The Lion Sleeps Tonight

"Mbube" 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.