What song comes into your mind when you read these lyrics?

“Weeheeheehee dee heeheeheehee weeoh aweem away
Weeheeheehee dee heeheeheehee weeoh aweem away”

You know there’s only one.

Did it ring a bell? Or didn’t? What about these lines?

“In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle the quiet jungle
The lion sleeps tonight”

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”

Yes, you’ve guessed it right! It’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” that was recorded as “Wimoweh” by the Weavers in November 1951, and published by Folkways Music Publishers in December 1951.

But did you know that this song was originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda and was called “Mbube”?

It was made in the 30s!

He did it under the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939 and was originally written in isiZulu and was later on written in English by George David Weiss.

In 1961, an English version of it was adapted and called “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens, a doo-wop group in the United States.

Soon, the song became a number-one hit in the country and earned millions of royalties from cover versions and film licensing.

Various versions of the song were made by a list of notable solo artists like the NSYNC, Henri Salvador, Karl Denver, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Noro Morales, Miriam Makeba, and the Kingston Trio.

It’s a song for all ages.

Meet the talented children of the Young People’s Chorus of NYC founded by Francisco J. Núñez.

On their official website, they wrote:

“It is the mission of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City to provide children of all cultural and economic backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance that seeks to fulfill each child’s potential, while creating a model of artistic excellence and diversity that enriches the community.”

They added:

“Today, YPC is one of the most highly acclaimed choruses in the world. While its multifaceted programming continues to expand in new directions, its mission stays true to Francisco Núñez’s original belief: that providing inclusiveness and demanding excellence of its children – both on and off stage – encourages young people to open their minds to each other, and to all of life’s possibilities.”

Ready? Sing!

At The GREEN at Lincoln Center, a group of highly-skilled young singers took the challenge of wowing the crowd with their vocal prowess.

Led by a conductor and accompanied by a couple of musical instruments like piano and drums, the teens came in .

And they came ready.

From the basses, tenors, altos, and sopranos, each group flawlessly nailed their respective parts which created calisthenics of notes and melodies.

Everyone was having a blast, look at all the performers, they’re all wearing their smiles all throughout the video.

They’ve collectively gotten over 8M views online.

They have over 2.7 million views on YouTube and 5.7 million views on Facebook.

You’d also notice that the group of youngsters were from different races and different skin colors, but the music united them as one, it’s exactly what the Young People’s Chorus of NYC promised to do.

Feel free to visit their website if you want to know more about YPC.

Watch their amazing performance in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: YouTube – Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Rolling Stone