A Cappella News: The Lion Sleeps Tonight writer dies

by editor@acappellanews.com

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (1961), based on a South African Zulu song first recorded in the 1930s, was given a reworked melody and new lyrics (“In the jungle, the mighty jungle/The lion sleeps tonight”) by Mr. Weiss, Mr. Peretti and Mr. Creatore. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” recorded by the Tokens. Their adaptation, which kept the refrain — “Wimoweh, wimoweh” — popularized in a 1950s version by the Weavers, became a million-selling hit for the Tokens. Widely recorded since, the song has been used in many motion pictures, including “The Lion King” (1994). George David Weiss, a songwriter who had a hand in some of the biggest hits of midcentury pop music, recorded by some of the biggest stars, died on Monday at his home in Oldwick, N. J. He was 89....

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George David Weiss, Major Songwriter, Dies at 89 | Rolling Stone Music

In 2000, Rolling Stone traced the roots of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" from South African Zulu musician Solomon Linda's original version "Mbube" (or "Lion") to Pete Seeger's rendition "Wimoweh" (Seeger misheard the opening refrain of "uyembube," or... Weiss, who was 89, helped transform Solomon Linda's 1939 song "Wimoweh" into the Tokens hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight. " He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and served as president of the Songwriters Guild of America from 1982 to 2000....

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