Mbube to The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds
   • Solomon Linda&The Evening ( The First...  

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First recorded in around 1939, this is/was a South African folklore song about Shaka, the warrior king of the Zulus. Shaka resisted the plundering European colonizers and is supposedly dead, but the song tells that he is sleeping and will one day re-awaken and lead the people to freedom from their oppressors. Mbube means Lion.

The main singer is Solomon Linda, who was carving out a very successful career as a singer in South Africa. And this song became a huge success in South Africa when released by Solomon Linda and The Evening Birds.

The song was picked up and changed by Pete Seeger in the US, and was released in the 50s by the Weavers (who called in Wimoweh), then became a huge hit in the 60s with the Tokens (as the Lion Sleeps Tonight). In the early 80s a version was released by Tight Fit, and it was also revived by appearing in the Lion King.