R E M The Lion Sleeps Tonight Mp3 Download
As noted in the facts' section, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" actually originated in South Africa during the early 20th century. It is said that its writer, Solomon Linda and his homeys used to actually chase away lions who wanted to use cattle they owned as prey. And those pursuits serve as the basis of the lyrical composition of this song.
Most of it seems to be praising the lion itself. For instance, the verses are from where we get the phrase "the lion sleeps tonight". And they simply depict the lion as resting either in the "mighty" and "quiet jungle" or near the "peaceful" and "quiet village".
The village part especially insinuates that it is in fact near a human habitation. And the chorus itself, which basically consists of one phrase being repeated, is once again bigging up the lion.
But it is the bridge which speaks more to the aforementioned origin of the song. Here, the singer is telling his "darling" not to fret, presumably because the lion is in fact sleeping. So this is the first part of the song where this creature is depicted as being an actual threat. Thus the overall insinuation is that the human beings who also live within the vicinity of the where the lion dwells can rest easily since the lion is also at peace on this particular night.
Release Date of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The origin of this song dates back to 1939. That's when a South African musician by the name of Solomon Linda (1909-1962) first wrote and recorded it, though back then it was entitled "Mbubu" and recited entirely in the Zulu language.
It was another writer, American George David Weiss, who later came out with the English lyrics. He did so specifically for The Tokens' cover of "Mbubu", which by this time had come to be known as "Wimoweh" due to a mispronunciation of the word which originally made up the song's chorus. And that word was actually uyimbube, which translate to "you are a lion".
Thus The Tokens were actually the first in a long line of artists to actually sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", as that phrase was added by George Weiss himself (1921-2010).
And the other co-writers credited on The Tokens' version are also the producers of their rendition, Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti.
Covers of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
This song has been covered by many artists throughout the decades. Amongst some of the big names which standout are Miriam Makeba (1960), R.E.M. (1993) and 'N Sync (1997).
A British group called Tight Fit also dropped a pretty-successful rendition back in 1982. However, it was The Tokens, a doo-wop group from Brooklyn, New York, who arguably released the most-renowned version, as their take on the tune topped the US Billboard Hot 100 (a feat it replicated in New Zealand) in addition to peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and also charting in Australia, Belgium and Germany.
The Tokens are said to have initially been embarrassed with the song and in fact tried to prevent it from being released. However, it up as the B-side to a now-obscure track called "Tina", and they even went on to name their debut album "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
The official release date of The Tokens' rendition is 1 January 1961. And the label behind the recording is RCA Records.
Usage in Films
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has been featured in a number of movies, perhaps most notably the pair of Ace Ventura films (starring comedian Jim Carrey) released in 1994 and 1995.
Source: https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/the-lion-sleeps-tonight-by-the-tokens/
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