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For the TV episode, see The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Dexter).

"Mbube"
1939 Singer Bantu Records record of "Mbube", containing the company logo, the song's name, the artist's name, and other generic record information
1939 Singer Bantu record
Single by Solomon Linda's Original Evening Birds
B-sideNgi Hambiki[1]
Released1939
Recorded1939
StudioGallo Recording Studios
Genre
Length2:44
LabelGallo Record Company
Songwriter

"Mbube"[a] is a popular song written and composed by the South African musician Solomon Linda in 1939. It was first published in South Africa and made its way to the United States a decade later. In 1961, the Tokens adapted the melody and added English lyrics to produce "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", lending the song the name by which it is best known today.

Linda, a Zulu migrant worker, led the a capella group the Evening Birds. In 1939 without rehearsal, they recorded "Mbube", which fused traditional Zulu musical elements with Western influences. The recording was released in South Africa to widespread popularity. It made Linda a local celebrity and steered the development of the isicathamiya genre. However, he had sold his rights to "Mbube" to the owner of his parent record company, Eric Gallo, for ten shillings,[b] unaware of what the transaction did. Thus Linda could not earn royalties. The recording of "Mbube" was then sent to a record label in the US, and upon being unearthed, it passed onto Pete Seeger of the folk group the Weavers. They covered the song in 1951 as "Wimoweh".[c] A decade later, the Tokens, a doo-wop group, encountered "Wimoweh" and decided to record their version. After adapting the melody and adding English lyrics, they released "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", although Linda did not receive credit. It topped the US charts.

By the mid 2000s, around 150 artists across the world had covered the song, and it had been included in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King, earning an estimated $15 million in royalties. Linda, who had died three decades earlier, was yet to be recognised for his contributions to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". His descendants had earned very little and remained destitute. Emboldened, they filed a lawsuit against Disney for copyright violation in 2004. Within two years, they reached an out-of-court settlement with Abilene Music, in which the firm agreed to pay the family a lump sum for past royalties and offer them a share of future revenue. The case drew international attention and bore wider legal effects, such as on British copyright law.

While global success transformed "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" into an iconic pop song, the song is now associated with long-running racial exploitation. The song and Linda's history has been probed in numerous documentaries and is the part-inspiration of the 2020 film Black Is King.

Background and release

[edit]
See also: Music of South Africa
Photo of the Evening Birds taken in 1941 with Linda at the far left, shown standing in a straight line wearing matching striped suits, looking directly at the camera
Solomon Linda (far left) and his Evening Birds (seen in 1941) recorded "Mbube" in 1939. A great local success, it reshaped South African music.

Solomon Linda was born in a rural part of the Colony of Natal in southern Africa.[6] During his childhood, he followed the Virginia Jubilee Singers, an American minstrel group that toured South Africa and performed spirituals.[7] A migrant worker and beer hall singer,[8] he sang in a short-lived choir named the Evening Birds, which dissolved in 1933. Linda founded a new group under the same name soon after. The group, comprising himself as soprano, Gilbert Madondo as alto, Boy Sibiya as tenor, and Samuel Mlangeni, Gideon Mkhize, and Owen Sikhakhane as basses,[9] performed a cappella in the weekends and quickly grew a local following.[10] Working-class culture in South Africa flourished around this time as the nation's manufacturing industry grew.[6] After moving to Johannesburg, Linda became a packer at Eric Gallo's local record-pressing plant,[d] the only one in black Africa.[12] It was not long before the firm's talent scout noticed the Evening Birds and invited them to the recording studio.[13] Back then, record firms eyed Zulu close-harmony vocal music since it appealed to migrant mineworkers.[14]

The Evening Birds recorded multiple songs at Gallo's studio, and during their second session, in 1939, they recorded "Mbube".[15][a] It was finished without rehearsal after three takes.[16] Also featured in the recording are Peter Rezant on guitar, Emily Motsieloa on piano, and possibly Willie Gumede on banjo.[1] "Mbube" impressed Gallo, and he had it turned into 78 rpm records; it then aired on the rediffusion, a landline that broadcast music and news across black neighbourhoods.[15]

Composition

[edit]
"Mbube" (1939)
A snippet of "Mbube", performed by Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Performed in four-part harmony with Mlangeni, Mkhize, and Sikhakhane on bass, Madondo and Sibiya on middle tones, and Linda on soprano,[17] "Mbube" is sung in a call and response format: the phrases of each section overlap. It follows a cyclical structure.[18] The melody is built over three chords, and the chord progression borrows from the marabi harmonic cycle common in twentieth-century South African music (I-IV-I6/4-V7-I).[19]

Journalist Sharon LaFraniere describes the melody as "tender ... almost childish in its simplicity".[20] In South African author Rian Malan's view, "'Mbube' wasn't the most remarkable tune, but there was something terribly compelling about the underlying chant, a dense meshing of low male voices above which Linda yodeled and howled for two minutes, mostly making it up as he went along."[16] Of particular interest to commentators are the song's final few seconds, where Linda breaks out into a brief howl that Malan describes as "a haunting skein of fifteen notes".[21] This would be the melodic basis for the Tokens' cover.[22]

The lyrics, written in Zulu,[23] are said to document an episode of Linda's childhood when he chased a lion while herding cattle.[24][e]

Yekela yanini, yebo liyaduma amathamsanqa.
Mbube, ha, wembube.[f]
Mbube, mama.

Translation:

Leave it, indeed it thunders blessings.
Lion, ha, the lion.[g]
Lion, mother.

—as listed in Veit Erlmann's Nightsong[27]

The chorus "wembube"[f] is repeated throughout.[30] "Mbube" borrows strongly from Western influences raised by missionaries and white singing troupes, among which is the four-part harmony, with music historian Veit Erlmann asserting that the main body "displays only a few features which can be said to be rooted in traditional performance practice".[31] These Western elements, argues journalist Lior Phillips, "gave 'Mbube' a chance globally".[32] Erlmann notes that the song's triadic structure and harmonic progression resemble urban, Westernised genres and that by contrast, the metrically-free introduction mirrors traditional dance music.[33] The vocal lines are meant to evoke tin whistles typical of South African street music.[32]

Reception

[edit]

"Mbube" achieved widespread success. With over 100,000 copies sold in Africa over the next nine years, Erlmann considers it the first South African "hit".[34] It made Linda "a legend in the Zulu subculture", and his band went on to dominate all-night song competitions, according to Malan.[35] Still, he did not profit, as he had sold his rights to "Mbube" to Eric Gallo for ten shillings[b] just after the recording session.[36] Seeing that Linda could not read and had no understanding of royalties, a South African court would by 2006, deem this deal unfair.[37] Gallo also paid Linda the equivalent of $2 for the first run of a few hundred records.[32] The Evening Birds continued performing until 1948, remaining prominent till their disbanding.[38] But Linda never attained wealth or fortune. He lived in a household with a dirt floor coated in cow manure, and malnutrition took the life of one of his children.[20] In 1959, Linda collapsed onstage, which doctors ruled a result of kidney failure.[39] He died three years later aged 53.[40] At the time of his death, his bank account contained roughly $40 in today's money.[41][h] His family could not afford a tombstone.[44]

"Mbube" defined contemporary South African music and the isicathamiya genre.[45] Isicathamiya is a form of a capella choral song stemming from "elements of Zulu traditional music ... rehearsed and performed after hours in migrant workers' hostels", writes Gwen Ansell, along with Western, Christian influences.[46] The word mbube became shorthand for male a cappella choral singing in South Africa[47][i] and lent its name to a distinct music style. This style, in anthropologist David B. Coplan's words, "appealed across the class spectrum, melodised a growing African nationalism, created nostalgia for a lost society, and fused urban and rural values".[48] According to Erlmann, "Mbube" was "canonic for an entire generation of performers".[49] For instance, all subsequent South African music styles adopted its booming I-IV-V bass patterns.[49]

The Weavers version

[edit]
"Wimoweh"
1951 black and gold Decca record of "Wimoweh", containing the company logo, the song's name, the artists' names, and other generic record information; it is credited to the Weavers as well as "Gordon Jenkins and His Chorus and Orchestra"
1951 Decca vinyl record
Single by The Weavers
ReleasedDecember 1951
Recordedc. 1951
Genre
Length2:59
LabelFolkways Records[50]
Songwriter
  • Paul Campbell (pseudonym)[50]
Audio
The Weavers – Wimoweh on YouTube
Live version
Wimoweh (Live At Carnegie Hall, 1955) on YouTube

Some years later, Gallo sent a bundle of records to Decca Records in the United States.[51] They were about to be discarded before Decca employee and ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax salvaged them; among these records was "Mbube". He handed the box over to folk singer Pete Seeger of the Weavers.[52] A penniless banjo player, Seeger had entered music after quitting university and accustoming himself with popular songs of the Great Depression.[53] "Mbube" fascinated him, and he promptly transcribed it word for word, although he misheard the chorus as wimoweh.[54] "What really grabbed Pete", writes Jeese Jarnow in his Weavers biography, "was the high, worldess falsetto that floated on top and—most especially—where it landed, in a secondary melody, sad and sweet".[55]

Seeger convened the band at the Village Vanguard to record it. He attempted to describe the vocal parts as he heard them, and the Weavers eventually settled on a repeated chant of "wimoweh, a-wimoweh", with Seeger performing falsettoes.[56] As Malan writes, their recording "was faithful to the Zulu original in almost all respects save for the finger-popping rhythm".[57] To broaden its appeal, bandleader Gordon Jenkins composed a brass accompaniment to the recording that stressed Linda's brief howl toward the end of "Mbube".[58]

In December 1951, the Weavers released "Wimoweh".[50] Seeger later said that it was "just about my favorite song to sing for the next forty years".[52] Shortly after its release, Gallo sold "Mbube" to the American Richmond Organization in exchange for the rights to administer "Wimoweh" in some bush territories.[59] Even though records of "Mbube" contained the words African Music Research Copyright Control, Richmond claimed it was a folk song.[58] All songwriting credits were thus given to the fictitious "Paul Campbell", a tactic enabling the Weavers to claim royalties on songs from the public domain even if "Mbube" was not in the public domain.[60] Such a practice was then common.[61] Royalties for "Wimoweh" were split two ways: half went to the Weavers' publishers—Howard Richmond (of The Richmond Organization) and Albert Brackman—and their manager, Pete Kameron, and the other half to the Weavers.[62] None went to Linda.[63]

"Wimoweh" reached No. 6 on the US charts,[j] but this success briefly crashed when Harvey Matusow, a prolific informer of the McCarthy era, accused three of the Weavers of being affiliated with the Communist Party.[65] Nevertheless, it became a Weavers standard.[66] The song's profile rose when they performed it at Carnegie Hall in 1957.[67] Jimmy Dorsey and the Kingston Trio recorded covers around this time.[68]

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance
Chart (1952) Peak
position
US (Billboard chart)[69][j] 6
US Cash Box Top 100[70] 13

The Tokens version

[edit]
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The single cover of the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961), an illustration of a woman and lion resting in bed
1961 RCA single cover
Single by The Tokens
from the album The Lion Sleeps Tonight
A-side"Tina"
ReleasedOctober 1961
Recorded1961
Genre
Length2:41
LabelRCA Victor[72]
Songwriters
Producers
  • Hugo Peretti
  • Luigi Creatore
The Tokens singles chronology
"Sincerely"
(1961) 		"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
(1961) 		"B'wa Nina (Pretty Girl)"
(1962)
Audio
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) (Audio) on YouTube
Audio sample

Malan writes that by the 1950s' end, "almost everyone in America knew the basic refrain" of "Wimoweh".[73] After hearing a live Weavers performance of the song,[k] the Tokens, a teen doo-wop group from Brooklyn, decided to record their own version.[75] They had already attained a hit, "Tonight I Fell in Love", and signed up with RCA for a three-record contract effectively commencing in 1961.[76] While their first two records, "When I Go to Sleep at Night/Dry Your Eyes" and "Sincerely", struggled commercially, their third would fare better.[77]

For their third attempt, the Tokens approached musician George David Weiss and solicited an overhaul of "Wimoweh" to "give it some intelligible lyrics and a contemporary feel".[78] He purged the song of its shrieks and hollers while leaving the chant unchanged and made Linda's final improvised notes the new tune.[74] Thirty-three words were added as English lyrics, beginning with, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight".[79] Jarnow notes that the lyrics were based on "a vague understanding of ["Mbube"]'s title".[80] The Tokens then recorded Weiss' version, with Jay Siegel performing falsettos, the rest of the band chanting "wimoweh", and guest opera singer Anita Darian "[diving] in the high heavens" with her "haunting" countermelodies, in Malan's words.[81][l] Accompanying them were an orchestra, a percussionist on timpani, and session musicians on guitar, drums and bass.[81] Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore produced the piece.[77] Ultimately, the Tokens were not much enthralled with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and it was released in October 1961 as a B-side.[83] Linda again received no credit.[84]

While the A-side "Tina" failed, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" surged to No. 1 in the US charts and in numerous other countries.[85] Many covers of the song found similar success in the years to come.[86] According to writers Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was the first African song to top the US charts.[77] The Tokens subsequently became music producers, and while their fame as performers waned—only landing their next top 40 US single four years later—they flourished in their new role. Among their productions was the Chiffons' "He's So Fine".[77]

A promotional photo of the Tokens taken in 1967, showing them by what appears to be a large opening in a wall; they are grinning and sporting matching striped outfits
The Tokens (pictured in 1967) covered "Wimoweh" in 1961 as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"; their version reimagines the original melody and introduces English lyrics.

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[97] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[98]
Sales since 2004 		Silver 0‡
United States (RIAA)[99] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Further commercial use

[edit]

By the mid 2000s, "Mbube" had been recorded by over 150 artists worldwide and served a role in more than thirteen movies.[100] Many are covers of the Tokens' version, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which includes Robert John's, which rose to No. 3 in the US a decade later, and Tight Fit's, which topped the UK charts in 1982.[101] Beyond the English-speaking world, a cover by Swedish pop group the Hounds became a large hit in the Nordic countries in 1967, and French and Japanese covers achieved chart success in the 1990s.[102] Miriam Makeba performed "Mbube" at President John F. Kennedy's 1962 birthday.[103] In 1994, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" rose to the spotlight when it featured in the Disney film The Lion King.[104] The film would gross nearly $1 billion and produce many soundtrack CDs.[105] It was later included in the 1997 staged musical of the same name, still the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time.[106] The 2019 Lion King remake also used a version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" sung by Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner.[107]

Notable covers

[edit]

Karl Denver

[edit]
"Wimoweh"
1961 Decca record of Denver's "Wimoweh", with the company logo, the artist's and producer's names, and other generic information about the track over a blue background.
1961 Decca vinyl record
Single by Karl Denver
from the album Wimoweh
B-side"Gypsy Davy"[108]
Releasedlate 1961[m]
Genre
Length2:30
LabelDecca[109]
Songwriters
Producer
Audio
Wimoweh on YouTube

Karl Denver, born in Glasgow, Scotland, spent much of his youth at sea and eventually served in the Korean War.[110] He was wounded; while recovering, he practised the guitar and grew interested in folk and country music.[111] Upon settling in Lancashire, England, he performed in pubs and clubs. His hallmark piece was a cover of "Wimoweh", which Spencer Leigh of The Independent notes for its "octave-spanning acrobatics" and "electrifying" nature.[110] He claimed to have learned "Wimoweh" in South Africa as a seaman.[111] Denver's recording of "Wimoweh" was held off from being released for some time, until 1961, shortly after the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" came out.[112] It reached No. 4 in the UK and remains his best-known song.[110]

Weekly chart performance
Chart (1962) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[109] 4

Robert John

[edit]
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The single cover of Robert John's rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1971), dominated by a simple drawing of a lion at rest and a white background.
1971 Atlantic single sleeve
Single by Robert John
from the album Robert John
B-side"Janet"[113]
Released1971
Genre
Length2:32
LabelAtlantic[115]
Songwriters
Producers
Robert John singles chronology
"When the Party Is Over"
(1970) 		"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
(1971) 		"Hushabye"
(1972)
Audio
The Lion Sleeps Tonight on YouTube

As a child, Robert John engaged with street-corner doo-wop groups; he first achieved chart success aged twelve. In the 1960s, he partnered with songwriter Michael Gately, with whom he wrote the hit "If You Don't Want My Love" and other songs, including for other artists.[116] His solo efforts "took off", in music journalist Jon Blistein's words, when he covered the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1971.[117] It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over a million records.[118] However, since Atlantic Records kept him from producing an album, John then broke from singing before returning in the late 1970s.[116]

Charts
[edit]
Certifications
[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[131] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Tight Fit

[edit]
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The single cover of Tight Fit's version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1982), depicting the three members of the band: Denise Gyngell (left) and Julie Harris (right) don a beige coat, and Steve Grant stands at the centre barechested
1982 Jive single cover
Single by Tight Fit
from the album Tight Fit
B-side"I'm Dancing in the Street"[132]
Releasedc. January 1982[133]
GenrePop
Length3:08
LabelJive[134]
Songwriters
ProducerTim Friese-Greene[134]
Tight Fit singles chronology
"Back to the Sixties Part II"
(1981) 		"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
(1982) 		"Fantasy Island"
(1982)
Music video
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" on YouTube

Tight Fit's cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was the UK's fourth best-selling single in 1982. That year, their rendition of "Fantasy Island" was also one of the best-selling UK singles.[135] In its review of the band's eponymous 1982 album, Pop Rescue notes the song's "tom-tom-laden drums and Tarzan-like vocals".[136]

Charts
[edit]
Certifications
[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[154] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

List of recordings that charted

[edit]
Key
A cover of Linda's "Mbube"
A cover of the Weavers' "Wimoweh"
A cover of the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
A cover, direct or indirect, of Gloria Lasso's "Le lion est mort ce soir"[n]
List of releases, with origin and relevant chart positions
Year Title
Artist 		Country of origin Peak chart positions Notes
AUL AUT BEL (Wa) CAN DEN FIN FRA GER ICE NLD POL SWE (KV) SWE (TiT) SWI UK US
1951 "Wimoweh"
The Weavers 		United States See § The Weavers version
1961 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The Tokens 		United States See § The Tokens version
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Karl Denver 		United Kingdom See § Karl Denver
1962 "Le lion est mort ce soir"
Henri Salvador 		France —— —— 3 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— [155]
[n]
1966 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The Townsmen 		Canada —— —— —— 70 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— [156]
1967 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The Hounds 		Sweden —— —— —— —— 8 7 —— —— —— —— —— 1 1 —— —— —— [157]
1968 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Love Machine 		Australia 26 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— [158]
1971 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Robert John 		United States See § Robert John
1972 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Dave Newman 		United Kingdom —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— 34 —— [159]
1982 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Tight Fit 		United Kingdom See § Tight Fit
1986 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The Nylons 		Canada —— —— —— 91 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— [160]
1992 "Le lion est mort ce soir"
Pow woW 		France —— —— —— —— —— —— 4 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— [161]
1993 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
R.E.M. 		United States —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— 2 —— 46 —— —— —— —— —— [162]
[o][p]
2000 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"[164]
Jungle Rumble 		United Kingdom —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— 80 —— [165]
2003 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
The Cooldown Café ft. Gerard Joling 		Netherlands —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— 82 —— —— —— —— —— —— [166]
2004 "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Daniel Küblböck 		Germany —— 29 —— —— —— —— —— 7 —— —— —— —— —— 37 —— —— [167]
[edit]

1951–1990: Early conflict

[edit]
See also: Copyright law of the United States
Portrait of George David Weiss taken in 1947, depicting him looking downward with a solemn expression
George David Weiss (pictured in 1947) arranged the melody and lyrics of "Wimoweh" into "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1961. He administered its songwriting credits solely to himself and fellow producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore.

Conflict over songwriting credits and royalty payments has engulfed "Wimoweh" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" ever since their release. The earliest dispute dates to around 1951. Upon learning that Solomon Linda would not be granted songwriting royalties, Pete Seeger objected, insisting that Linda, as the "true" author of "Wimoweh", should receive his due. He directed his publisher to send Linda the royalties, at one point dispatching a $1,000 check himself.[168] Linda's daughters later denied that consistent payments for "Wimoweh" had been made ever since the 1950s.[169] Nonetheless, Seeger stated that "I never got author's royalties on 'Wimoweh'. ... I assumed [the song's publishers] were keeping the publisher's fifty percent and sending the rest".[170] In 1971, The Richmond Organization acknowledged that the song was based on "Mbube", and since then, Linda's family has received royalty payments totalling 12.5 percent of "Wimoweh"'s overall earnings.[171]

The next dispute concerned the Tokens' revision. Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss credited "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" solely to themselves, thinking the Weavers' tune was based on traditional African music and hence could not be copyrighted, which was untrue.[170] As the song was achieving widespread success, Howard Richmond insisted that the trio cede publishing rights back to the Weavers. They complied, and the Tokens retained full songwriting credits.[39]

However, the conflict was not resolved. In 1989, the copyright on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was about to expire, and Weiss demanded Richmond and Brackman pay him and his fellow songwriters a generous bonus lest he renew the song's copyright without crediting them at all. Richmond and Brackman accused Weiss' team of plagiarising the Weavers' recording, but they retorted that they had received permission to adapt the song in 1961.[172] The dispute made its way to court a year later.[173] Here, litigants representing The Richmond Organization argued that the 1961 permission was "inaccurate", and tried to expose Weiss for adapting Linda's "Mbube" without making due payments to Linda's family.[174] The court eventually ruled in favour of Weiss' team, with Judge John Keenan declaring their adaptation of "Wimoweh" a separate composition.[175] While Weiss' team retained rights over "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the court ordered they send ten percent of performance royalties—profits made whenever the composition was broadcast—to Linda's family.[176] By 1992, Abilene Music had acquired the rights to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".[177]

Early 2000s: Linda rediscovered

[edit]

In spite of the song's immense fame, Linda's family had earned very little in royalties, and Linda himself had been all but forgotten.[178] Due to this,[179] in 2000, South African journalist Rian Malan penned an essay for Rolling Stone which shed light on the origins of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".[180] He told the story of "Mbube", its eventual rise to success, and the struggles faced by Linda's daughters, and concluded that "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" had earned some $15 million in royalties.[181] Two years later, fellow South African François Verster composed a documentary about Linda and "Mbube", A Lion's Trail.[182] In writers Håvard Ovesen and Adam Haupt's view, it "seeks to obtain justice for a man marginalised by his status as a black African musician in a racist and exploitative environment".[183] Both Malan's essay and Verster's documentary publicised Linda's history.[18]

2004–2019: The Lion King

[edit]
See also: Copyright law of South Africa

It's the story of a song we all know, the impoverished Zulu migrant worker who wrote it, the musicians and record companies who raked in millions for it, and the almost 70 years it has taken for his family to see justice done.

— Mary Alexander[184]

At the turn of the century, Linda's family was still desperately poor, living in what BBC News described as "a tiny township house of three rooms, an outside toilet, and an asbestos roof without a ceiling".[185] Five of his eight children had died.[186] But with Malan's article sparking public interest in their condition,[187] they decided to act. They started publicly calling for the royalties from "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" they, in their view, were due. The South African government supported their cause, and the Gallo Record Company vowed to pay their legal fees.[185] Some time later, in July 2004, they sued Disney for 10 million rand for using the song in The Lion King.[188][q][r] The family also demanded 6 million rand from three South African companies profiting from royalties.[191][s] Owen Dean, a South African lawyer who steered their case, argued that they received some $15,000 in royalties from 1991 to 2000, roughly spanning the period of The Lion King's success, while the song earned an estimated total of $15 million.[193] "There has ... been a misappropriation of South African culture—the song is thought to be American", he said.[192]

However, the fact that Linda's wife, who was illiterate, and their daughters signed away the rights to the song on three separate occasions complicated their case.[20] Disney pledged to fight the suit, responding to the family's accusations of copyright violations thus: "Solomon Linda's widow assigned all rights in Mbube to [a music publisher] more than 20 years ago and did so with the assistance of legal counsel."[194] It also maintained that Abilene Music, which held the US copyright to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", had given it the rights to use the song.[192] While acknowledging that Disney's statement was correct,[195] Dean argued that Abilene Music was still liable for copyright infringement since under the Copyright Act 1911, the rights had reverted to Linda's heirs 25 years after his death.[196] Billboard wrote in 2004 that depending on the outcome, the Lindas' effort could shift the fortunes of other South African artists who had unawaredly ceded their rights. The case garnered attention all over the world, and a trial was set for February 2006.[197]

But shortly before the opening date, it was settled.[198] Abilene Music agreed to pay the family a lump sum representing royalties earned from 1987 onward and grant them a share of future income until 2017.[199][t] While the amount was not made known, the family's lawyers claimed that the family "should be quite comfortable".[20][u] The profits were to be collected in a trust.[200] Linda was recognized for his work and received a cowriting credit on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".[107] According to Dean, the settlement allowed that:

  • The Linda heirs will receive payment for past uses of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and an entitlement to future royalties from its worldwide use.
  • "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is acknowledged as derived from "Mbube".
  • Solomon Linda is acknowledged as a co-composer of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and will be designated as such in the future.
  • A trust will be formed to administer the heirs' copyright in "Mbube" and to receive on their behalf the payments due out of the use of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".[198]

The case set a precedent that under British copyright law, "heirs of authors who are not benefiting from the copyrighted works of their forbears [could] obtain remuneration arising from the exploitation of such works", not just in South Africa, but in any former British colony where the Copyright Act was law.[198] Before the settlement, the court had acknowledged that Linda probably sold "Mbube" under unfair circumstances.[201] South Africa's East Coast Radio suggests that the case stirred on other families of artists, such as Bob Marley's, to consider legal action.[202]

In an act separate from the case in September 2004, The Richmond Organization admitted to not paying enough royalties to Linda's heirs for a version of "Mbube", promising to donate $3,000 annually and finance a memorial to Linda.[203] Musicologist Carol A. Muller notes that Linda enjoyed no legal rights as a black South African in the pre-apartheid years of segregation. However, by the time his family filed a lawsuit, apartheid had been abolished, and South Africa become a democracy.[204] In 2012, "Mbube" fell into the public domain in South Africa.[205] According to a grandson of Linda, the family made approximately between $20,000 and $65,000 per year from "Lion Sleeps Tonight" while the settlement terms were active,[107] while another source indicates that each daughter earned around $250,000 in the decade following the settlement.[84]

As of 2020, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" continued to cause legal conflict.[205] The Linda family's settlement with Disney became void in 2017, keeping them from profiting from the 2019 film The Lion King that sampled an alternate version the song. Linda's grandson stated, "There was no courtesy of informing the family about inclusion of a new version of the song in the movie. And we are not convinced the family is not supposed to derive revenue from the use of a new version of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' and are currently in the process of procuring legal advice."[107] Nonetheless, Rolling Stone estimates that Linda's heirs would have only received a few thousand dollars in royalties from the film.[107]

Legacy

[edit]

A Zulu on the far side of the planet writes a 13-note melody that flies off and takes root in the brain of a radical American folksinger who turns it into 'Wimoweh', which in turn gives birth to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight', which goes through about 12 hit cycles over the next 60 years. ... I love that part of the story, the improbable cultural transfers and misunderstandings, the strange musical mutations, the rich mix of characters ... But that's a story about music. The parallel story about money has been less inspiring.

— Rian Malan[206]

"Mbube" is one of the most commercially successful pop songs in history and according to some writers, the most famous melody born in Africa.[207] It and its covers have been recorded by well over a hundred artists around the world: Glen Campbell, R.E.M., Bert Kaempfert, Yma Sumac, the Mahotella Queens, among others.[208] More than thirteen movies sample it.[20] Malan additionally describes the Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as an "immortal pop epiphany".[86]

However, its legacy is more complicated. Because of the copyright issues surrounding it, journalists David Browne and Simon Robinson deem "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" one of pop music's most contentious tunes.[209] The song's association with long-running racial and, in Ovesen and Haupt's view, capitalist, exploitation has been discussed in several articles and papers.[210] Malan likens Linda's story of injustice with that of other black musicians such as Huddie Ledbetter, who "lost half of his publishing to his white 'patrons'".[211] At the same time, he indicates that Linda had sold "Mbube" by choice and that the deal was legal.[211]

Some scholars parallel the family's legal victory and eventual recognition of Linda's efforts with South Africa's move away from apartheid and into democracy.[212] According to Muller, "Mbube" "[opened] the doors to South African music and musicians abroad in the twentieth century", as displayed by Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland that incorporates elements from isicathamiya.[18] Ovesen and Haupt's view is more nuanced. They contend that while justice ultimately seems to have been served for Linda, "the power structures that enable the continuation of huge socio-economic disparities are still in place".[213]

The history of "Mbube" and the plight of Linda's daughters have been chronicled. Beyond Malan's essay and Vester's documentary,[182] they were covered in the 2019 Netflix documentary ReMastered: The Lion's Share.[214] Beyoncé's 2020 musical film Black Is King in part came into being after she learned of how Linda was not recognised for his contributions to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". In the film, the original "Mbube" rather than the Tokens' version is used.[215]

In October 2025, user xerias_x sampled an excerpt of the song for an AI-generated video showing Donald Trump's face plastered over the body of a lion and the faces of various Democratic politicians imposed onto other animals.[216] Trump shared a clip of this video on social media four months later, depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes while "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" plays in the background.[217]

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Mbube is Zulu for 'lion',[2] or 'the lion'.[3]
  2. ^ a b Ten shillings in 1939 is worth $72 in 2026 (a shilling then being a twentieth of a pound, and a pound being worth $144.74 in 2026, the latter value was halved and rounded down).[4]
  3. ^ Seeger misheard the chorus uyimbube as wimoweh.[5]
  4. ^ Rian Malan suggests that Linda was given the job at Gallo's firm after recording "Mbube", not before.[11]
  5. ^ Malan presents a slightly different interpretation: that the lyrics refer to an lion-hunting incident in the Evening Birds' collective memory, not just in Linda's.[16] Veit Erlmann follows a similar lyrical interpretation but argues that "Mbube" was based on an older wedding song, in the same vein as many early isicathamiya songs.[25]
  6. ^ a b Some sources indicate "uyimbube" instead of "wembube",[28] and one indicates "uyimbube-wo".[29]
  7. ^ Sources which write "uyimbube" instead of "wembube" translate it as "you're a lion".[26]
  8. ^ Different figures are suggested. Sharon Lafraniere (2006) writes that Linda died with $22 in his account,[20] worth $35.66 in 2026,[42] but Simon Robinson (2004) denotes $25,[43] worth $43.25.[42]
  9. ^ According to David B. Coplan, the ingoma busuku style adopted the name "mbube" after the song's release.[48]
  10. ^ a b Joel Whitburn, in his list of pop songs that charted on Billboard from 1955 to 2002, indicates "Wimoweh" as having peaked at No. 14.[64]
  11. ^ According to Malan, the Tokens came across the song on a Weavers album. They then contacted the South African consulate, which jokingly described "Mbube" as a "Zulu hunting song" about "eating lions".[74]
  12. ^ Darian was not given credit for her performance.[82]
  13. ^ Seeing that it was released after the Tokens' version, which came out in October.
  14. ^ a b Translating into The Lion Died Tonight.
  15. ^ It also placed at 47 in Iceland's year-end charts.[163]
  16. ^ In Poland, it charted in 1994.
  17. ^ This makes $1.6 million,[189] worth $2.77 million in 2026.[42]
  18. ^ Other sources give the demanded sum at $1.5 million instead,[190] equating to $2.59 million in 2026.[42]
  19. ^ 6 million rand are worth $970,000,[192] or $1.68 million in 2026.[42]
  20. ^ South African copyright ends half a century after the artist's death, meaning that the song's copyright should have expired in 2012—50 years after Linda's death in 1962—but it was extended to 2017.[107]
  21. ^ Alternately, Dean said that the terms of the settlement went "far beyond our wildest dreams. It was an amazing, generous settlement offer".[107]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b flatinternational
  2. ^ Erlmann 2004, p. 271; Muller 2008, p. 5; Phillips 2023
  3. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, p. 61
  4. ^ Nye
  5. ^ Billboard 2004; Malan 2012, p. 63; Wilberforce 2020
  6. ^ a b Erlmann 1996, p. 60
  7. ^ Malan 2012, pp. 58–59
  8. ^ migrant worker: BBC 2006; Connor 2018; Muller 2008, p. 6; beer hall singer: Blair 2004; Lafraniere 2006
  9. ^ Erlmann 1996, p. 61
  10. ^ Malan 2012, p. 59
  11. ^ Malan 2012, p. 71
  12. ^ Coplan 2008, p. 159; Erlmann 1996, p. 61; Erlmann 2004, p. 271; moving to Johannesburg: Malan 2012, p. 59; only one in black Africa: Malan 2012, pp. 57, 60
  13. ^ Erlmann 1996, p. 61; Malan 2012, p. 60; Phillips 2023
  14. ^ Ansell 2005, p. 50
  15. ^ a b Malan 2012, pp. 61–62
  16. ^ a b c Malan 2012, p. 61
  17. ^ four-part harmony: Muller 2008, p. 7; vocals: Phillips 2023
  18. ^ a b c Muller 2008, p. 7
  19. ^ three chords: Malan 2012, p. 61; chord progression: Muller 2008, p. 7
  20. ^ a b c d e f g Lafraniere 2006
  21. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, pp. 61, 67; howl: Malan 2012, p. 57
  22. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, pp. 61, 67
  23. ^ Connor 2018; Phillips 2023
  24. ^ Contreras 2006; Muller 2008, p. 5
  25. ^ Erlmann 1996, pp. 61–62
  26. ^ Malan 2012, p. 61; Phillips 2023; Wilberforce 2020
  27. ^ Erlmann 1996, p. 62
  28. ^ Malan 2012, p. 63; Phillips 2023; Wilberforce 2020
  29. ^ Khumalo 2004
  30. ^ Phillips 2023; Wilberforce 2020
  31. ^ influences: Phillips 2023; quote: Erlmann 1996, p. 65
  32. ^ a b c Phillips 2023
  33. ^ structure & progression: Erlmann 1996, pp. 65–66; Erlmann 2004, p. 271; introduction: Erlmann 1996, pp. 62, 65; Erlmann 2004, p. 271
  34. ^ copies sold: Coplan 2008, p. 159; Malan 2012, p. 62; Muller 2008, p. 5; hit: Erlmann 2004, p. 271
  35. ^ Malan 2012, p. 76
  36. ^ did not profit: Malan 2012, p. 71; Robinson 2004; Wilberforce 2020; sold his rights: Connor 2018; Khumalo 2004; after the recording session: Malan 2012, p. 71
  37. ^ could not read: Lafraniere 2006; no understanding of royalties: Muller 2008, p. 6; deem the deal: Contreras 2006
  38. ^ continued performing: Coplan 2008, p. 160; disbanding: Erlmann 1996, p. 68
  39. ^ a b Malan 2012, p. 75
  40. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, p. 77; Robinson 2004
  41. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Robinson 2004
  42. ^ a b c d e Webster 2026
  43. ^ Robinson 2004
  44. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, p. 58
  45. ^ Erlmann 2004, p. 271; Muller 2008, p. 102
  46. ^ a cappella choral song; Coplan 2008, p. 440; Erlmann 2004, p. 266; quote: Ansell 2005, p. 327; influences: Erlmann 1996, p. 55
  47. ^ Erlmann 2004, p. 271; Lafraniere 2006; Phillips 2023
  48. ^ a b Coplan 2008, p. 160
  49. ^ a b Erlmann 1996, p. 66
  50. ^ a b c Malan 2012, p. 64; date: Library of Congress Copyright Office 1952, p. 111
  51. ^ Connor 2018; Muller 2008, p. 5
  52. ^ a b Malan 2012, p. 63
  53. ^ Malan 2012, p. 62
  54. ^ fascinated: Malan 2012, p. 63; transcribed: BBC 2006; misheard: Billboard 2004; Malan 2012, p. 63; Wilberforce 2020
  55. ^ Jarnow 2018, p. 78
  56. ^ Jarnow 2018, p. 78; falsettoes: Jarnow 2018, p. 112
  57. ^ Malan 2012, p. 64
  58. ^ a b Jarnow 2018, pp. 112–113
  59. ^ Malan 2012, p. 71
  60. ^ Jarnow 2018, pp. 112–113; Malan 2012, p. 73
  61. ^ Malan 2012, p. 72
  62. ^ Malan 2012, pp. 72–73
  63. ^ Malan 2012, p. 73
  64. ^ Whitburn 2003, p. 363
  65. ^ charts: Citizen 2004; Jarnow 2018, pp. 116–117; Toronto Star 2004b; derailed: Malan 2012, pp. 65–66
  66. ^ Jarnow 2018, pp. 235–236
  67. ^ Muller 2008, p. 5
  68. ^ Dorsey: Malan 2012, p. 66; Kingston Trio: Muller 2008, p. 5
  69. ^ Citizen 2004; Jarnow 2018, pp. 116–117; Toronto Star 2004b; for the year: Whitburn 2003, p. 363
  70. ^ Tropicalglen.com (a)
  71. ^ Stanley 2022, p. 477
  72. ^ a b Tropicalglen.com (d)
  73. ^ Malan 2012, p. 66
  74. ^ a b purged & chant unchanged: Malan 2012, p. 67; new tune: Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, pp. 61, 67
  75. ^ hearing: Connor 2018; record: Malan 2012, pp. 66–67
  76. ^ Childs & March 2011; Malan 2012, pp. 66–67
  77. ^ a b c d Childs & March 2011
  78. ^ Malan 2012, p. 67; third attempt: Childs & March 2011
  79. ^ added: Malan 2012, p. 68; first verse: Lafraniere 2006; Wilberforce 2020
  80. ^ Jarnow 2018, p. 211
  81. ^ a b Malan 2012, p. 68
  82. ^ Slotnik 2015
  83. ^ Malan 2012, p. 68; date: Billboard Music Week 1961, p. 32
  84. ^ a b Lewis 2019
  85. ^ "Tina": Malan 2012, p. 68; US: Erlmann 1996, p. 68; other countries: Blair 2004; Lafraniere 2006
  86. ^ a b Malan 2012, p. 57
  87. ^ Kent 2005, p. 176
  88. ^ Ultratop (d)
  89. ^ Ultratop (e)
  90. ^ CHUM 1961
  91. ^ Kohler (a)
  92. ^ Official Charts (c)
  93. ^ Billboard (c)
  94. ^ Tropicalglen.com (b)
  95. ^ Offizielle Deutsche Charts (d)
  96. ^ Whitburn 2003, p. 716
  97. ^ RadioScope
  98. ^ BPI (a)
  99. ^ RIAA (b)
  100. ^ artists: BBC 2006; Lafraniere 2006; Vincent 2004; movies: Lafraniere 2006
  101. ^ John: Billboard (b); Rice et al. 1982, p. 222; Tight Fit: BBC 2006; Malan 2012, p. 69
  102. ^ Hounds: Hallberg & Henningsson 2012, p. 456; Nyman 2005; French and Japanese covers: Malan 2012, p. 81
  103. ^ Connor 2018; Malan 2012, p. 69
  104. ^ Connor 2018; Lewis 2019; Malan 2012, pp. 81–82
  105. ^ gross: Phillips 2023; soundtrack CDs: Connor 2018; Malan 2012, p. 82
  106. ^ Muller 2008, p. 6; highest grossing: Phillips 2023
  107. ^ a b c d e f g Browne 2019
  108. ^ a b c Dutch Charts (c)
  109. ^ a b Official Charts (e)
  110. ^ a b c Leigh 1999
  111. ^ a b Laing 1998
  112. ^ Laing 1998; after "Lion": Leigh 1999
  113. ^ a b c d Offizielle Deutsche Charts (b)
  114. ^ Breihan 2020
  115. ^ a b RPM 1972b
  116. ^ a b Blistein 2025
  117. ^ Blistein 2025; date: Aniftos 2025
  118. ^ charts: Aniftos 2025; sold: Blistein 2025
  119. ^ Go-Set 1972
  120. ^ Kent 1993, p. 159
  121. ^ RPM 1972a
  122. ^ Kohler (b)
  123. ^ South African Rock Encyclopedia
  124. ^ Billboard (b)
  125. ^ Billboard (a)
  126. ^ Tropicalglen.com (c)
  127. ^ TSORT
  128. ^ RPM 1973
  129. ^ Music Outfitters
  130. ^ Tropicalglen.com (e)
  131. ^ RIAA (a)
  132. ^ Swiss Charts (b); Ultratop (c)
  133. ^ a b Official Charts (b)
  134. ^ a b c Rice et al. 1982, p. 222
  135. ^ Copsey 2021
  136. ^ Pop Rescue 2022
  137. ^ Kent 1993, p. 310
  138. ^ Austrian Charts (b)
  139. ^ Ultratop (c)
  140. ^ Irish Charts
  141. ^ Top 40 (a)
  142. ^ Dutch Charts (d)
  143. ^ New Zealand Charts
  144. ^ TSORT
  145. ^ Swedish Charts
  146. ^ Swiss Charts (b)
  147. ^ Offizielle Deutsche Charts (c)
  148. ^ Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták
  149. ^ Kent 1983
  150. ^ Ultratop (b)
  151. ^ Top 40 (b)
  152. ^ Dutch Charts (b)
  153. ^ Offizielle Deutsche Charts (e)
  154. ^ BPI (b)
  155. ^ Ultratop (a)
  156. ^ RPM 1966
  157. ^ In order of listing: Danske Hitliste; Nyman 2005; Hallberg 1993, p. 203; Hallberg & Henningsson 2012, p. 456
  158. ^ Go-Set 1968
  159. ^ Official Charts (d)
  160. ^ RPM 1986
  161. ^ Pure Charts
  162. ^ DV 1993, p. 29; TSORT
  163. ^ DV 1994, pp. 16–17
  164. ^ Official Charts (a)
  165. ^ RPM 1986
  166. ^ Dutch Charts (a)
  167. ^ In order of listing: Austrian Charts (a); Offizielle Deutsche Charts (a); Swiss Charts (a)
  168. ^ Malan 2012, pp. 73–74
  169. ^ Malan 2012, p. 78
  170. ^ a b Malan 2012, p. 74
  171. ^ Citizen 2004; Toronto Star 2004b
  172. ^ Malan 2012, p. 80
  173. ^ Malan 2012, p. 80; Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 75
  174. ^ Malan 2012, pp. 80–81
  175. ^ in favour of Weiss' team: Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 75; Separate composition: Khumalo 2004
  176. ^ Malan 2012, p. 81; definition of royalties: Malan 2012, p. 79
  177. ^ Dean 2006, p. 8
  178. ^ earned little: Lafraniere 2006; forgotten: Contreras 2006
  179. ^ Connor 2018
  180. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Wilberforce 2020
  181. ^ told the story: Connor 2018; Wilberforce 2020; concluded: Malan 2012, p. 69
  182. ^ a b Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 73
  183. ^ Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 77
  184. ^ Alexander 2006
  185. ^ a b BBC 2003
  186. ^ Chanda 2004
  187. ^ Dean 2006, pp. 8–9
  188. ^ Billboard 2004; date: BBC 2004b
  189. ^ BBC 2004b; Billboard 2004
  190. ^ Lafraniere 2006; Robinson 2004
  191. ^ BBC 2004b
  192. ^ a b c BBC 2004a
  193. ^ BBC 2006; Lafraniere 2006; Vincent 2004; steered the case: Browne 2019
  194. ^ Disney pledge: Robinson 2004; response: Blair 2004
  195. ^ Toronto Star 2004a
  196. ^ Billboard 2004; Lafraniere 2006; Vincent 2004; Copyright Act 1911: Dean 2006, p. 9
  197. ^ attention: Browne 2019; trial: Dean 2006, p. 10
  198. ^ a b c Dean 2006, p. 10
  199. ^ lump sum: Lafraniere 2006; share of future income: Browne 2019
  200. ^ Alexander 2006; Dean 2006, p. 10
  201. ^ Contreras 2006
  202. ^ East Coast Breakfast 2025
  203. ^ Robinson 2004; Toronto Star 2004b
  204. ^ Muller 2008, p. 68
  205. ^ a b Wilberforce 2020
  206. ^ Lewis 2019
  207. ^ successful: Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 73; famous: Billboard 2004; Malan 2012, p. 58
  208. ^ hundred artists: BBC 2006; Lafraniere 2006; Vincent 2004; Campbell, R.E.M., & Kaempfert: Malan 2012, p. 57; Sumac: Ansell 2005, p. 50; Mahotella Queens: Wilberforce 2020
  209. ^ Browne 2019; Robinson 2004
  210. ^ racial: Lafraniere 2006; Malan 2012, pp. 83–84; Phillips 2023; capitalist: Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 77
  211. ^ a b Malan 2012, p. 84
  212. ^ Muller 2008, p. 6; Ovesen & Haupt 2011, p. 73
  213. ^ Ovesen & Haupt 2011, pp. 73–74
  214. ^ Lewis 2019; Wilberforce 2020
  215. ^ Ngema 2020; Phillips 2023
  216. ^ Olmstead 2026; Quinn 2026
  217. ^ Debusmann Jr 2026; Vazquez 2026

Bibliography

[edit]

Books and academic papers

[edit]
  • Ansell, Gwen (2005). Soweto Blues: Jazz, Popular Music, and Politics in South Africa. New York City, New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8264-1753-1.
  • Childs, Marti Smiley; March, Jeff (2011). "Chapter III: The Lion Sleeps Tonight, The Tokens". Echoes of the Sixties. United States: EditPros LLC. ISBN 978-1-937317-02-7.
  • Coplan, David B. (2008). In Township Tonight!: South Africa's Black City Music and Theatre. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-11567-2.
  • Dean, Owen (April 2006). "The Return of the Lion" (PDF). WIPO Magazine. Geneva, Switzerland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  • Erlmann, Veit (1996). "The History of Isicathamiya, 1891–1991". Nightsong: Performance, Power, and Practice in South Africa. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-21721-3.
  • Erlmann, Veit (2004). "Fantasies of Home: The antinomies of modernity and the music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo". In Frith, Simon (ed.). Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studios. Vol. 4. New York City, New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-33270-2.
  • Jarnow, Jesse (2018). Wasn't That a Time: The Weavers, the Blacklist, and the Battle for the Soul of America. New York City, New York: Da Capo Press, Routledge. ISBN 978-0-306-90207-9.
  • Malan, Rian (2012). "In the Jungle". The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Other Stories of Africa. New York City, New York: Grove Atlantic. ISBN 978-0-8021-1990-2.
  • Muller, Carol A. (2008). Focus: Music of South Africa (2 ed.). New York City, New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-96071-7.
  • Ovesen, Håvard; Haupt, Adam (October 2011). "Vindicating Capital: Heroes and Villains in A Lion's Trail". Ilha do Desterro (61): 73–107. doi:10.5007/2175-8026.2011n61p073.
  • Stanley, Bob (2022). "Revival: Trad Jazz and Folk". Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop Music: A History. Cambridge, England: Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1639362509.

News articles

[edit]

Other media

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
[edit]

Recordings

[edit]

Commentary

[edit]
  • Commentary on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and the legal dispute and settlement surrounding it, by Richard Silverstein
  • 2010 BBC podcast on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", hosted by Paul Gambaccini
  • Video comparing "Mbube" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by VYIMBVBE
  • Documentary on Solomon Linda by VYIMBVBE
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