The original version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds, South Africa, 1939

@whowasthatmaskedman The Regents,

@ShadowSister They are saying "ayimbube" which means "you are a lion" in Zulu. Non-Zulu speakers misheard it as "wimoweh" which is understandable given the quality of the recording. It's been covered many times, with only the Miriam Makeba version getting the word right. Despite this being one of the best-selling songs in South Africa at the time, and cover versions making a fortune for the Weavers, the Tokens, and many others, Linda didn't make anything from it and died a pauper.

Pete Seeger sent $1000 to Linda after he learned that the song wasn't, as he had originally believed, a "traditional" Zulu melody, but an original composition, and instructed his publisher to send his share of author's credit to Linda. However, Seeger never followed up to confirm that his publisher was actually sending Linda the money.

Linda's estate eventually sued Disney, which may have made as much as $15 million from the song in The Lion King, reaching a settlement in 2006.

@LeopoldBloom Wow! That's quite a history. Thank you for sharing!

@LamontCranston Not really. It's actually the origin of Iscathamiya style exemplified by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Doo-wop's origins are completely American, deriving from Tin Pan Alley and barbershop quartets.

@LeopoldBloom We will have to disagree.

@LamontCranston Just because it's similar doesn't mean it's related. Like if you hear Ali Farka Touré and other West African singers, you might think that's where the blues came from, when actually it was in the opposite direction because John Lee Hooker is very popular in West Africa.