A Lion Sleeps Tonight: Songwriter David George Weiss Dies At 89
UNFORGETTABLE
A Lion Sleeps Tonight: Songwriter David George Weiss Dies At 89
The songwriter wrote Lion Sleeps Tonight in 1961 and it became a hit for the Tokens, then subsequently was covered by Robert John, Brian Eno as well as being featured in The Lion King.
"The song leads a magical life,'' Weiss one remarked.
He based it on the African song Mbube.
I did some research and found out that the chant was connected to the lion,” Weiss said. “So I began to think and I came up with the notion that the darn lion was sleeping tonight and nobody had to worry. And I incorporated the chant into the song and wrote some melodies and counter melodies.”
The song was but one of several written by Weiss' that became part of America's permanent soundtrack. He also penned Elvis Presley's Can’t Help Falling In Love, and Louie Armstrong's What a Wonderful World.
In 1984, Weiss inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
He died Monday of natural causes in his Oldwick, N.J. home.
