Moonage Webdream

Solomon Linda

For reasons I can’t really explain, other than always loving the slightly odd things in life, The Lion Sleeps Tonight has always been one of my personal favorites. Being 40something, I was introduced to the song by Robert John, who had a hit with it in 1972. Most everyone still remembers the The Tokens “original” version. What most people don’t know is “the rest of the story”. And, Wimoweh has one heck of a history. I’ll digress to an incredibly well done history of the song here.

Now, this is going to be an interesting list of references:

Here’s my version:


Now, I feel compelled to stop here is because here is a list of of other recordings of The Lion Sleeps Tonight:
• Mbube 1939 - Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds(Gallotone). Sold estimated 100,000 78s over a decade…
• Tuxedo Swingsters, featuring Abdullah Ibrahim, early fifties.
• Manhattan Bros. (Their live album for EMI, issued in exile in sixties)
• Miriam Makeba’s debut LP USA 1960, produced by Belafonte, featuring Chad Mitchell Trio. Made US Top 40.
  Title Miriam Makeba of King Kong Fame. “The most exciting new singing talent to appear in many years” - Time. Pirate version, desc. as “traditional.”
• Easy Walkers, according to Prof V. Erlmann of UTexas.
• Wimoweh 1951 - The Weavers. Allegedly authored by the fictitious “Paul Campbell,” but really adapted by Pete Seeger, who copied Mbube “note-for-note.” Published Folkways, released Decca. Peaked at number 6 on Variety charts, and sold somewhere between two hundred thousand (Leventhal) and one million (Seeger) Subsequently appeared on at least 12 Weavers collections or reunions or Seeger solo albums.
• Kingston Trio - track on 1959 album Live from Hungry I that peaked at number two and spent 178 weeks on US charts.
• Jimmy Dorsey - April 52 (Bandstand)
• Wilder Bros. 1955 (Erlmann)
• Lion Sleeps Tonight — The Tokens 1961. “By Weiss/Peretti/Creatore/Stanton.”
  Immortal hit single, US number one for three weeks, topped charts worldwide, often in cover versions (see 7). Weiss says Tokens alone sold six million. Returned to US charts in 1995, peaking in 40s.
• Karl Denver - l962 UK cover, #1, four months on charts.
• Springfields (Top 20 British sixties hit, apparently)
• New Christy Minstrels
• Yma Sumac
• George Mitchell
• Augmented Fifths
• Davy Graham - British socialist folkie, quite big in ‘63.
• Eric Donaldson - Love of the Common People LP 1972
• The Tremeloes, plus several greatest hits comps.
• Panharmonics
• New Zealand Army Band
• Jimmy Rodgers
• Troubadour Singers
• Klaus Wunderlich (cheesy German organmeister)
• Robert John, peaked at US number 3 in l972.
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo (at least four recordings - on some recent album produced by “British wanker,” on Songs of the Tortoise with Gcina Mhlope, with Spike Lee and Mint Juleps, and special version for Coming to America, the Eddie Murphy movie.)
• Soweto String Quartet (big in SA, UK and Australia)
• Henry Jerome and orchestra
• Thames Side Four/Davy Graham.
• Bert Kaempfert. Lion version appeared on A Swinging Safari, ‘62, a huge LP worldwide. “One of the most successful records of its time,” says Prof. Erlmann. Is this accurate?
• Nanci Griffith (wimoweh)
• Hugh Masakela
• Sam Sklair (SA danceband)
• Chris Barber
• Chet Atkins My Favourite Guitars 1965
• James Last (huge German danceband)
• London Pop Orchestra
• Ratton World Music Group
• Aki Aleong/L. Twisters
• England World Cup Soccer Squad 1986
• Bill Marx
• The Spinners
• Glen Campbell 64
• Roger Whittaker
• Harry Stoneham
• The Shangaans
• Bobby Stevens
• Brian Eno
• Alan Tew
• Robert Delgado
• George Penman
• Terry Lightfoot’s Jazzmen
• PJ Powers — S. African Afropop, very big locally.
• Tight Fit - this was the second-ever single from Clive Calder’s Jive Records. Reached number one in UK (l982) and charted USA.
• Mint Juleps (US stars of Spike Lee’s a-capella documentary, with LBM)
• The Rebops
• The Sugar Beats
• Main Attraction
• Red Grammer
• Groupo Alaska
• Rigual M.
• Arlo Guthrie “More together again,” ‘94. Also “Precious Friend,” ‘82.
• Boys on the Block
• Tyrone and The Clouds/steel band.
• Ledernacken - German progressive band, circa 1990
• Salif Keita unknown see web download
• Mori Kante - see web download From SABC cards …
• Mango Groove, SA pop band, huge locally
• Kariba, obscure SA
• Golden Heavies, produced by Clive Calder using session cats..
• Funky Party 73
• Murray Campbell & orchestra
• Sound Power
• Sounds Wild
• Stereophonic 6
• Harald Winkler, poss. German
• 24 Goue Kitaar Treffers
• Kooky Crazy Classic Rock for Kids
• Steelband and Calypso
• Don’t hang up - rock’n roll answering machine
• Kid’s Fun: games, songs and sing-a-longs
• Teenagers in Love
• Kingston Trio’s greatest hits
• 21 Rock’n’Roll Favourites
• Goa Spirit, by Goa Spirit
• Barnyard Beat
• Great rock dance hits…
• Retro Rock Dance Hits - new dance mixess…
• Best of the Nylons
• World of Holiday Hits
• Main Attraction (’89)
• Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet
• Lion King - original Broadway cast recording
• Perfect Fit - Nylons album
• Believe in music
• Only rock ‘n roll ‘70 to ‘74
• I love rock’n’roll (hits of sixties)
• Drew’s Famous Kid’s Birthday Dance Party
• WCBS 25th anniversary
• Simba’s Favourites
• Billboard Top R&R Hits
• Nipper’s Greatest Hits
• Atlantic Hit 45s
• Spike & Co, a capella
• Stormy Weather
• R&R Relix
• Beat Goes On…
• Folk Song America, vol 3
• Sugar Beats
• Eric Donaldson Cherry Oh Baby - maxi single? BMI.com
• Soft Rockin’ Seventies
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective soundtrack
• Robert John’s Greatest Hits. (new version l992)
• Super Hits of the Seventies “Have a nice day”
• Pop History 1961
• 1260 AM
• Juke Box Jive
• Decca Jahre (german)
• Decade of the sixties
• Reach out for Tremeloes
• Seamless - Nylons
• Jambo Africa - Bobby - son of Weiss (1994)
• Both sides now - Tokens compilation
• Oldies are now - Tokens ditto
• All time greatest hits - Tokens
• Best of B103 - Long Island’s Oldies
• Child’s Celebration of Song
•  ….twelve Weavers/Seeger albums
• ..at least two more Kingston Trio albums…
• Roots of British Rock (written by “Denver”??????)
• Mondo Exotica (96)
• Western Wind Vocal Ensemble (94)
• Roger Whittaker Live!
• Very Best of New Christy Minstrels
• Rockin’ Jukebox
• Rock’n’roll reunion, class of 62.
• Nutter Mayf - on Going Skinny Dippin’.
• Manu Dibango, Le Lion Est Mort Ce Soir, on waAfrika l994 (All music too)
• The Lion King movie soundtrack, later pressings - according to Weiss
• Pow Wow, Le Lion Est Mort Cesoir, # 1 in France l993
• Title unknown, number three Japan 1995 - according to Weiss, in US press interview.
• They Might Be Giants
• Phish (bootlegs only?)
• Jimmy Dorsey (Live at the Edgewater, re-release late nineties.)
• Woody Herman (?)
• Lebo M - Rhythm of the Pridelands - 1995 - African music by Lion King arranger.
• New SA version, 1999, heard on radio, artist unknown??? Could be…
• Bayete, according to Linda’s daughters.
• Tulasiza ladies’ choir - ditto.
• West India Company - 1989 EG Records
• REM - flipside of Sidewinder single.
• Neil Diamond??????? Any takers?
• Toucans - see web download.
• Sandra Bernhardt??? Very obscure recording.
• The Peter Pan Chorus - see www.songfile.com
• Rapper Snow, sampled Lion in Mash up da nation, a track on his l997 album Justuss.
• Easy Walkers Imbube — per Prof Erlmann
• Wilder Brothers l955 — ditto
• Stylistics 1978 — ditto
• Lion King the Musical - Japanese cast recording. (Allmusic.com)
• A Child’s Celebration Of Song 2 - Lion Sleeps Tonight (Mbube) - Ladysmith Black Mambazo , 1996 (repeat)
• Robert John Greatest Hits Lion Sleeps Tonight (new version) , 1992 $7.97
• The Lion King: Return To Pride Rock - Lion Sleeps Tonight - Lebo M , 1998 $13.57
• Your Favorite Songs o Lion Sleeps Tonight - Robert Johns , 1991 $7.97
• WODS-FM’s 10th Anniversary: Best…60s - The Tokens , 1997$13.57
• WOGL-FM’s 10th Anniversary: Best…60s -
  The Tokens , 1997 $13.57
• 30 Big Hits Of The Airwaves, Vol. 3 - The Tokens $13.57
• Capital Lounge Series, 1999 compilation (Wimoweh) Allmusic
• Your Hit Parade - The Fifties Pop Revival. (Wimoweh) Ditto
• HARP - some Seeger/Guthrie collaboration
• Panharmonics 1991 (Screen ventures)
• Best of the Best Classics Vol 1 (allmusic)
• Absolutely Disney (allmusic)
• Your Favorite Songs (’91)
• Zoo (allmusic).
• Dave Newman (UK minor hit)
• Spanish version, lyrics by H. Richmond under alias, recorded 1965 by?
• Jungle Rumble Band - minor UK hit, heavily promoted, 2000.
• NSYNC - Scandanavian markets release only. See Nordisc documents.
• Helmut Lotti - his monstrously big Safari album 1999.
• Yet another Danish Top Ten hit, 2000, according to data from Nordisc. Title unknown.
• Track on “WHO LET THE DOGS OUT” CD, which sold five to eight million worldwide in 2001/2001. (Source G. Paynter, Gallo).

And you know what, that list is probably incomplete.  Mine’s not even on
there.

If you’ve made it this far, then I’ll let you in on a Moonage dumb moment. I was in college, partying wth some friends in a popular bar. Back in those days, you got three songs for 25 cents. I put, I think it was, five dollars in the juke box and played Robert John’s version only. Yup, that would be The Lion Sleeps Tonight 20 consecutive times. The friends I had left really enjoyed the absurdity of the moment. Everyone else left.

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