’s most recognisable songs was originally written as a lullaby for her. “‘You’ll Be in My Heart,’ from Tarzan,” she revealed, adding, “We grew up watching Disney shows and movies together, so that was his way of kind of being able to do it for his kids. It was so special”, reported People. (ANI)