This song was written in 1939 in the Zulu language by a musician, Solomon Linda. The original title was Mbube, which was the Zulu word to call a lion (Lion = imbube). There is a good Zulu version recorded by The Mahotella Queens on a compilation, African Playground, on the Putamaya label.
I saw this when it came on PBS I believe. I was watching with my Mother. She loved Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It's beautiful because it takes me back to that time when she was alive, happy, and healthy!
look at this! no in ear monitors, just pure training and technique, no-one is over powering anyone, they're playing together in perfect harmony. Stunning.
It can be done, obviously. But it takes musicians, musicians who listen to each other, who rehearse, and most of all, in a space that allows that listening to actually happen. You can’t do this in a “dead” room.
@@mikeoaktree I just listened to one of theirs here on you tube, I think it's the one from 'coming to americs' and I love the acoustics on that one. It has an echo as if they are singing it from a large cave.
they just crushed this arrangement !!!!! Just wow!!! Ladysmith and the Julips !!! Harmonies are just incredible !!!! Peace be with Joseph Shabalala the world lost a great voice. :(
I agree with that other comment this version has no equal. It by far the best version ever and I don't believe that anyone will ever top this performance is phenomenal! I am 74 yrs. Old will somebody tell me why these phenomenal artists are making me cry every time I come back to listen. Great job bravo thank you for sharing your talents with the world. I love everyone of you.
Another old fella here (only 65 though). Only Ladysmith give this the emotion and depth, Despite what's happening in this so-called progressive age, it's only with people like these that barriers are truly broken down. I'm white and unashamed of loving tribal music of all kinds and I don't subscribe to 'cultural appropriation' because I like sounds like this so much.
Well it's been close to 50 years as I know it. I'm 62 years old, ... have it by the "Tokens", and "Pete Seeger", ... both from the early 60's. "Lady-Smith Black Mambazo" are simply fantastic. My first exposure to "Mint Juleps", ... and will certainly look into their work.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo are sublime, just by themselves, 'a cappella taking wings'. But with the wonderful addition of feminine voices, the experience for me was utterly celestial. Believe this?? There ARE actual people on Earth who have never heard LBM?? Pity the fools....
Beautiful vocals, and seamlessly flowing and graceful deft movements!!!!! Simply in a class of of its own!!!!! Thank you Ladysmith Black Mambazo/Mint Juleps in "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and William Adams for sharing this timeless marvel
Warmth, longing, a gentle ecstasy carried by the richness of human voices raised together in that easy, e trancing rhythm. This performance went straight to my heart more than a decade ago, and though my attention shifts elsewhere, it is as though the cadence persists and the music has never stopped.
This is so lovely--I picture a community who lives next to & respects our animal brothers & sisters & comes together to soothe, protect & teach the youngest, most vulnerable people. Let the world live that way.
Loved, loved, loved this unique and wonderful version of 'Wimoweh/ The Loin Sleeps Tonight'. I've known this song for 65 years and still get goose bumps from it. Well done LBM and MJs - a fabulous effort !
@@benkei7530 This is not the original and neither is The Tokens rendition. The original was composed by Solomon Linda of South Africa and sung by his group named Solomon Linda's Evening Birds. It's on You Tube . The song is also known as, 'Mbube'.
Thank goodness this historical information has come to light. As often happens profit and greed once again displaced the original talent and content of those who were powerless to claim what was due them....recognition and their just compensation. We all should be proud of the melodic and harmonic genius of Solomon Linda.
.....Absolutely uplifting, soulful and perfectly symbiotic performance of both Solomon Linda's original and the "Tokens'/Weiss'" versions of this song!! True harmony! Thank you for sharing! This performance truly carries the soul of Mr. Linda and strives to reconcile the economic injustice surrounding this most popular song.....
greatharv They all have great and unique voices, but that moment when Sandra Charles dances with Joseph from Ladysmith is special. Absolutely beautiful. I actually started a Mint Juleps tribute page on Facebook. They still get up and sing occasionally!
Ya know, it always makes me happy to see so many videos of A Cappella. Most people nowadays don't even know what that is anymore but I still believe that singing without any type of instrument can often be better than with instruments because there is so much more that the human voice can do than an instrument can ever hope to accomplish.
Yup! I sing in a few large choirs and when rehearsing it is pretty much a Capella but when we do the concerts we have musicians to help provide a fuller sound. Fuller being subjective, the choir is 130 person and the orchestra is 50pc. Goods times!
My grandmother and I were always fascinated by this song, and especially by this group. Our family is german, and my great great grandfather was an officer in the schutztruppe in German East africa. Until his dying days, though I never met him, the family always repeated the stories of how he had nothing but praise and respect for the black soldiers who served with him against the british. They fought for the entire war, and he went back to Africa several times for reunions and was always warmly received. The fact that these men and their music were born of the horror that was apartheid in South Africa is absolutely unconscionable, and I wish wish nothing but death and horrible pain on those responsible for such a horrific set of it events
I love Metal, Rock, thats my faves. But This is so beautiful and the vocals are beyond amazing. They made the classic song sound even better in my opinion.
I didnt know that. Wow. Course its not the first time its happened. Although I loved The Lion King, its just a rip off of the Japanese Anime Kimba The White Lion. Disney also never cared about copyright ANYWHERE, lol, they kept using Tinkerbell til they were sued and they settled on paying the real owners everytime they use her image, they made Bambi without permission from the Author, They bought an animated feature, ridiculed it and ripped off many of its ideas and designs for their film Aladdin, and they've continued to do things very sketchy. When people gain a lot of power, they usually misuse it.
I've been looking for an authenic, true to the original Zulu, yet highly tonic version of The Lion Sleeps tonight, and so far this is it. Well done, Solomon Linda, you wrote a classic.
The blend of voices in this is magnificent. This is almost 20 years old, and I remember watching it on TV when it first came out. Instead of PBS, though, I recall it being on HBO. Regardless, this is some of the good stuff in life. Spike, as usual, was way ahead of his time... I really do believe this whole series launched the a'capella/Glee movement that is so strong today. And that is a good thing, a very good thing.
Well your local PBS probably did not receive the viewing it wanted. Here in Northeast Ohio I watched Spike Lee does Acapella on WVIZ PBS. A Truly awesome music film about acoustic vocal music
Debbie C sure can sing! If fate had these ladies living in the States and near Detroit- they'd have been a Mo-Town name girls group. Sorry we didn't have the 'net' back then or we'd have heard of them earlier.
just Seconds! in the Julep lead; Debbie's vocal is perfect. Again, confirming my assertion that she is singularly THE most underrated vocal talent in popular music for decades. Her pitch is perfect, intonation sublime and phrasing in a class all her own. And all this during a couple of lines in concert with so many others. Goodness this woman could sing. I listen to the Juleps over and over to hear her sing. Thank you Debbie for your contribution to music.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon were a huge part of my childhood. I remembered when this aired and my mom had us watch it. I'm 43 and I still absolutely love them and this song. It's just so beautiful
Breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. The whole special, "Spike Lee & Company's: Do It Acapella" was an outstanding PBS special. But if you want something else a little mindblowing, you should hear LBM sing the alphabet.
This is the authentic version. Many people have made entertaining versions of this song, but I have never heard one with the authentic rhythm and African sound that this has. Even those just in Zulu do not capture the spirit of the song like LBM- this is the real thing- 'ingoma imphele'
The "Black Ax of Ladysmith" kills it yet again. I've been a fan ever since Paul Simon brought them to my attention, and had the good fortune to see them perform live a few days after their appearance together on Saturday Night Live. The guys we especially "on" that night and it remains one of the absolute peak experiences of my life.
When I first heard LBM's music and saw them perform, the band members were not yet free (back in apartheid days). I have a feeling i am gonna bawl like a baby seeing them again in March. The side of freedom and dignity is ALWAYS the right side of history. This group did so much to get the West and US to stand up against apartheid, to get the great President Mandela released from prison, and helped create international pressure to free their countrymen and women from the inhumane rule of apartheid. Music can change the world.
dkmeller1 I beg to differ my good friend. the situation is less than perfect as is the case all over the world. we have made significant strides though.
Cuba is the country that made the more to free South Africa and it was the first country Mandela visited when he became the the first president of the free South Africa. Of course, music can change the world, but you need some other weapons too.Cuban soldiers won against South African mercenary and army. When Fidel Castro died, people could sign and write words to his memory in a book at the Cuban Embassy. I came there with my wife (she is from Madagascar, a country taht help ANC during Apartheid times), and we have been really impressed to see how many African people thanked Fidel Castro and Cuba for their freedom . There were a lot of pages in that book.
A friend told many years ago when he listened to an African song performed by native Africans that he really heard “timbre” in the voices. This reminds me of that unique and beautiful sound. This is gorgeous.
I can't stop crying. The soul and spirit of LIFE that flows through each and every one of those voices is absolutely Glorious. I can't stop crying. I am from Puerto Rico and puertoricans are part African when Columbus kidnapped us and brought us hog tied and chained. Thank you for this video.
Somebody at RUclips removed my comment. I was only pointing out, that this song is Southafrican( called "Mbube", written by Solomon Linda). The family of Solomon Linda is dirt poor, while The Tokens get royalties from all over the world. It's not OK
this song is actually traditional South African and has been sung for centuries. Linda is credited ( correct me if I'm wrong) for the first recording with lyrics. Mbube was a song without lyrics for centuries...it was all vocal sounds. Acapela at it's best.
@@only-vans Where's the proof? There's not a single source I can find that says anyone other than Solomon Linda wrote that song as an original composition.
I was told when a King of an African Tribe dies; the tribe says "the lion sleeps". This is the meaning of this song. I could be wrong, but still a beautiful song.
MONIQUE PURCELL I believe the original spoke of Shaka King of the Zulus. His sleeping is like King Arthur's in that he will return when he is needed. There are some pure African versions on RUclips.
You're correct. The song was meant to celebrate/mourn the death of the Zulu king. "In the jungle the might jungle the Lion sleeps tonight", that line traditionally is interpreted as "in the peaceful none-violent Zulu kingdom, the king sleeps(laid to rest) tonight". In Africa, we believe that the soul/spirit of the departed finds more peace and ease traveling to the spiritual land in the night or when the sun goes down.
The melody comes from the Zulu singer Solomon Linda, who recorded "Mbube" with his group, Evening Birds, in 1939. The lyrics mean, "Lion! Ha! You're a lion." Pete Seeger heard the record and mistook the repeating phrase as "Wimoweh," which he cut with The Weavers in 1951(The Kingston Trio also recorded it). In 1961, The Tokens recorded it with lyrics written by George Weiss based on a false translation of the Zulu from a staffer at the South African consulate in New York. Rian Malan wrote a great story about the song that appeared in the May 25, 2000 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. The song has made millions, although very little of the wealth has gone to the Linda family in South Africa.
Saw "Ladysmith Black Mambazo" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and thought, "DAMN ... GOT to hear this!" Four minutes and 36 seconds later ... I shoulda figured LBM would OWN this bad boy ... and the Juleps don't do badly themselves!
![MAF Teeski - Whole Thing (feat. VonOff1700) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SHWEj-ndz6g/mqdefault.jpg)
This song was written in 1939 in the Zulu language by a musician, Solomon Linda. The original title was Mbube, which was the Zulu word to call a lion (Lion = imbube). There is a good Zulu version recorded by The Mahotella Queens on a compilation, African Playground, on the Putamaya label.
I'd really love to listen to that.
I saw this when it came on PBS I believe. I was watching with my Mother. She loved Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It's beautiful because it takes me back to that time when she was alive, happy, and healthy!
It may have been on HBO. Either way, this is beautiful.
I saw it on PBS.
look at this! no in ear monitors, just pure training and technique, no-one is over powering anyone, they're playing together in perfect harmony. Stunning.
Facts💯💯💯
REAL MUSIC, GREAT GENTLEMEN ! REAL MUSIC ! Concert I will never Forget, Bless Them !
its called timing ...
Great concert at the Barbican centre last week. Someone must have captured it on video 🙏
It can be done, obviously. But it takes musicians, musicians who listen to each other, who rehearse, and most of all, in a space that allows that listening to actually happen. You can’t do this in a “dead” room.
No words can describe the beauty of this singing!!
It’s refreshing to hear female high notes rather than male falsetto as in the Tokens and the Nylons
This is the best version, nothing comes close.
yes it is the best
Above and beyond!
It's been my favorite since the day I first heard it over 15 years ago.
Except for the blacksmith lady mambazo alone
@@mikeoaktree I just listened to one of theirs here on you tube, I think it's the one from 'coming to americs' and I love the acoustics on that one. It has an echo as if they are singing it from a large cave.
Does anyone else's soul just SOARRRR when they hear this? I am on air!!
Absolutely !!! totally awesome... totally divin
If you have a soul, it do.
SOARRRR indeed !
I'm floating on cloud nine too! This is the best ever version of this wonderful song!
Amazing, isn't it. 💖
RIP Joseph :'( Thank YOU for the beautiful music you gave us
Sometimes on the internet you see some truly inspiring things. This is one of them.
they just crushed this arrangement !!!!! Just wow!!! Ladysmith and the Julips !!! Harmonies are just incredible !!!! Peace be with Joseph Shabalala the world lost a great voice. :(
The year is 2022 and this is still sending chills to my spine.
I agree with that other comment this version has no equal. It by far the best version ever and I don't believe that anyone will ever top this performance is phenomenal! I am 74 yrs. Old will somebody tell me why these phenomenal artists are making me cry every time I come back to listen. Great job bravo thank you for sharing your talents with the world. I love everyone of you.
Another old fella here (only 65 though). Only Ladysmith give this the emotion and depth, Despite what's happening in this so-called progressive age, it's only with people like these that barriers are truly broken down. I'm white and unashamed of loving tribal music of all kinds and I don't subscribe to 'cultural appropriation' because I like sounds like this so much.
Never tire of this version. I come back when I need the flow, melody, harmony, soft African nights with respect for such peace.
Deep House
Same here, I needed to hear this today so I came to search ❤. So blessed
THE MAN WHO WROTE THIS SONG HIS LAST NAME IS LINDA
What a beautiful and perfectly-stated comment. 😊
Africa has a rythem all of its own
Love this song, So glad I got to see them in concert before Joseph left us 😢 I love 2:11 his voice sends shivers down my spine when he hits that note
Me, too.
Moves me to tears every time; not just the performance but the symbolism, the two parts of the Diaspora connecting again.
Who said you would? Besides, Africa ranges from Algeria to Zambia; whereabouts were U?
This is what makes me a proud African!!!
This was @ the Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYC. I was there. The show was taped live and produced by Spike Lee. The show was called, "Do It Accapella
THANKS! I do remember watching this on TV and having chills during this song.
You lucky, lucky duck!!
My wife had taped it back in the day on VHS and it got a lot of syringe in our house. Any more of this on RUclips?
This is sublime, a beauty of voice and movement and fellowship that makes my tears flow.
I remember this. But, I was a child. I loved it, but didn't know how to appreciate it.
1:22 that haunting harmony...it's been what, 25 years since this was released, and I've never, ever heard a better rendition.
I agree. My heart fluttered hearing that.
25 plus 25
Well it's been close to 50 years as I know it. I'm 62 years old, ... have it by the "Tokens", and "Pete Seeger", ... both from the early 60's. "Lady-Smith Black Mambazo" are simply fantastic. My first exposure to "Mint Juleps", ... and will certainly look into their work.
The original song was released in 1939 by solomon linda. it was titled mbube. So i guess it has been 77 years.
ok
I had never heard this version. I truly love this
At any given time in my life, the urge to sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is just a whim away.........a whim away a whim away a whim away
😂😂😂
😂😅😅
🤣🤣🤣
Haha!
Ladysmith Black Mambazo are sublime, just by themselves, 'a cappella taking wings'. But with the wonderful addition of feminine voices, the experience for me was utterly celestial. Believe this?? There ARE actual people on Earth who have never heard LBM?? Pity the fools....
Agreed!! Had the joy of seeing them live at the Edinburgh Playhouse many years ago......sublime!!
Don't pity them, envy them for the feeling of awakening which will happen to them when they hear LBM for the first time.
Joseph Tshabalala one of RSA's greatest musical prodigies.
Beautiful vocals, and seamlessly flowing and graceful deft movements!!!!!
Simply in a class of of its own!!!!!
Thank you Ladysmith Black Mambazo/Mint Juleps in "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and William Adams for sharing this timeless marvel
Coming to America rings a bell here especially the intro song
2019 October who is still here 💖👌💟 this is so amazing I am so in love I can't get enough of this 😍😋😘
I'm still here! These two groups are phenomenal together!!
Just the best .🤩
July 2021, feeling bad that I thought it was a Tight Fit song...
Warmth, longing, a gentle ecstasy carried by the richness of human voices raised together in that easy, e trancing rhythm. This performance went straight to my heart more than a decade ago, and though my attention shifts elsewhere, it is as though the cadence persists and the music has never stopped.
September 2021
This is so lovely--I picture a community who lives next to & respects our animal brothers & sisters & comes together to soothe, protect & teach the youngest, most vulnerable people. Let the world live that way.
Loved, loved, loved this unique and wonderful version of 'Wimoweh/ The Loin Sleeps Tonight'. I've known this song for 65 years and still get goose bumps from it. Well done LBM and MJs - a fabulous effort !
This is the original. The tokens stole it
@@benkei7530 This is not the original and neither is The Tokens rendition. The original was composed by Solomon Linda of South Africa and sung by his group named Solomon Linda's Evening Birds. It's on You Tube . The song is also known as, 'Mbube'.
I don't why but I get emotional everytime I listen to this song
The most magnificent blending of voices this side of heaven! Thank you Spike Lee!
I always play this song whenever am driving , it gives me strength to go on .
Thank goodness this historical information has come to light. As often happens profit and greed once again displaced the original talent and content of those who were powerless to claim what was due them....recognition and their just compensation. We all should be proud of the melodic and harmonic genius of Solomon Linda.
This is by far my most favorite Acapella version of Mbube (The Lion Sleeps Tonight). Greetings from the Philippines.
I like this song so much.
Husband back in the 70's took me to New Orleans to see them LIVE ! Still LOVE THEM ! Thank You Stephen In Heaven !
It´s so refreshing the memories from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia!!!
Just love Black Mambazo gospel n all songs WOW !
.....Absolutely uplifting, soulful and perfectly symbiotic performance of both Solomon Linda's original and the "Tokens'/Weiss'" versions of this song!! True harmony! Thank you for sharing! This performance truly carries the soul of Mr. Linda and strives to reconcile the economic injustice surrounding this most popular song.....
The purity is euphoric.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo brilliant as always. i have watched this a hundred times. The lady who comes out and dances has the most beautiful voice.
I agree!
greatharv They all have great and unique voices, but that moment when Sandra Charles dances with Joseph from Ladysmith is special. Absolutely beautiful. I actually started a Mint Juleps tribute page on Facebook. They still get up and sing occasionally!
Ya know, it always makes me happy to see so many videos of A Cappella. Most people nowadays don't even know what that is anymore but I still believe that singing without any type of instrument can often be better than with instruments because there is so much more that the human voice can do than an instrument can ever hope to accomplish.
Yup! I sing in a few large choirs and when rehearsing it is pretty much a Capella but when we do the concerts we have musicians to help provide a fuller sound. Fuller being subjective, the choir is 130 person and the orchestra is 50pc. Goods times!
The human voice is the only one that Our Creator ever made.
What a great version! Always a fan of LBM, but the girls voices are a perfect addtion.
Best version ever. Phenomenal harmonies.
This is one of the best versions that I have seen on RUclips.
bloody marvellous-------------------------may you keep singing for Africa!
After all my years working in Africa, listening to this beautiful piece brings tears to my eyes as I so miss the people and sights of that continent.
can't get enough of this, music that gives ecstasy!!!
Talent from South-Africa! The real Makoya!! Amandla!!
Awethu!!!
100%
This pretty... song beautiful🎶.. love it... soul
The harmony is out of this world. I have listened to this collaboration many a time.
we are actually two.
I got hooked after watching their performance at World Expo held in Brisbane Australia in 1988.
I got hooked after watching their performance at World Expo held in Brisbane Australia in 1988.
All Glory to Solomon Linda, composer (in Zulu) of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight - Wimowe - Mbube" (1939).
It was never once called wimoweh only "Mbube " (uyimbube- a lion) "the lion sleeps tonight" is the American version
AMEN MR GALLO! GOD BLESS Solomon Linda!!!!
Love the song very much,it brings back great memories of my childhood 💞
I have whole body goose bumps right now
This song never made me cry before. Fantastic
Awesome version! This song always reminds me of the old Tracey Ullman show skit called "City of Strangers". Too funny!!
It is not me in 2024 tearing because of this song.❤😢
Love it, half the guys are singing wimoweh and the other half are singing mbube. Ladysmith Black Mambazo are always fantastic.
My grandmother and I were always fascinated by this song, and especially by this group. Our family is german, and my great great grandfather was an officer in the schutztruppe in German East africa. Until his dying days, though I never met him, the family always repeated the stories of how he had nothing but praise and respect for the black soldiers who served with him against the british. They fought for the entire war, and he went back to Africa several times for reunions and was always warmly received.
The fact that these men and their music were born of the horror that was apartheid in South Africa is absolutely unconscionable, and I wish wish nothing but death and horrible pain on those responsible for such a horrific set of it events
I love Metal, Rock, thats my faves. But This is so beautiful and the vocals are beyond amazing. They made the classic song sound even better in my opinion.
I didnt know that. Wow. Course its not the first time its happened. Although I loved The Lion King, its just a rip off of the Japanese Anime Kimba The White Lion. Disney also never cared about copyright ANYWHERE, lol, they kept using Tinkerbell til they were sued and they settled on paying the real owners everytime they use her image, they made Bambi without permission from the Author, They bought an animated feature, ridiculed it and ripped off many of its ideas and designs for their film Aladdin, and they've continued to do things very sketchy. When people gain a lot of power, they usually misuse it.
I've been looking for an authenic, true to the original Zulu, yet highly tonic version of The Lion Sleeps tonight, and so far this is it. Well done, Solomon Linda, you wrote a classic.
Who is Solomon Linda
@@mikeggg5671 LOL want me to google that for you?
The blend of voices in this is magnificent. This is almost 20 years old, and I remember watching it on TV when it first came out. Instead of PBS, though, I recall it being on HBO. Regardless, this is some of the good stuff in life. Spike, as usual, was way ahead of his time... I really do believe this whole series launched the a'capella/Glee movement that is so strong today. And that is a good thing, a very good thing.
Well your local PBS probably did not receive the viewing it wanted. Here in Northeast Ohio I watched Spike Lee does Acapella on WVIZ PBS. A
Truly awesome music film about acoustic vocal music
Absolutely outstanding! Thank you!
Debbie C sure can sing! If fate had these ladies living in the States and near Detroit- they'd have been a Mo-Town name girls group. Sorry we didn't have the 'net' back then or we'd have heard of them earlier.
I saw this when it first came out and I listen to this constantly. Their arrangement & harmony is so beautiful & is on point so outstanding. 🎼🎤🎶🎵
Some sounds you will never forget.
This is a timeless song . It’s like the Diamond of songs it will last forever and it will shine brighter over time.
Thee best version ever! Nothing even comes close. Not even the original Mbube.
just Seconds! in the Julep lead; Debbie's vocal is perfect. Again, confirming my assertion that she is singularly THE most underrated vocal talent in popular music for decades. Her pitch is perfect, intonation sublime and phrasing in a class all her own. And all this during a couple of lines in concert with so many others. Goodness this woman could sing. I listen to the Juleps over and over to hear her sing. Thank you Debbie for your contribution to music.
The Voices...I tell you. Are killing me. Good work.
The Mint Juleps are awesome!
Beautiful version.....authentic!
Such harmony and talent.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon were a huge part of my childhood. I remembered when this aired and my mom had us watch it. I'm 43 and I still absolutely love them and this song. It's just so beautiful
Am never tired of this song
Breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. The whole special, "Spike Lee & Company's: Do It Acapella" was an outstanding PBS special. But if you want something else a little mindblowing, you should hear LBM sing the alphabet.
There are no words... beautiful... non stop beauty...
O Boyyyy seeee voices, Chinekemeee... This voices can resurrect the dead...
I think this is the best arrangement of this song I've heard yet.
Goosebumps!!! Wow! I friggin' love this song!!!!!!!!!
At any given time in my life, the urge to sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is just a whim away.........a whim away a whim away a whim away....
I wish I was there in King Shaka's funeral to hear this song sung the first time.😢❤
This is the authentic version. Many people have made entertaining versions of this song, but I have never heard one with the authentic rhythm and African sound that this has. Even those just in Zulu do not capture the spirit of the song like LBM- this is the real thing- 'ingoma imphele'
The original 1 is from solomon linda
Mushengu tshabalala RIP African blood
The "Black Ax of Ladysmith" kills it yet again. I've been a fan ever since Paul Simon brought them to my attention, and had the good fortune to see them perform live a few days after their appearance together on Saturday Night Live. The guys we especially "on" that night and it remains one of the absolute peak experiences of my life.
When I first heard LBM's music and saw them perform, the band members were not yet free (back in apartheid days). I have a feeling i am gonna bawl like a baby seeing them again in March. The side of freedom and dignity is ALWAYS the right side of history. This group did so much to get the West and US to stand up against apartheid, to get the great President Mandela released from prison, and helped create international pressure to free their countrymen and women from the inhumane rule of apartheid. Music can change the world.
dkmeller1
Unfortunately, that's true. :(
dkmeller1 I beg to differ my good friend. the situation is less than perfect as is the case all over the world. we have made significant strides though.
Cuba is the country that made the more to free South Africa and it was the first country Mandela visited when he became the the first president of the free South Africa.
Of course, music can change the world, but you need some other weapons too.Cuban soldiers won against South African mercenary and army.
When Fidel Castro died, people could sign and write words to his memory in a book at the Cuban Embassy. I came there with my wife (she is from Madagascar, a country taht help ANC during Apartheid times), and we have been really impressed to see how many African people thanked Fidel Castro and Cuba for their freedom .
There were a lot of pages in that book.
A friend told many years ago when he listened to an African song performed by native Africans that he really heard “timbre” in the voices. This reminds me of that unique and beautiful sound. This is gorgeous.
Too perfect. I never heard the Solomon Linda until 10 minutes ago. Brings it full circle. Crying now.
This version is truly a masterpiece.
This is the absolute best version of this tune I have yet to hear... nicely done
This still bring tears to me and I haven't heard this in almost 30 yrs
brings tears... so brings tears, long live Solomon and Miriam and good life to all...
I can't stop crying. The soul and spirit of LIFE that flows through each and every one of those voices is absolutely Glorious. I can't stop crying. I am from Puerto Rico and puertoricans are part African when Columbus kidnapped us and brought us hog tied and chained. Thank you for this video.
You should really cry for your African brothers that sold you into captivity.
@@rogerdodger8415 not every one was sold, many were stolen
@@rogerdodger8415 you should shut the fuck up.
@@rogerdodger8415 Have some emotional intelligence boy!!
@@charlesgold9016 I try not to mix emotion with intelligence. Not a smart thing to do.
My African family have been through so much all over this planet.
Never heard this version. Just amazing and perfect.
Somebody at RUclips removed my comment. I was only pointing out, that this song is Southafrican( called "Mbube", written by Solomon Linda). The family of Solomon Linda is dirt poor, while The Tokens get royalties from all over the world. It's not OK
HEAR HEAR!!!!
I read that as a child, could not believe it. Truly sad
this song is actually traditional South African and has been sung for centuries. Linda is credited ( correct me if I'm wrong) for the first recording with lyrics. Mbube was a song without lyrics for centuries...it was all vocal sounds. Acapela at it's best.
@@only-vans Where's the proof? There's not a single source I can find that says anyone other than Solomon Linda wrote that song as an original composition.
Ben Poupard maybe don’t just use google, because most of it is full of bullshit. Scroll down
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful ❤️️❤️️❤️️
I first saw this group at 6 yrs old; love the harmony I learned how to sing from them and mint juleps
Just absolutely blew my socks off! Gorgeous!
I’ve never heard this version. It is stunning. Incredible talent, blend and musicianship. WOW.
I was told when a King of an African Tribe dies; the tribe says "the lion sleeps". This is the meaning of this song. I could be wrong, but still a beautiful song.
MONIQUE PURCELL I believe the original spoke of Shaka King of the Zulus. His sleeping is like King Arthur's in that he will return when he is needed. There are some pure African versions on RUclips.
Uyimbube actually means "you are a lion"
You're correct. The song was meant to celebrate/mourn the death of the Zulu king. "In the jungle the might jungle the Lion sleeps tonight", that line traditionally is interpreted as "in the peaceful none-violent Zulu kingdom, the king sleeps(laid to rest) tonight". In Africa, we believe that the soul/spirit of the departed finds more peace and ease traveling to the spiritual land in the night or when the sun goes down.
The melody comes from the Zulu singer Solomon Linda, who recorded "Mbube" with his group, Evening Birds, in 1939. The lyrics mean, "Lion! Ha! You're a lion." Pete Seeger heard the record and mistook the repeating phrase as "Wimoweh," which he cut with The Weavers in 1951(The Kingston Trio also recorded it). In 1961, The Tokens recorded it with lyrics written by George Weiss based on a false translation of the Zulu from a staffer at the South African consulate in New York. Rian Malan wrote a great story about the song that appeared in the May 25, 2000 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. The song has made millions, although very little of the wealth has gone to the Linda family in South Africa.
Only people from royal families in south africa are earn that honor as to not scared the kids and also welcoming the dead to his/her ancestors
sends shivers down my spine. brilliant.
Love love love this! I remember when 'Spike & Co...' premiered on PBS, I bought the CD because of this song.
Saw "Ladysmith Black Mambazo" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and thought, "DAMN ... GOT to hear this!" Four minutes and 36 seconds later ... I shoulda figured LBM would OWN this bad boy ... and the Juleps don't do badly themselves!
This is glorious harmony, no one should pass this by with feeling uplifted by the energy of goodness.
Loved this years ago and it is still one of the best!
I like this soon. Damm it makes me wana cry every tym a listen to it...
Awesome version of a great song