Tim Rice
"I don't know how to love him," "Don't cry for me, Argentina," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" - do we have you singing in your head (or out loud) yet? If so, you have Tim Rice to thank for the incredibly catchy, powerful lyrics that drive these songs. Born in England in 1944, Tim Rice started out to become a solicitor at the law firm of Pettit & Westlake, but thankfully soon changed his career path. He was introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1965: their partnership bore fruit in 1968's Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, originally commissioned as a piece to keep parents awake at the annual end of term concert at Colet Court School. Joseph did much more than wake up sleepy parents - it became a runaway success, and set the stage for their followup piece, Jesus Christ Superstar, in 1970-71. After one more blockbuster success - Evita, in 1976-78 - the pair went their separate ways, and Tim Rice collaborated with other musical composers, including ABBA's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (Chess, 1984-86), Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, 1994, supplementing the lyrics originally written for the film by Howard Ashman), and Elton John (The Lion King, 1994-97; Aida 1999-2000). So, if next time that troubles threaten to drag you down, "Hakuna Matata" brings a smile to your face, you can thank Tim Rice for the words sung by a lion cub, a warthog, and a meerkat.
