Their version contained the chanting chorus "Wimoweh" and Linda's improvised melodic line. In November 1951, after having performed the song for at least a year in their concerts, The Weavers recorded an adapted version with brass and string orchestra and chorus and released it as a 78 single titled "Wimoweh", a mishearing of the original song's chorus of " Uyimbube" ("You are a lion" in Zulu). In 1949, Alan Lomax, then working as folk music director for Decca Records, brought Solomon Linda's 78 recording to the attention of his friend Pete Seeger of the folk group The Weavers. Linda's song also gave the name to a style of African a cappella music that evolved into isicathamiya (also called mbube), popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. By 1948, the song had sold over 100,000 copies in Africa and among black South African immigrants in Great Britain. Issued by Gallo as a 78-rpm phonograph record in 1939, and marketed to black audiences, "Mbube" became a hit and Linda a star throughout South Africa. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight. The third take was the best, achieving immortality when Solly took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and improvised the melody that the world now associates with these words: "Mbube" wasn't the most remarkable tune, but there was something compelling about the underlying chant, a dense meshing of low male voices above which Solomon yodelled and howled for two exhilarating minutes, improvising occasionally. He spent his weekends performing with the Evening Birds, a musical ensemble, and it was at Gallo Records, under the direction of producer Griffiths Motsieloa, that Linda and his fellow musicians recorded several songs, including "Mbube", which incorporated a call-response pattern common among many Sub-Saharan African ethnic groups, including the Zulu. "Mbube" ( Zulu for "lion") was written by Solomon Linda, a South African Zulu singer, who worked for the Gallo Record Company in Johannesburg as a cleaner and record packer.
Problems playing this file? See media help. This song is written and composed in the key of E. The pop group Tight Fit had a number one hit in the UK with the song in 1982. It went on to earn millions in royalties from cover versions and film licensing. In 1961, a version adapted into English with the title "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" became a number-one hit in the United States as by the doo-wop group the Tokens. Artists who recorded various versions of the song included Henri Salvador, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Noro Morales, Miriam Makeba, and the Kingston Trio. It was recorded as " Wimoweh" by the Weavers in November 1951, and published by Folkways Music Publishers in December 1951. The song was adapted and covered internationally by many pop and folk revival artists in the 1950s and 1960s. Linda's original was written in isiZulu, while the English version's lyrics were written by George David Weiss. " The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title " Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) (Audio) on YouTube JSTOR ( May 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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