Since it first debuted over 80 years ago in 1939, the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” has had listeners singing along to its catchy tune. But you have never heard a version like this before!
At first glance, this performance from the boy’s choir, Dagilėlis, might look familiar. But when these young men and boys lift up their voices, the result is unlike any version of this song we have heard.
You do not have to be a musician to catch the main thing that sets this cover apart. One of the main differences listeners will notice immediately is that the youthful choir does not start by singing.
Instead, the sounds of the jungle come first. Using only their voices and snapping fingers, the choir members replicated monkey sounds, the trills of birds, the patter of raindrops hitting the broad leaves and the rush of the wind.
As the animal and jungle sound rises to a crescendo, a quiet melody pushes back against the noise. This melody is like a light flickering in the dark, a patch of familiarity amidst the chaotic jungle.
As an audience, we can feel the warmth of the song wrapping around us like a soothing, friendly blanket. Finally, all the voices join together in the iconic repetition of “uyimbube.”
Unfortunately, words do not do this stunning performance justice. Watch the talented conductor, Remigijus Adomaitis, direct this skilled choir through an old song that still sends chills down our spines today.