I've
always loved the Token's classic (Wimoweh) The Lion Sleeps
Tonight. Apparently so do many others, it's a very frequently
covered tune. During the summer of 1997 the sheer variety of
versions intrigued me, and I decided to create a medley of covers
of this enduring song.
Originally
a central African recording by Solomon Linda called M'bube,
it was later recorded by the Weavers, and a decade later
by the Tokens, who added the song's now famous lyrics. See
In
The Jungle, originally published in the May 25, 2000
issue of Rolling Stone magazine, for a fascinating look
at the real story behind M'bube.
medley by Adam Rosen
featuring
selections by
Ladysmith
Black Mambazo
The Tokens
The Nylons
Miriam Makeba
Robert John
Manu Dibango
Lion
in the news...
Hearing
Voices, a consortium
of veteran independent public radio producers, used part
of the "Lion" medley in their production about
life in the circus, Circus
Blood, in June 2006.
Transom.org,
a showcase and workshop for new public radio, gave mention
to "Lion" on their Media News page in February
2001:
LET
SLEEPING LIONS LIE Adam Rosen, of Oakbog
Studios, has crafted a wonderful montage of the African
folktune "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Medley)," made from the
interpretations of the song, by the Tokens (who covered
the song twice, and had American hits both times), Ladysmith
Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango and others. Says
Adam, "What resulted was a fascinating lesson in the transformation
of a tune -- one which stems originally from a central African
recording by Solomon Linda called M'bube (pronounced, loosely,
as Wimoweh) -- and an homage to a journey spanning the decades
and the continents."
