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"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" or the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in Zulu, while the English version's lyrics were written by George David Weiss. The song was adapted and covered internationally by many pop and folk revival artists in the 1950s and 1960s, especially after it was published by Folkways Music Publishers in December 1951, including Henri Salvador, the Weavers, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Noro Morales, Miriam Makeba, and the Kingston Trio. In 1961, it became a number-one hit in the United States as adapted in English with the best-known version by the doo-wop group the Tokens. It went on to earn millions in royalties from cover versions and film licensing.
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