Disney Launches Pop-Punk Covers Album With Simple Plan’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”
Have you ever wanted a pop-punk Disney album? If so, your wish has come true. “As a huge music fan, Mickey has an extensive record collection — which gave him the idea for a new album made for fans of all generations,” Disney announced today. A Whole New Sound will feature pop-punk and alternative rock bands putting their own twist on popular Disney songs, and Simple Plan’s take on Elton John’s The Lion King classic “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” is out now.
“When Disney reached out to us to be a part of this project, it was a bit overwhelming because there are so many amazing Disney songs,” Simple Plan told Billboard. The group continued:
But it became obvious pretty quickly that The Lion King song book, and especially “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” stood out from the rest. The song just has such a classic feel, and the melodies are so memorable and timeless. We also felt like it would lend itself really well to our style and would sound awesome as a pop-punk version.
It’s also one of those songs and movies that has been such an important part of people’s lives. Lots of our fans grew up watching it and listening to the soundtrack and we also played them for our own kids. So, it holds a special place in our hearts and felt like the rare song that could connect to a very wide range of listeners across many generations. Finally, the fact that the movie celebrates its 30th anniversary this year was just the icing on the cake! It’s such an honor to offer our own version of this song and to cover such an iconic artist like Sir Elton John. We’re not sure if he heard the song or not, but we hope he will enjoy this new version and feel like we did it justice.
Next month, Simple Plan will hit the road with Avril Lavigne on her greatest-hits tour and on August 9 the band will perform the cover at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
Hear Simple Plan’s rendition of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” below.