"Upendi" is a love song from the 1998 direct-to-video animated feature, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. The song is sung by Rafiki (Robert Guillaume), Kiara (Liz Callaway), Kovu (Gene Miller), and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Plot[]
Rafiki's song told the two mates, Kiara and Kovu about love and happiness, with some points of "No Worries"/Hakuna Matata. He said that they shouldn't worry about loving each other, 'cause the "love" will guide all of them someday. Rafiki and his safari friends play matchmaker, helping Kovu and Kiara to realize they have fallen in love in their own 'romantic getaway'.
Lyrics[]
There's a place where the crazy moon
Makes the monkeys sing and the baboons swoon
And the sultry scent of the lotus bloom
Will carry you away
While the hippos swing from the jungle vines
And the rhino rhumba in a conga line
Or the pink flamingoes are intertwined
As the stars come out to play
In Upendi
Where the passion fruit grows sweet
And it's so divine
That you lose your mind
As it sweeps you off your feet
In Upendi
Without a worry or a care
It just takes two
To make it true
Your heart will lead you there
[Speech]
Where is it?
Rafiki:
No place you don't take with you.
You better watch your step 'cause the path is steep
Better hold your breath cause the water's deep
It's a long way down over Lovers' Leap
But falling's half the fun!
In Upendi
Where the passion fruit grows sweet
And it's so divine
That you lose your mind
As it sweeps you off your feet
In Upendi
Without a worry or a care
It just takes two
To make it true
Your heart will take you there
You can beat the bush like there's no tomorrow
From Tanganyika to Kilimanjaro
But you'll find Upendi wherever you are
Or underneath the sun
[Speech]
Kiara:
Upendi -- it means "love", doesn't it?
Rafiki:
Welcome to Upendi!
Rafiki and Chorus:
In Upendi
Where the passion fruit grows sweet
And it's so divine
That you lose your mind
As it sweeps you off your feet
In Upendi
Without a worry or a care
It just takes two
To make it true
Your heart will take you there
Kiara:
Upendi!
Rafiki and Chorus:
Down In Upendi
Way down
In Upendi!
Trivia[]
- Upendi means "Love" in Swahili. However, the real word is upendo, with upendi being an error.
- The song is also the equivalent to "Hakuna Matata" from the first film. The other animal appearances during the song make it equivalent to "I Just Can't Wait to Be King".