Jim Adams aka Newepicauthor, the creator of A Unique Title For Me, is hosting SONG-LYRIC-SUNDAY and this week he has chosen the theme: NOVELTY SONGS
When I first saw the theme novelty songs…my mind descended into utter chaos!!! Somehow, I managed to claw myself out of the confusion caused by visions of Mr Blobby, Timmy Mallett and that yellow polka dot bikini and the sausage roll songs that have won the end of the year Number One spot in the UK charts for three years running!
Then I grappled within two songs, ABBA’s “Waterloo”, and from The Beatles, “Seargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. But as I debated, I recalled the song that became the theme of 2020, the song that helped us get through the intensely stressful days at work. After an exhausting day of NHS craziness during the height of the Pandemic, as we were going home to collapse…my boss would play us a song to cheer us up….and it was…”The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – surely this qualifies as a novelty song!
And what a song. This actually has massive emotional memories tied to it. I think I have told you before about a friend of fours Katrina. I always think of our goodbye to her husband when I think of this song just before he departed for Africa.
But please…although you may be more famliar with the recording from The Tokens, please do listen to recordings at the end of this post which will give you an idea of how this song has been oh so much more than a novelty for around eighty whopping years!! How many novelty songs do you know that are that old?
(A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) In the jungle, the mighty jungle The lion sleeps tonight In the jungle, the quiet jungle The lion sleeps tonight (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) Near the village, the peaceful village The lion sleeps tonight Near the village, the quiet village The lion sleeps tonight (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) Hush my darling, don't fear my darling The lion sleeps tonight Hush my darling, don't fear my darling The lion sleeps tonight (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) (A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh) Written by: Hugo Peretti, John Flansburgh, Luigi Creatore, John Linnell, George David Weiss
Caramel 