The lion Sleeps Tonight





The lion Sleeps Tonight

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" began as a 1939 African popular music hit "Mbube" that, in modified versions, also became a hit in the US and UK.

"Mbube" (Zulu for "lion") was first recorded by its writer, Solomon Linda, and his group, The Evening Birds, in 1939. Gallo Record Company paid Linda a single fee for the recording and no royalties. "Mbube" became a hit throughout South Africa and sold about one hundred thousand copies during the 1940s. The song became so popular it that Mbube lent its name to a style of African a capella music, though the style has since been replaced by isicathamiya (a softer version).

American musicologist Alan Lomax brought the song to the attention of folk group The Weavers' Pete Seeger. In 1952, they recorded their version entitled "Wimoweh", a mishearing of the original song's chorus of 'uyimbube' (meaning "you're a lion"), and credited the four group members as the composers (under the group pseudonym Paul Campbell) and published by Folkways. Their 1952 version, arranged by Gordon Jenkins, became a top-twenty hit in the U.S., and their live 1957 recording turned it into a folk music staple. This version was covered in 1959 by The Kingston Trio.

New lyrics to the song were written by George Weiss, Luigi Creatore, and Hugo Peretti, based very loosely upon the meaning of the original song. The Tokens' 1961 cover of this version rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and still receives fairly frequent replay on many American oldies radio stations. In 1972 Robert John did a cover of this version. Since then, "Wimoweh"/"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has remained popular and frequently covered.

In 2001, the song was sampled by the Baha Men for their song, "You All Dat".

Alternative band They Might Be Giants did a highly altered version of the song, called "The Guitar". The majority of the song was original, but the highly distinctive melody was present in the chorus.

In early 2006 'The Dancing Hippo And Dancing Dog' returned singing this as comedians.

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