Line #61 Main/HakunaMatata


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hakuna_matata.PNG]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:It's our problem-free philosophy: Hakuna Matata!]]
7	%%
8	->''"Look for the bare necessities\
9	The simple bare necessities\
10	Forget about your worries and your strife!"''
11	-->-- "The Bare Necessities", ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook''
12
13	Life is good, ain't it? Makes you just want to sing about it. And if life isn't good... well, then sing about being happy, and some happiness is sure to come to you. And if you've got a friend whose life isn't as happy, well then maybe a song will perk up their day.
14
15	Some other guys can take their dark brooding, their {{angst}}, their cynicism, and their responsibilities and sit in their corner somewhere. But this song is about living the good life, the free life, the happy life. Not tied down by any restrictions, you just sing to be happy, and that's all there is to it.
16
17	Basically, this song is about having a fun-loving, optimistic outlook on the world, and, above all else, no worries. Expect this sequence to be a lot lighter in tone than the rest of the plot.
18
19	Usually, this type of song is sung by a carefree individual to educate someone who doesn't know the joy of the good life, but, since the hero's journey is ultimately all about responsibility, this tends to be a SidekickSong, especially if the sidekick's life is a {{Foil}} to the hero's destiny, or a song sung by the hero before TheCall screws around with his life. It may even represent an initial RefusalOfTheCall, or a LeaveYourQuestTest later in the story.
20
21	----
22	!!Examples:
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'': The children's song the Tachikomas sing when they [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice crash the satellite hosting their A.I. into an American nuclear missile launched at the refugee camp/island of Dejima]].]] Fits this trope to a "t": the Tachikomas are [[spoiler:robotic]] sidekicks, and the song is about the simple optimism of life.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
30	* Creator/{{Disney}} uses this a lot:
31	** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King\|1994}}'': The song "Hakuna Matata" popularized the phrase (also the TropeNamer), where Timon and Pumbaa tell Simba, who has just run away from his responsibilities and his life, that he doesn't need to worry about the past, because a carefree existence is much less trouble. However, this mentality ends up [[DeconstructedTrope becoming an obstacle that Simba must throw off]] before he can [[spoiler:start serving the kingdom and rescue it from Scar, who never outgrows this attitude and tries to take the benefits of being king without taking any of the responsibility that goes along with the job. When both Simba and Scar shun this responsibility, the kingdom suffers greatly from Scar's neglectful approach. It's only when Simba grows and learns to take responsibility that prosperity returns]]. In fact, the song shows Simba being ''apathetically cynical'' ("Sometimes, bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?").
32	** [[OlderThanTheyThink This wasn't the first time Disney used this trope for a song.]] ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', which came out 6 years before ''The Lion King'', has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb7kJ-j_dKA "Why Should I Worry?"]], sung by Dodger to Oliver. Dodger isn't a comic relief character like Timon and Pumbaa, but it's very much a "let me astonish you, young stranger, with tales of my carefree lifestyle" song.
33	** It doesn't go back there, either! ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book\|1967}}'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ogQ0uge06o "The Bare Necessities"]] (of which an excerpt of the lyrics provides the page quote). Baloo tells Mowgli all about life in the jungle, where your only concern should be what's for dinner (and whether or not it's you), and no one needs any lasting anxiety.
34	** ''WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree'' had Jiminy Cricket's song "I'm a Happy-go-Lucky Fellow," all about his happy and carefree approach to life.
35	** And even before "I'm a Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow," there was [[http://youtu.be/LcxYwwIL5zQ "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah"]], about having a "wonderful feeling" on a "wonderful day," from ''Film/SongOfTheSouth''.
36	** ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'' has a CutSong called, well... "The Fishing Song", which is replaced in the final version of the film by "Welcome". "The Fishing Song" is basically about how the bears at the Salmon Run live a happy life just being bears, including eating, swimming, fishing, and sleeping. They also live a motto that can be described (as said in the lyrics) as "every day is one long party" and "life don't get no better than this".
37	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnpJBkAMk44 "Let it Go"]] sung by Elsa, where she believes that she can finally use her ice powers without harming anyone, and live with no worries or responsibilities by going on a self-induced isolation in her IcePalace. [[DeconstructedTrope Unfortunately]], what she doesn't realize is that she accidentally plunged her own kingdom into an EndlessWinter and upon being informed, she goes right back to square one and panics, accidentally striking her sister in the heart. Her CharacterDevelopment involves learning to face her problems instead of simply avoiding them, in the end controlling and using her powers around others instead of repressing them or hiding.
38	* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998'' had Slyly the Fox sing "It Could Be Worse" to Rudolph after he ran away from home. The song is about how there are worse situations in the world and how Rudolph should forget his troubles at the time.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
42	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW02c5UNGl0 "Make 'Em Laugh"]] from ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', possibly the most obvious example of this trope.
43	%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** "Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses", a duet between the hero and comedy sidekick, also counts.
44	* ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'': Cross this over with a VillainSong, hand it to a WackyWaysideTribe that's keeping the heroine from reaching her goal, and you get "Chilly Down," all about life without worrying about a thing.
45	* [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 The 2019 remake]] of ''The Lion King'' takes a rather nihilistic spin on "Hakuna Matata." There is no "circle of life" or anything beyond the here and now, only a "line of meaningless indifference". Nothing really matters beyond living comfortably and choosing your own happiness over a meaningful purpose.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
49	* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'':
50	** The show finally [[spoiler:hooks up Josh and Rebecca]] after a season and a half of trying, and they celebrate with a '70s soul pastiche called "We'll Never Have Problems Again," and forcibly reject any thoughts about how delusional with infatuation they are. Heather calls them out on it.
51	--->'''Rebecca:''' ''But now our love / has magically solved them / And there won't be any / more in our future at all!''\
52	'''Heather:''' Okay, so you guys are, like, super delusional.
53	** Josh also ''tries'' this earlier, with the Music/JasonMraz-style "Thought Bubbles", but he keeps being distracted from his insistence that he's totally happy and chill with disturbing thoughts like how weird it was that he randomly stopped liking guacamole one day because what if he suddenly stopped liking his mom the same way? Ultimately concluding with him realizing that his generally carefree personality can only be kept up as long as he's in a relationship and has someone to distract him from his thoughts.
54	--->''Life is so sweet when you take it light / Nothing can go wrong when the sun is bright / That reminds me that I barely passed lifeguard school / That's why that kid almost died in that pool...''
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Music]]
58	* "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight", best known for its cover version by Music/TinyTim, is all about "having a wonderful time" and not worrying about things.
59	%%Administrivia/ExamplesAreNotArguable. Please clarify.* As one can tell from the title, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby [=McFerrin=] is this sort of song. [[PlayingWithATrope Maybe.]]
60	* "Three Little Birds" from ''Music/{{Exodus\|BobMarleyAlbum}}'' by Music/BobMarley
61	-->''"Don't worry, 'bout a thing\
62	'cause every little thing's gonna be alright."''
63	* Visiting Africa, one notices a little tune emanating from the locals. Whilst the lyrics differ depending on region, it goes "Jambo, Jambo bwana, habari gani, m'zuri sana... Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata!" It is an actual song, and very popular. (Simba is also Swahili for Lion and is heard everywhere, too)
64	* The song "Fill Your Heart" by Music/PaulWilliams and Biff Rose, later CoveredUp by the likes of Music/TinyTim and Music/DavidBowie, urges you to fill your heart with love, which will clean your mind and make you ''freeeeeeeeeeee!''
65	* Music/TheBeatles' ''Music/AbbeyRoad'' gives us the famous "Here Comes the Sun." For some background, the early winter months of 1969 were not kind to Music/GeorgeHarrison: he temporarily left the band, got arrested for drug possession, and had his tonsils removed. The end of that unfortunate winter inspired him to write about the hopeful feelings brought by the coming spring, and the rest is history.
66	* Music/MartinaMcBride's "Happy Girl" is about formerly feeling down all the time, but living happily after realizing that did no good and approaching life with a loving and optimistic outlook instead.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Theatre]]
70	%%* "Ain't Life Fine" from ''Theatre/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer''.
71	* "Bidin' My Time" from ''Girl Crazy,'' by the Gershwin Brothers that extols the slacker's philosophy.
72	* ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'' has:
73	** "Out Tonight", about Mimi enjoying what time she has left.
74	** "Santa Fe", about Collins' dream of opening a restaurant out west.
75	%%Needs more context to differentiate it from LyricalDissonance.** "Today 4 You", an upbeat and bouncy song...about killing a dog.
76	* Creator/MontyPython's ''Theatre/{{Spamalot}}'' has "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," a song about how life seriously sucks but if you make the most of it, you might end up not being depressed. In its original presentation in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' it's being sung by a bunch of crucified people. Despite their fate this is their philosophy.
77	--> ''Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true / You'll see that life's a show, leave 'em laughing as you go''
78	%%* "Happy Talk" from ''Theatre/SouthPacific''.
79	* "All For The Best" from ''{{Theatre/Godspell}}'' points out that even though life might suck, there's more to life than material wealth and that it will all even out in the end.
80	%%* "Consider Yourself" from ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}''
81	* Subverted and directly referenced in ''Theatre/TheBookOfMormon'' with "Hasa Diga Eebowai," in which the Ugandan villagers sing a happy-sounding song about how much their lives suck and how they try to make the best of it by [[spoiler:cursing God in the most profane manner possible]], and again in "Turn It Off," in which the Mormon missionaries sing a toe-tapping tune about forgetting their problems by suppressing their emotions.
82	* "Dancing Through Life" from ''{{Theatre/Wicked}}'', though it is heavily shown that this manner of life is shallow, flippant and actually unfulfilling. The singer learns his lesson by the end of the play.
83	* ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'':
84	** "Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome" is of the darker life-sucks-but-let's-pretend-for-a-moment-it-doesn't variety.
85	--->'''[=EmCee=]:''' Leave your troubles outside! In here, life is beautiful... the girls are beautiful... even the orchestra is beautiful!
86	** The title song "Cabaret" is another:
87	--->''Come taste the wine / Come hear the band / Come blow your horn, start celebrating / Right this way, your table's waiting!''
88	* "Live, Laugh, Love" from ''Theatre/{{Follies}}'' starts out as one of these.
89	-->'''Ben:''' ''When the rent is owing / What's the use of tears? / I'd rather laugh, / I'd rather love, / I'd rather live / In arrears.''
90	* "Living Dead" from ''Theatre/JasperInDeadland'' is about all the spirits in Deadland partying and having fun, due to the fact that they have nothing left to lose.
91	* "[[https://youtu.be/3gbpDCzac3M With a Little Bit of Luck]]" in ''Theatre/MyFairLady'' is a decidedly amoral example by the hedonistic LowerClassLout Alfred Doolittle.
92	* In ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'', "Living It Up on Top" is about Persephone heralding her return and everyone enjoying the summertime and life she brings. The forgetting-your-troubles aspect is particularly resonant in the Broadway version, where Persephone puts complaints about the weather and hard times out of her mind as she tells Eurydice to take what she can get and make the most of it.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Western Animation]]
96	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' has a call back to the song from ''The Lion King''. Bunga and Simba end up trying to navigate tunnels when they’re trapped in a sinkhole. They argue and go off in different directions. Bunga starts singing “Hakuna Matata” and Simba hears him and joins in. They realize they’re kinda like brothers since Timon and Pumbaa raised them both, and are able to start getting along better. Simba, along with the rest of his family,later sings it at the Elephants’ concert.
97	[[/folder]]
98	----
99	''What a wonderful phrase!''

Context Main / HakunaMatata