(Disney declined to comment on the record for this story.)Īnd when the paperwork for that deal was worked out over a decade ago, no one imagined that The Lion King would be remade with computer-generated animals. Nothing in the situation is unlawful: The contract between Disney and the Linda family was finalized, and the family has no legal right to continue receiving royalties. The family’s settlement arrangement with Disney ended on the last day of December 2017, a year and a half before the new movie opened, which means, as it stands now, that Linda’s heirs don’t stand to profit from the inclusion of the song in The Lion King. The soundtrack album broke into the Top 20 on the Rolling Stone Top 200 album chart.īut once again, it seems as if the Linda family won’t be benefiting from the song. And despite mixed reviews, it has pulled in more than $500 million in the States (and over $1 billion outside the U.S.). Again, this appeared to be good news: With a cast that already included Beyoncé and Donald Glover, the new Lion King had all the signs of a potential blockbuster. Six years earlier, a Rolling Stone story had tipped the world off to the situation and Linda’s family sued Disney, resulting in an out-of-court settlement. Linda, who died in 1962, would belatedly receive a co-writing credit on “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” and his family would be handed a lump sum for past royalties and a cut of future revenue.Ĭut to early 2019, when the Linda family learned that a new version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” sung by Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner, would be used in the remake of The Lion King. For decades, Linda barely received any compensation for the incorporation of his song into “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” That situation ended in 2006. In both the first movie and a later stage production, The Lion King features “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a Sixties pop hit that has its roots in “Mbube,” a song written and recorded in the Thirties by South African singer and migrant worker Solomon Linda. The Tokens' version of the song features a drum roll that serves as a very good hook and a high soprano counter point by opera singer, Anita Darian.Three years ago, when Disney announced a remake of its animated classic The Lion King, it was easy to be skeptical: With the original still so beloved, was an upgrade even necessary? But at least one family in South Africa was hopeful. In all of this, the original South African writer, Solomon Linda, got no credit (and no money) - until a law suit was finally settled in 2006. In 1994 it would be featured in the Disney film, "The Lion King" and again in the Broadway play in 1997. The song would be revived in 1972 by Robert John and rise to #3. The record reached #1 on December 18 and stayed there until the end of the year. The group was glad to get the RCA recording contract but really didn't want "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" to be released - they were embarrassed by its sound. The 1961 lineup was Medress, Jay Siegel, and Phil and Mitch Margo. The Tokens, headed by Hank Medress, had begun in 1955 at Lincoln High School in the Bronx as the Linc-Tones (and included Neil Sedaka at the time). RCA producers gave the song a new name and English lyrics. The Tokens performed it in their audition for RCA and copied their version from a former recording by The Weavers of "Wimoweh." The Weavers got their version from a 1939 recording of a South African folk tune. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has a long history. "We weren't embarrassed anymore." - Jay Siegel (after the record hit #1)
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