WIMOWEH THE LION KING MOVIE

The Mbube Lion Sleeps Tonight Controversy The story of Mbube and The Lion Sleeps Tonight might have ended there had it not been for a Rolling Stone Article written by Rian Malan in 2000. The document which Linda probably did not fully understand was then used as the basis for Gallo’s Publishing copyright and control of Mbube and the Lion Sleeps Tonight, allowing Gallo to collect all recording and publishing worldwide Royalties for Mbube. In order to resolve the question of Ownership of the Mbube/The Lion Sleeps Tonight on South African soil, Linda signed away his rights to Mbube to Gallo under a Copyright Assignment agreement concluded prior to his death. Instead, Gallo Records attributed authorship of Mbube and the Lion Sleeps Tonight to a fictitious Paul Campbell which allowed the Record Company to collect Royalties for its own benefit. The Royalties and sales for Mbube and the Lion Sleeps Tonight were unfortunately not passed onto Solomon Linda or his family. Wimoweh or The Lion Sleeps Tonight hit the Billboard charts, and spawned more adaptations by other African and international Artists including The Tokens, Miriam Makeba and Jimmy Dorsey.Įventually Mbube was used by Disney as part of the Lion King soundtrack. Mbube the song was destined for bigger things however, when in 1951, American group The Weavers recorded an adaptation they called Wimoweh, or the Lion Sleeps Tonight, a title arising out of a mistaken attempt at translating the original Zulu chorus into English. Mbube was a hit in South Africa that influenced the evolution of a new choral musical style dubbed Mbube which was popular on South Africa’s mines. Mbube or The Lion Sleeps Tonight as it would later become more popularly known is a 1939 Zulu recording by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for Gallo Records, South Africa. The Recording, Release and Success Of Mbube It’s an unmatched story of cultural appropriation and exploitation revealing how despite Linda’s Mbube composition became a worldwide phenomenon when it was re-recorded as the Lion Sleeps Tonight earning millions in sales and publishing Royalties for Record Companies and Disney Studios both in Africa and abroad, the Composer of Mbube the original Mbube song on which the Lion Sleeps Tonight was based and his family continued to wallow in poverty until a Lawsuit was instituted over Royalty payments due for Mbube’s use as the Lion Sleeps Tonight was finally settled by Disney in 2006.

WIMOWEH THE LION KING MOVIE

The history of The Lion Sleeps tonightįor many the song was best known as a pop hit released by The Tokens in 1961, with lyrics written by George David Weiss, but it was actually inspired by the song ‘ Mbube’ written, recorded and performed by South African musician Solomon Linda.The sad story of how the song Mbube which became later known as The Lion Sleeps Tonight was stolen from South African composer Solomon Linda and used as the Theme Song by Disney in the Lion King Movie is laid bare in a Netflix documentary The Lion’s Share. The relatives of Solomon Linda has endured decades of heartache over the song that has been covered countless times, used in Disney’s film and its hugely successful stage musical, earning piles of money for everyone, except them. The instantly hummable song is once again performed by meerkat-warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen in the remake) in a lighthearted moment, but for the family of the man who actually wrote the song back in the 1930s, it’s likely to be a bittersweet moment. Jon Favreau’s photorealistic version will feature all of the original songs, including some new ones, but the onscreen return of ‘ The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ comes with a lot of baggage.

The Lion King's song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' has a controversial history (Credit: Disney)ĭisney’s latest blockbuster, its flashy new The Lion King remake, is coming to cinemas 25 years after the original animated feature was released.

Wimoweh the lion king