Did You Know: Phil Collins Sang the Tarzan Soundtrack in 5 Languages

Between DVDs and the Internet, we’ve all probably sen one of the video with a Disney song in multiple language. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in 21 languages has been viewed 57 million times, and the Elsa voice actresses from around the world sang live at the 2020 Oscars.

But these dubs ultimately rely on local actors, generally the same people doing the speaking voice of the characters. You can’t expect Jodi Benson to voice the Japanese Ariel, or Bill Farmer to give a gawsh in Slovak.

But along comes Phil Collins, and that’s all out the window.

While Phil Collins sings the Tarzan soundtrack, he’s not the voice of a character in the series. That led to Disney having an idea, that Phil shared on a newly posted episode of The Rosie O’Donnell Show.

The film goes in 35 different languages. They didn’t tell me that when I said I’d do it. And suddenly about two years into the project, you get a phone call to go to a meeting with the International Department.

And they showed me song from Hercules, which in two-and-a-half minutes, went through 35 different languages. And you couldn’t tell the joins from one language to another, you know.

And they said, ‘So Phil, how ’bout having a go at some of these languages?’ And I suddenly realized that I had to have a crack at… I said I’d do German, French and Spanish, which I did… I did Italian actually as well.

Every time I do the songs, I do the harmonies again, and it just gets… I can’t sing the songs anymore, I’ve been singing the songs for four years as it is!

Low and behold, Phil really knocks it out of the park. Here’s a fan-made compilation of the song “Son of Man” in those four languages plus English.

Maybe he was singing a line at the time, I wondered. But no, here’s his live performance of “You’ll Be in My Heart” on German television. He really knows his stuff:

The same song, but in the Spanish music video:

In French: