I am making a habit of giving my age away in my blog postings, and today will not be an exception. One of my favorite songs was at the top of the Billboard pop chart on this date in the year I graduated from high school. That year was one of the few that can be turned upside down and still read the same, 1961, and the song was "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and it was sung by The Tokens. That song was a lot older than when the Tokens recorded it. Back in 1938, a group of Zulu singers and dancers called Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds made the first recording in the first recording studio in sub-Saharan Africa and the song that they recorded was called "Mbube".
Later, Pete Seeger was given a box that had that recording in it. He was unable to understand the lyrics of "Mbube" and changed the chant to "Wimoweh". This song went on to make millions, but Solomon Linda only received a thousand dollars via a personal check from Pete Seeger. The song was treated as public domain. "Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you", but in this case it was a lion. Now, try not to keep hearing "wimoweh" in your head all day and have a great day, you hear?
Gee Dizzy, I didn't know it was a Bluegrass song. :) Thought that's all you listened to.
ReplyDeleteBlue grass is all I listen to now, except for some country western on TV, but when I was younger, I liked pop music and went to the sock hops. Remember those. . . oh that's right, I am a lot older than you are.
DeleteI remember the song but not the story behind it. What a shame about the original folks who recorded the song getting shafted like that. I guess it's the story of history though.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is the story of what happened to a multitude of people, and in every occupation.
DeleteThinking back on some of the popular songs back then, a person might wonder just what made them popular.... like Winchester Cathedral (was that the name) and some of Ray Stevens or Roger Miller (my kids favorite for a time). There's a group of cowboys at the Bar D Ranch in Durango, CO that do a really funny parody of the Lion... only their version is The Possum Sleeps Tonight. You can google it if you want some laughs.
ReplyDeleteThe Possum Sleeps Tonight is a funny song. I had possums make a home under my house. . . and left a lot of damage, especially to the plastic water pipes.
DeleteI remember the song but I did not listen to it until the 70's. When my parents allowed me to go I went to sock hops...but that did not happen very often.
ReplyDeleteI tried to go to all the dances that I could. I loved to dance, especially the slow songs with my girl friend, now wife. We dated through high school and went our separate ways after for awhile, then got married and have been married for over 50 years.
DeleteWas at the sock hops during hi school when that "what's behind the green door" was always playing,, drove me nuts not knowing.. lololol
ReplyDeleteYep, they never told us what was behind the green door, or in the box from the sea, or what the thing was.
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