Monday, August 6, 2007

Hush..............

Hi Everybody, I hope you had an eventful week-end, I sure did!!!
Riding around tonight listening to the oldies station, I heard a forgotten old rendition of the Box-Tops great hit "The Letter". It was a slow version, and the group was called The Arbors.
There are many hits that have been redone, remember Jose' Feliciano's slower version of The Door's hit "Light My Fire"? How about Jimi Hendryx's version of Bob Dylan's hit, "All Along The Watchtower"?.....Well since this is Musical Monday, and I AM Mr. Knowitall, I think that you will find the following little story interesting......Remember the song by The Tokens' called "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"?

The original title of this song was "Mbube"(which means lion); The subject was a sleeping lion..
The real lyrics went something like..."Hush! Hush! If we will all be quiet, there will be Lion meat for supper". It was sung with a haunting Zulu refrain, that sounded to the English like "Wimoweh"..
"Mbube"was popular on the boats that is now Swaziland. In the 1930's a South African singer named Soloman Linda recorded it...It soon was passed down as folk music. In the 1950's, Miriam Makeba recorded it in it's original Zulu....And an American folk group named The Weavers adopted a version that actually reached #15, called "Wimoweh"!
In 1961 a Brooklyn doo-wop group named The Tokens, were offered a try-out with RCA Records. Since the country was Folk Music crazy at the time, they auditioned with "Wimoweh". The RCA execs liked the song, but decided it needed new lyrics, so they wrote "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"for The Tokens--not knowing that the original version was also about a lion..The Tokens' record hit #1 in 1961, and a singer named Robert John had a #3 hit with it in 1972...
Lotsa mileage out of a song about a lion eh?
I hope you learned something today......Peace!

36 comments:

Little Wing said...

First! BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!
FIRST!!!!!!
NUMBER UNO!
FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT!
I AM FIRST!!!!!!!!!!BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Little Wing said...

Shhhhh, in the jungle the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight!!!!!!!
AWEEMOET-AWEEMOET!

G-Man said...

Well Well Well...
The lion may be sleeping, but Little Wing sure isn't..
CONGRATULATIONS Jadey!!!!
You Be #1...Thanks xoxox

Little Wing said...

Little Wing is a night bird!
But she always keeps in mind that it's just one step from the jungle to the zoo.........xoxoxoxo!

dickiebo said...

Karl Denver had a smash-hit with 'Wimoweh' a long time ago. Great rendition.

Mona said...

In India we have a lot of old folk songs that are being adopted by the film song writers and being recorded as theirs. I remember a song that my nanny used to sing & later the very song came in a movie when I was in college & the magazines went Ga ga over the lyric 'writer'.Every thing was the same, the lyrics & the tune too!

Cazzie!!! said...

I love all of the songs mentioned, thanks Galen :)

barman said...

"Mbube"? What about boobies?

I always love the Tokens' version of that song. Then again I have a hard time listening to a song done a different way than the original way I heard it. It does not need to be the original way.

Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh,

In the jungle the mighty jungle...

Yep it is officially going to be stuck but that is OK, I think I can take it for a day.

Scary Monster said...

Well, G. Me be learnin lots every time Me stops by. Funny thing that today Me were thinkin 'bout Chico and the Man.

Me loves good covers of great songs.
Brings to mind stuff by Joe Cocker and Cassandra Wilson.

STOMP.

Serena said...

I've always known the tune -- and the refrain -- but never had a clue what any of it meant. Good to know!
xoxbdxox

SignGurl said...

You have officially proved to me that you ARE Mr. KnowItAll with your Roswell alien comment! My friend was impressed with your knowledge.

morgetron said...

Would you believe that "The Letter" is one of my finest karaoke staples?

lime said...

well whaddya know. i had no idea onthat song. very funny little coincidence there. of course nopw i will be humming it all day long!

G-Man said...

Dickiebo,
Was that John Denver's cousin?

Mona...?
Perhaps you could sing a few bars for us?
xoxox

Good Morning Cazzie,
I always loved, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down"!!
thanks..xoxoxox

Barman,
Good!!
You should have a song stuck in your head all day!...

Scary Monster,
Chico and the Man?
The Jose' Feliciano thing?
Thanks for visiting..
You Am Very Cool!!

Serena Joy,
Glad to be of service,
and to be your Font de Info!!!
xoxoxbgxoxox

Hehehehe...Jenn!
Knowledge is my middle name!!
( and you thought it was Lee )
Love Ya..xoxox

Morgetron,
No, I wouldn't believe it!

...OK, I believe it!

Where's my prize?

G-Man said...

Hi Michelle,
It's almost like...
"The Lime Sleeps Tonight"!
xoxoxox

Cha Cha said...

Rawr!

G-Man said...

....You Are Woman?

Cha Cha said...

I am Strumpet.

snowelf said...

Rawr!!!

--snow

snowelf said...

ROFL!
I didn't read Strumpets comment until after I commented!!

hehehehe!

dickiebo said...

No, but his history is interesting. He, at one time, was an illegal immigrant in the U.S., trying to further his career.
Gee Man. I've a confession to make. Sorry, but I've published your photograph in my latest blog. So sorry, ol' chap>

Crabby said...

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE ooo weeeee oh weee oh bombaway! I love to sing that song. But I didn't know it was originally about Lion meat.

Is it true the chief of the ubunga doohoozie tribe always has a 3rd nipple? I mean, I wasn't gonna ask but since Barman mentioned boobies. well, just seemed fitting.

GAB said...

In the Jungle the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight.....Oh that brings back such memories. My daughter had the theme song from the disney hit Lion king played at her wedding she should have skipped it because the groom did. He wasnt a lion! Such a coward! Ok enough.

SeaRabbit said...

Hummm... did you ever said that the poor African signer never made a penny out of it big hit??? And that the Linda family is asking Disney for some return of the huge royalties the comapnie made with the Lion King?
Yes, yes... the classic about the bad white man taking what ever he wants from the poor black guy... Hummm... How bad this can be...

SeaRabbit said...

Oh! BTW... don't search for my blog... It's gone in the storm we had this morning...
Not sure about getting another one... I'll see how life goes...

morgetron said...

I saw the pic of you on Dickiebo's blog. It's quite the tribute. He's a tough nut to crack, but apparently you've somehow cracked it.

I got your email. I'm so happy that you're so happy. That's exactly the effect I was after. I will email you in a bit.

-J

ann said...

hi mr g... like a bad penny
I'm back and yes I did learn
something today. Wikipedia
has a lot to say about The
Lion Sleeps Tonight; interesting
stuff

hope you and yours are well

don't hold your breath, but
I may actually post something
soon... hmmmmm!

lotsa luv ann xxxx

Manny said...

And you couldn't guess which cd I burned?

Cha Cha said...

That was a big picture!

Were those all yours?

=P

Looks like a place I'd truly enjoy being in.

Rock on with your bad self, Galen.

javajazz said...

mmm, tough nuts.

GAB said...

Ok Im not making sence but Ive had a bad weekend!!!!!!!!!

Mona said...

Well here goes:

Jhooooot bole kavaa kaate, Kaale kavve se dariyoooo / Main maayike chali jaaoooooongee tum dekhte rahiyooooo

[If you keep telling lies may the black crow nip your nose so be afraid of doing that/ & if you do'nt stop telling lies, I will leave you & go to my Mom's]

How did you like that bar Galen???
Welll???

G-Man said...

Strumpet
SnowElf
Thats so cute!!

Dickiebo,
It's quite all right, Carry On....G-Man

Crabby,
Yes It's true!
Thank You for asking!
xox

Gabby,
Thats kind of a strange wedding song isn't it?

Searabbit,
I'm NOT at all happy about this...
Please get it back!!
xoxoxox

Rebicmel,
Hows the Haiku contest comming?

Jodie,
It was Awesome!!
Everyone will see it quite soon...Thanks.xox

G-Man said...

Ann Raven,
As I live and breathe!
Your ears must have been burning. I was just about to E-Mail you and inquire about your return.
Thank you so much for the visit, and I will be anxiously waiting your return..Galen xox

Manny,
OLDIES?
xox

Strumpet,
You'd love it..

Gabby,
You need a beer!

Lisa....?
xoxoxoxox

Mona....?
What Bar?
Great Lyrics!!
Those darn Indians

GAB said...

Where's the hairy nipples everyone is talking about? LOL
Yes yes I do.
Yeah Im not sure why they picked that song but it didnt help they were togethr for about 7 months(long enough for the baby to be born and give them grief) and he ran off to New Mexico with a 16 year old and he was like 25 at the time can we say Jailbait?

Spoony Quine said...

` Crayzah! I assume this is true and I never would have guessed!