No worries... It doesn't matter unless you tell us no lie about the history.. Nice video, never thought of this dark history... Although this low pay check thing sounds a bit depressing at first, it actually is pretty common, this is business, right?!
@@tonyhibbert2342 False. The law itself prevents people from ripping off people. it's the way racist white people screwed him over. That had nothing to do with copyright laws
@@tonyhibbert2342 how? that’s the point of copyright so something someone has already done can’t be copied. If it’s copyrighted then it’s not original...nor new. But we all who are aware knows the history of how ideas were STOLEN from those who could not copyright. That there is wrong.
@@yaminanatsaret Any song writer will tell you that almost every single girls name has been copyrighted ! Therefore if i or you write a song about the love you have for your wife and call it i love < insert her name here > and the song goes viral becoming an instant worldwide hit ... YOU will have to pay copyright fees to the turd that makes a living simply by writting copyyright over any names not already covered ,,,, Many city names etc are also covered ! This is what is wrong ! ... copyright on a book , song etc that someone has worked hard on is right ! but the laws as current , are wrong ! ...As is the time things can be copyright ! ...
A very popular Danish singer, Flemming "Bamse" Joergensen, who became very popular with his version of this song, found out that the composer hadn't been paid, so he actually sent him the profit from his version in Danish.
i'm asian but whenever i hear that lion song it gives me an impression of as being black music. i was surprised to know caucasians popularized (and so i thought wrote) it, but now it makes sense knowing it really is black music
@@timothysmith4260 There is no "intellectual property" of black people. Music is music and is the intellectual property of the individual who created it. If you want to keep it your "intellectual property" then don't share or publish it and go all the way and promote separatism and condemn Eminem and Jimi Hendrix as exploiters of other races quote intellectual property unquote.
@@madandy3176 that's the stupidest thing said ever. There is a sound that is developed by a people and it would be obvious who it came from. We may not collectively reap the monetary benefits of said property, but it does prove worth of a race. That's like saying Chinese music doesn't show that Chinese people have the mental and productive capacity worthy of it's place in the world. People steal from us and make those sorts of statements. I'm all for separatism. I'll leave just as soon as you cut that check. I'm curious as to what you mean with jimi Hendrix.. Are you saying that he stole from white people, because blacks created Rock, or are you saying that since he was part white, he helped exploit a black creation?
@@timothysmith4260 If you start your comment with "That's the stupidest thing said ever" then respond to the point then your response is based upon and contrived by prejudice rather than intellect. Your original comment was "Most of it is "Black" music. Billions have been earned off of the intellectual property of Black people." Ok, I get where you were coming from but under pressure you now say " We may not collectively reap the monetary benefits of said property, but it does prove worth of a race" and now it changes from "black" to "race" when of course a race can combine a number or colours and a colour, like black can apply to a diversity of races thus confirming that the concept of "intellectual property" which can be applied as much to those of the same colour or race (as proven by numerous copyright disputes) is being, um, culturally appropriated by yourself to fit in with a predetermined (by yourself) socio-political agenda. You say "That's like saying Chinese music doesn't show that Chinese people have the mental and productive capacity worthy of it's place in the world. People steal from us and make those sorts of statements." Now that is one of the stupidest things to say. If there are people who are affectively saying Chinese music is total crap then they are hardly going to steal it! You say "I'm all for separatism. I'll leave just as soon as you cut that check." So what? You identify as Chinese yet use the name Timothy Smith AND have a thing about "intellectual property" based upon race. Are you for real? "I'm curious as to what you mean with Jimi Hendrix. Are you saying that he stole from white people, because blacks created Rock, or are you saying that since he was part white, he helped exploit a black creation?" You need to work that out for yourself because your question is based upon the assumption that I acknowledge the concept of "intellectual property" when the basis of our dispute is that you recognise it and I don't which in turn puts that question under the "stupidest thing category.. The clue is that I included Eminem in the same commentary.
@@madandy3176 you just said a whole lot of nothing. When I say the term BLACK, everyone knows who I mean, except you, huh? Black isn't a race, but since that term was made up by people who had the power to enforce labels, we'll use that. Good thing that you are not the judge of what belongs to whom, because your ideology is that of usual Devil tactics. Folks will ask, "What did Black people do or produce that make them worthy to breathe air?" When we break out the list, then they wanna say that that's for everyone and we are racist. Eminem is an good rapper. It doesn't stop him from being in an art form started and made popular by Black people. Descendants of slaves, since you want to act like which Black folks I'm talking about. Jimi Hendrix is Idumaen by race, but have enough Black in him to look and act Black. His approach with the guitar was like a black blues player. I'm certainly not Chinese, so now you're being a Devil. I know that you're not stupid. You are attempting to dissemble like Devils do. If I told you that classical music was EVERYBODY'S music without acknowledging White/European roots, that would make me a liar and an evil man. I'll talk to stupid, but I have no words with evil.
Once again, "the original group that made this classic song didn't get near what it was worth and what they was worth". Thanks for sharing the history.
@@JFairweather Yeah..really?!! White Colonialist created a oppressive, murderous, racist system which by law forced Black South Africans labour and talent to be used freely or to be bought for cheap. This activity to reprobate White Westerners is called "Fair Trade".
Are you serious???😣How can you say, I'm assuming only black people can recognize African music? There's so many different sounds from Africa that sound like Indian, Mid. Eastern, Asian...etc🤔🤨
@@katizz988 Sis.... African music is recognizable by all, if their is no drum beat 5here are humming and whirling and rhythm in a very dramatic sequence whether it's a slow or fast music!
In the early 50s, my father had the '78 of Wimoweh and played it often, so I feel like I grew up with The Lion Sleeps Tonight. When I told my friends in the 60s that it wasn't a "new" song, they all thought I was crazy. But I knew I wasn't! Thanks for this video on the history of the song!
For young people who don't know what you meant by "a '78," it was a 10 inch record that played at 78 RPM. Oh, and a "record" was something that played music before cassette tapes and CD'S and MP3 players. Ha ha ha! I couldn't resist the last part.😀
Indeed this is a Zulu original. It was created as part of King Shaka's praises as warrior and king. Imbube: i(N) Zulu prefix ; imbube its a synonym of a lion. Deep symbolism. Uyimbube meaning 'you are a lion'. King of the jungle. This song stems from deep metaphor and symbolism.
@@SBCBears Can't have public domain without the concept of private intellectual property. Neither of these ideas originated with the Zulu. Therefore, they can't be imposed on Zulu cultural product by foreign entities. The US legal system is valid only in the US. Nevertheless, once Solomon and band recorded their version, it entered via western technology into the general western legal idea of property. The Americans didn't hear it sung out in the bush while on safari; they heard it as a recording by a particular set of artists who sang a song. The fact that it dates back to the 19th century and had circulated widely in the Zulu zeitgeist is irrelevant to the case. The Americans stole a specific artistic work and all proceeds should be handed over to the creators' descendents in perpetuity along with a groveling apology.
@@heatherjones6647 There was a settlement reached (2006?) which gave Solomon Linda's descendent 1.6 million dollars and succeeding royalties. "Mbube" was copyrighted in South Africa by Gallo Records who recorded Solomon Linda's record, but that copyright expired in 2012. However, the copyright for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" continues. As near as I can tell, the from the original recording, there were no other words other than the under-chant of "Uyimbube", Zulu for "you ar the lion," which was misheard in America as "wimoweh." Here is the wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_Sleeps_Tonight#History In a wikipedia article about who has been credited with the song (George David Weiss) "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the settlement of 2006 had the 4 following points: 1. Linda's heirs will receive payment for past uses of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and an entitlement to future royalties. 2. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is acknowledged as derived from "Mbube". 3. Solomon Linda is acknowledged as a co-composer of the song and will be designated as such. 4. A trust will be formed to administer the heirs’ copyright and to receive on their behalf the payments due. Though I cannot confirm it, I am assuming that the words "In the jungle, the mighty jungle..." were written by Weiss using a tune that Solomon Linda improvised near the end of his 1939 recording - at about 2:20. Here is the original recording: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mrrQT4WkbNE.html
@@kkrolf2782 the song is registered in the PRS amongst other entities which are there to ensure the heirs receive their due. So in this case yes you can know that automatically their monies are being sent.
As much as I love this song {though I was terrified of it as a kid}, I feel sorry for Solomon Linda and his family, since they continued to be poor even after the song became popular. His wife couldn't even afford a grave for him when he passed! I'll still continue to listen to it and other versions of it to show my support for him.
@Babadook I’m from America and I agree with you. However, compared to the commercials and information we see about Africa, the movie “Coming to America” is actually an improvement 🤦🏽♀️
@Babadook It was supposed to be funny and back in those days there was no political correct movement. I get it could be offensive now. But back then it was impressive that Eddie Murphy could pull off a movie that was mainstream as well as successful with mostly all black actors that was not a gangsta or hood type movie.
@Babadook That movie was strictly comedy. I'd like to believe that NO ONE thought that it was a representation of any African country! However, I do realize that idiots exist. Love from California!
I'm South African 73 years old and remember this song very clearly long before the Lion King. Lions do not live in the Jungle...they live in the "veld". George Polly
This happened a LOT through the 20s through the 60s. My dad was in a band in 1968 who had a hot local hit, and his manager forged his signature to get the money to the rights for national distribution, but my dad and his band never knew. It would've amounted to about 300k in todays dollars, and for a kid in 1968 it would've made his day. It could've paid for his mom's kidney surgery, help his sisters through college...but it was stolen from him. Unfortunately the manager died decades ago so nothing could have come of it through a modern lawsuit. On the upside the 5678s covered one of his songs back in 2009ish. They sent him a very sweet letter with a limited edition LP that they all signed. It's one of his most treasured possessions.
It still happens! Nick Kershaw's song, "Wouldn't it be Good?" was stolen from him by the producers of "Pretty in Pink" in the 80's. They never asked him if they could use it; never asked if they could have another group sing it; never compensated him for it; nothing! I'm sure there are tons of similar stories. I don't understand why they even bother with copyright laws if they never enforce them!!
@theusher are you referring to "Great Balls of Fire," or "Hanky Panky?" Those were covered by the 5678s in 2011. They went from 2004 to 2011 without any covers. What was the name of your dad's band?
I'm South African. We know the truth, we grew on the knowledge. Unfortunately there are those who are just always waiting to steal! Long live King Shaka. 🇿🇦🇿🇦
Stole it? What did Africans pay to hear it? Does anyone pay royalties to do Shakespeare plays? I'm just happy the origin got credit. They probably got it from some else as well. OBTW, pretty sure those were Africans that sold Africans into slavery. Slavery didn't originate in north America.
@@ferengiprofiteer9145 - amazing that you make a point disagreeing with someone, or pointing out that Africans sold their fellow Africans into slavery through tribal wars, and the best someone can answer you with is _"Man shut the fvck UP!!!"_
@@ferengiprofiteer9145 ignorance isn't bliss Shakespeee got credit for his work while he was alive but patents wear off after 200 years so anyone can sample after that. Also you need a real history lesson because the majority of African slaves were captured not sold by other Africans. " Reading is fundamental " 🙄
@@leelarson107 WTF are you talking about? You sound deranged. I’ve been a black token in your sick sad world for a long time. No one is opening up the borders so “everyone” can come here, just some people that look different than you. Sorry that things aren’t going to look so milquetoast in the next couple of decades. Your browner descendants will have better genes in the next generation.
Mbube was also used in the movie Coming to America with Eddie Murphy. That's how I first heard of it as a kid. Both of my parents are African and I grew up hearing songs in the same tonal scale. I've always known The Lion Sleeps Tonight as an African song.
In a capitalistic system the true innovators or inventors usually have their ideas stolen by no talent predators who make all the money off other people’s ideas. Capitalism is corrupt and the rules of capitalism are written by the sociopathic rich who buy politicians and write laws to favor predatory sociopaths.
@@cowboy4jesus3N1 nobody poached anything, the record was in a batch of records brought for inspirational ideas from South Africa by a record company exec, the song was considered public domain in the us, there was no South African copyright law that was violated. These groups that made a Song from this were in all likelihood unaware of the existence of Solomon Linda, furthermore, why didn’t they have the record copyright protected?
We studied this in Music History in college. I went to the country's leading music and recording arts school in the USA, so that is encouraging. The word is getting out.
Fun fact: Mbube is the opening song to the 1988 movie "Coming To America" Most would Identify it as the intro to.... you guessed it... The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Technically speaking, Shaka Zulu was born in 1787, and Napoleon was born in 1769, thus Napoleon would be the first to exist, therefore not making him a "Caucasian Shaka" . However, whilst this is the case, due to both existing around the same time, and never encountering each other, with doubts as to the two even knowing of the others existence, as well as them performing their incredible feats at around the same time, the only thing that is certain is that they were both legendary generals in their own right, both however loosing their kingdoms to those they trusted.
I am from South Africa. Thank you for this clarifying video of the history of this song. The South African band Ladysmith Black Mambazo also does a beautiful version of this song.The tribal singing of all the tribes here in South Africa is quite amazing. You should go to an ordinary church meeting on Sundays and will truly be moved by the amazing voices of even ordinary church goers.
It amazes me how their singing always sounds like an angel choir. Most of them don't have any musical instruments or back tracks but they sing beautifully! In unison. And nobody ever seems to be of tune.
Just added to the growing list of things stolen. (Precious Metals, diamonds, people, heritage, language, freedom, history, choice, money, music, Innocence, lives, an entire continent)
@@waltkraybill5129 Improved on, merely is the a viewpoint that a song may mature over time. I'll take Cheap Tricks' Don't be Cruel over Elvis' version anytime, cause tha't my view. Your comment should have been a stand alone comment, not a reply to the above, as what was stated by Jestness IS TRUE.
Miriam was so beautiful!!! Out of all renditions of “the click song” hers from 1963 is my favorite. And pata pata is a bop 😂 and there is an interview she did and you can tell that she was so smart, it’s sad she was born during such an unfortunate time.
For those of us who grew up in the 50s and the '60s forward, we can understand a lot of what goes on for the sake of money. Good to see people like you that is sincerely involved in doing the right thing, congratulations
@@Virginia_Cayne That's a good deal closer than matey-boy got. But it's not necessary to stick an E at the beginning and simply wrong to put a vowel after the M.
Don't know how this popped up in my recommendations in 2021 but as an old folk singer from the 1960s I found this entire video's content fascinating. Thanks for presenting it...
"In the 1950s, after Linda's authorship was made clear, Seeger sent Linda $1000. Seeger also said he instructed TRO/Folkways to henceforth pay his share of authors' earnings to Linda. The folksinger apparently trusted his publisher's word of honor and either saw no need, or was unable to make sure these instructions were carried out". -Wikipedia
Did Eddie Murphy know of this because his wake up alarm in "Coming To America" sounds like the original just slowed down, either way it still sounded beautiful.
@@yashursuntheamericanindian that's always been done in the US Like the president brag about this economy but Obama had a 10 years Recovery Act. Obama said something about it "President Day" Trump said he trying to take credit for the economy.
Am south African and the weird thing is I thought the lion sleeps tonight was written here. Cuz most of our music has this progression it just sound African 😊
I did my own research on this song around 1996 or so when we had The Tokens as a guest in our radio studio. As we had them live and on air, I asked how the song came about. The answer was sort of a brush off so I learned about Solomon Linda and the original recording. Which lead me to a C.D. set of some popular music that had been recorded much earlier. Like Hanky Panky by The Rain Drops or California Sun by Joe Jones, or Rock Around the Clock by Sunny Dae & the Knights
1:26 Mbube is clearly pronounced 'mi-boo-beh' from the opening of the song - why bluster comically trying to pronounce it? Given that showing respect to the original is the point of this video, your constant mispronunciation looks insensitive and stupid.
You must be fun at parties... "Let's not have any humor, by jove. Stiff upper lip and all that you know." Bah.... In the words of Sgt. Hulka, "Lighten up!" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iN-aXzpQUdw.html
I was 13 years old when I heard "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" for the first time. It was with a group called The Hounds and that song has stayed with me through the years and still remain in my head with text and only good memories with positive experiences. Funny that it lives on with so many.
That was awesome! I'm 59 and that's the first time I have ever heard that story. . . Do the math. . .I was born in 1961, the same year "The lion sleeps tonight" came out. . . My entire life, never heard the story, until now. Thank you.
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"Disney settles Lion King song lawsuit Relatives of the original composer of The Lion Sleeps Tonight have dropped a lawsuit against Disney after settling for an undisclosed sum of money with a US music publishing house, their lawyer said."
@@fairly_odd_couple6239 Are you tired of Disney making money off of somebody else's songs...or them not compensating original artists for using it? (Choose your words. That comment just sounded vindictive. A great deal of popular songs of the last 25 years or so belonged to someone else before they were hits known worldwide.)
Look at you and your liberal white outrage on other's behalf, God you ppl and your faux outrage, virtue signaling, white savior complexes are pathetic, annoying, patronizing, and racist
Still one of my favorites! Especially after watching "The Ghost and the Darkness," several years ago. Idk what the original song's lyrics meant, but singing that there's nothing to worry about because the lion sleeps tonight had to be very comforting to a child.
Thank You for sharing the TRUTH! It makes me so SAD that this happened & I'll never be able to hear the song the same! Like all things BIG MONEY, entitlement, corruption equals the same! Such a SAD world we live in!
@Gazzara5 They still have the original rights to Mbube and Wimoweh, but not on Lion Sleeps. The copyright under British law was for the life of the composer, plus 50 years. The family did receive a settlement, and royalties - until the settlement expired in 2017.
People should bear in mind that the Token's version was released as the "B" side of the 45. There was so little confidence that it would become a major hit at the time. People also forget this spawned African influences on later Token songs.
I don't know how this popped up in my search list, but I'm glad it did. It still bothers me how people steal from true artist and call it their own. And it is usually stolen from cultures (races) that are under represented and not compensated for their works.
Mbube is a phonetic word pronounced "emm-boo-weh" It is supposed to be performed when a prolific person (lion) has died (sleeps tonight) - Nairobi, Kenya
More like M-Boo-Bay for English speaker It's pronounceable if you can sing the Hanson's "Mbop" Or say "Jason Mraz's" name, Mnuchin Etc Say with with me MmmBoo-bay!
In the original recording there were no words other that what was sung as the under-chant "Uyimbube," meaning "you are the lion." That is, if the wikipedia article is accurate. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_Sleeps_Tonight#History The original recording does not even have the tune associated with "In the jungle, the mighty jungle..." until near the very end when Linda improvises it. In 1949, someone in the American music industry brought the original recording to the attention of Pete Seeger. Pete Seeger and Weavers recorded it, and later it was arranged for the Tokens. Seeger and the Weavers thought was a traditional Zulu song. When Seeger found out that the song had been written by Solomon Linda, he sent $1000 to Linda and ordered that his share of any royalties be sent to Linda. Here is a link to the original recording. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mrrQT4WkbNE.html
Thank you. I was in High School when The Lion was big. Always wondered about the inspiration and origin. Got the answer 60 years later. Feeling my age, body aches and pains, but never too old to learn.
"The Lion Sleep" referred to the death of a LEADER. The same GRAND THEFT occured to the song "FOREVER YOUNG." It was a South African hymn or anthem sung for children who were departing their homes, transitioning into ADULTHOOD.
so true! this sounds very close to Rod Stewart's version of "Forever Young"--ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hgh_XvkeQgI.html I was very surprised that many haven't followed in the footsteps of Marvin Gaye's estates lawsuit against Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines
Thank you for being awesome in telling the true story behind this song. Not many people know the truth. Very very sad that the creators of this song never seen any royalties or credits for their song.
@@joepasco1420 they are due not just credit but significant royalties should be given to their descendants just like the thieves who stole it, they used it to create wealth and opportunity for theirs. An the greatest thieves in the history of humanity are still doing it to this day. You nedd look no futher than TikTock.
@@sheinagrant7936 What an idiot. They were in South africa. This is America. Besides the songs did not sound anything alike. You are just a racist angry black person who's life has been a failure and need to blame it on another race.
@@wanaraz Really, don't you know that the enemy tries his best to steal what is another's and when he does, he makes SURE it's HARD to identify? However, the true OWNER KNOWS what was stolen and can IDENTIFY it. Didn't you just watch/listen to the video? It was STOLEN!!💯
@@p.w.7493 Nothing was stolen and there 1938 version did not sound like any one else's . The key was different, the rhythm was different the notes were different. STOLEN was a claim by somebody like you. People cry all the time for their failures.
Mmmboobeh , dude, it's really not that hard. Hope you learned to pronounce it. Zulu is a wonderfully onomatopoeiac and expressive language and well worth learning.
I too have always loved this song. It's such a joy to listen to. I'm grateful for the original song writer and singers in South Africa who first recorded it. And I'm grateful for The Tokens for bringing it to the world. And yes, those who created it first deserved more credit and money. It's disappointing that they didn't get the wealth.
Girl! That was the way All Artists we're done back then! When you don't have Any Idea I am of your worth, you'll settle for Anythang!! Like All those Blues songs that made Icons out of Common Rock names! Hell, "The Rolling Stones" literally named themselves after a Muddy tune!🤔
@@sirsilva7079 Appropriation is a silly term, it's not like only one group in the world can sing a certain song or even wear certain clothes. People who feel "appropriated" should look at it as a compliment others like your style or your music or whatever is "appropriated" including food. I'm tired of hearing people whine about braided hairstyles or some white person wearing a kimono or cooking a cajun dish. And it seems to only be white people who appropriate right? Well, blacks can stop dying their hair blond and wearing it straight, nobody should wear baseball caps or blue jeans. It's just so childish.
Having worked in the music industry, it is important to understand that this is just how it works: one guy cannot make a success so someone else tries, they fail and someone else tries and WOW!! A HIT! Now that hit, in 1961, was heavily promoted at extreme cost to make it a hit. Regarding the "original writer", I suspect that if a Judge determined it to be public domain "folk" then the "original" writer maybe was not the actual original(?). Kind of like me recording "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". That said though, it is pretty low-class of the band to not properly credit and then share (voluntarily, even) with the band that recorded first and got their attention.
So the music industry can ignore copyright laws; steal someone else's music from them; and make a lot of money from it? That's what happened to Nik Kershaw. He sang "Wouldn't it be Good" before 3 Dog Night's Danny Hutton did for the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. According to an interview with Nik Kershaw I'd watched, producers never asked him for permission to use the song in the movie and didn't ask if they could have 3 Dog Night cover the song. They never even compensated him for it. Why are there copyright laws if they're never enforced? (At least not for the rich and powerful people in Hollywood!)
An American judge who knows nothing about the song and calling it a folklore is the issue to begin with. The original writer created the song, it was never a folklore to begin with. Just a twisted American system, that's all. Also the song was not a fail, it did well in South Africa. It just never made it to the American audience since we are talking about the 1930s and 40s when the internet and social media was not around.
Unfortunately, this story is all too typical of the music business and the entertainment media in general. Just to cite one glaring example, Little Richard signed away the publishing rights to his songs in order to secure a recording contract. How many millions do you suppose Long Tall Sally has garnered somebody over the years?
This was unusually fun, because I actually learned more from reading the comments of people who really do know more about the history and significance of the song, than was featured in the video. I mean, the video was fine, but some of the comments were more enriching.
interesting I never noticed that lol but probably bcz I've been listening to that version, and the version by Ladysmith Black Mambazo my whole life lol I didn't even think of The Token's version lol (why is that group name so much more apt after knowing what they did to Linda and his family?)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight has always been one of my favorite songs. It wasn’t until later in life that I learned that the song was of South African origin. I came to appreciate that style of a capella African music. I hope that whoever controls this type of thing can make amends and maybe get some monetary compensation for the original singers or their families.
"Wimoweh", or "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda, under the title "Mbube" ( The Lion, a reference to Sulu king, Shaka) recorded by the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in Zulu, while the English version's lyrics were written by George David Weiss. Weiss made two mistakes: 1. Lions do not sleep at night, they hunt at night 2. Lions do not live in "the jungle", they live in the African savannah, and semi-desert areas.
@@RosettaTarry-nr4gb They aren't really lions. They are more like pumas. I think I heard of lions in India that went extinct that MAY have lived in the jungle but that doesn't really represent most lions.
@Psilocybe Vibe If misunderstood, sorry, but my point is the Tokens simply recorded a song their record company pushed. They probably had no idea of the origins of the song.
A Danish singer by the name of Bamse (Bear), he had recorded a Danish version called Wimmersvej (Wimmers Street), and did not anything about this story till later. When he discovered it, he rerecorded it and all money went to the widow and family.
@@decodesigns14 He made a Danish translation without knowing the history behind. He took The Tokens version a made his own from that. When he discovered the truth, he re-recorded it and gave all the money to the family. He is dead now. Look up Wimmersvej by Bamse :)
Amen. But the lion of tribe of Judah is Alive! Jesus Christ our lord is coming back soon, our simba will return!! The word will be shocked, we must repent, pray, fast, and focus on the kingdom of heaven. God bless you all!
Solomon Linde's descendants did successfully sue Disney after the release of The Lion King. The court ordered Disney to pay a large portion of the royalties of The Lion King to the Solomon Linde descendants.
@@worldcitizenB You would think Disney would be smart enough to secure rights from the American copyright holder... If they did, then the lawsuit should have been against whoever holds the US rights.
The guy who co wrote Happy Together said it was so bad he didn't want credit and The Turtles turned it into a mega hit and he missed out on maybe millions in royalties. Murray Wilson sold off the Beach Boys catalog for a song and screwed them out of millions and the list goes on and on...
So you had the original recording of Mbube, which is sung, but still *chose* to be disrespectful (or attempt to be funny) by purposefully butchering the pronunciation?
I.....was kinda thinking the same thing. Like damn, it's not like it's 30 letters long. And even if there were- what's the point in doing the story if you can't put in enough effort to learn the name of- nevermind smh.....
@@BASEBALLHISTOR You're conflating three things that don't make much sense. What's wrong with being a Biden supporter, caring about the original music, and making a joke? The comment was about having the actual correct pronunciation and purposefully garbling it for comedic effect that fell short of funny, to the point of being offensive. You know, sort of how Trump does it when he's making an inappropriate joke about a disabled person, a veteran, or a POW senator.
@@kennetheisenberg7197 Lol, the only reason Solomon Linda got any money is because of Pete Seeger personal efforts to reimburse him. Also, it's spelled "hypocrite"
Very sad about the origin of it and the lack of respect to the original artists. The ones who stole it should be ashamed of themselves. still one of my all time favorites of all songs.
But they improved the song in every way. If they had released "Mbube" in America as it was and just changed the lyrics, it would have been a complete flop, so the creators lost nothing.
There’s more to this story, as I was taught by my Zimbabwean marimba teachers. (Mbube would be closely pronounced “eem-boo-beh.”) This song is code for the colonial practice of abducting indigenous men from the villages of rural South Africa and Rhodesia ( now Zimbabwe) at night, in order to force them to work in the mines. The “lion” refers to the white abductors. If the lion sleeps, he is not lurking about, waiting to strike, and it is safe to leave the home. Needless to say, we still have a long way to go in our trek toward justice.
I I always loved hearing it at the beginning of "Coming To America ".... Sounded majestic and regal, the way it was sung... it's a shame how these people were exploited.
In mid December, 2022, I was in a nursing home recovering from an accident and at 6:30AM, one of the CNA's was walking down the hall singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"! I loved it!
You spend about half a minute trying to pronounce, Mbube, and then immediately play a recording of the proper pronunciation. I don't get it. Why can't you pronounce it as it is recorded? It is not at all difficult.
@Ghosty Toasty Being calm is a state of mind. What would make you think that I am not calm? Just because I pointed out something really stupid in a video doesn't mean I wasn't calm when doing it.
@Ghosty Toasty So now you make the assumption that I am upset. I assure you I'm not. Although, I am a bit concerned for you and your apparent lack of reading comprehension skills. You might want to work on that. Toodles
Ghosty Toasty actually I think Sean makes a pretty good point. It was kind of ridiculous and annoying for the RU-vidr to butcher the name of the song so badly. Didn’t really seem necessary.
I was just sitting on my porch in the middle of the forest singing that because it was so deafeningly silent. I was also thinking about how the song came about...then 15 minutes later your video is in my list suggested videos...😲😱😨
