Most of us, especially kids from the 90’s, remember The Lion King, and what you might remember most about the movie were the songs featured. Especially the one with the chorus of the lion sleeping tonight. While there were some issues in using the song for the movie, and it is a cover of the original song from the 30’s, it’s how most of us in the current generation came to know the song.
History: While there isn’t much on The Evening Birds working with Solomon Linda on this tune, there is a good bit on the revolutionary performer from South Africa, Solomon Linda. This song became a huge hit in South Africa. The group though is credited with doing a unique new thing with vocals, which you probably noticed, in how they key their voices to sound like a texture of male and female voices even though everyone is male.
Vocals: Well the vocals are much like you’re imagining if you haven’t heard the original, because it follows closely to how the updated version would go on to sound. There is something highly catchy, and even puts you in a trance while you’re listening to this little tune though. I think it is the way the song interchanges between the varying sounds of the vocals though. As they intended to create, the way the song sounds like it is multiple sexes singing makes it more amazing it’s all guys singing.
Instrumentals: I’m unsure whether any actual instrumentals were used because everything sounded like harmonizing as I was listening, which makes the tune pretty impressive. The movement and transition of the tune utilizes so well the varying degrees of what the singers are able to do that you can’t even tell that they might or might not be using voices, or just instruments. Along with that Linda is the composer, and shows his skills at arranging this whole tune.
Where did I first hear this tune?: Well like most anyone my age, in their twenties that is, and perhaps most anyone alive unless you’re 80 and over, you might have heard this tune first in the 90’s, or at least the updated one. Listening to where it originally came from felt like an education and a nice look back onto where I found it in my childhood.
Well if you find yourself interested in wanting to check out more classic music that you might only find on singles or single vinyls then this is one to check out. I personally am enjoying the music from the 30’s in how diverse and passionate it is. It seems like a time where music was roaring and progressing and just enjoying what it could do instead of conforming.
An Innovative Pursuit 