Are you looking for something to brighten up your day instantly? Something joyful, and sweet? How about a children’s choir?

Look no further, we have an amazing boys’ choir waiting for you to check out their performance, complete with animal sounds and incredible vocal skills.

“In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.”

Try looking for someone who doesn’t recognize these lines—it’s hard, considering the popularity of The Lion King. The video is a choral performance of a very popular song that earned millions in royalties from cover versions and licensing. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda, a South African musician, singer and composer.

Interestingly, the original lyrics were in Zulu, a Southern Bantu language spoken in Southern Africa.

George David Weiss wrote the English version which was then adapted and covered by numerous pop and folk artists. The Tokens, an American male doo-wop-style vocal group, hit the jackpot in 1961 when they released the best-known rendition of this song. It topped the charts worldwide, and the well-known “wimoweh” sound was born.

The Boys’ Choir “Dagilėlis” of Šiauliai is one of the most prominent groups in the choir genre category in the Baltic region.

The Dagilėlis boys come from Lithuania, but they’ve already performed all over the world. The choir was established in 1990, and it has been directed by Remigijus Adomaitis ever since.

In the beginning, there were only 15 boys in the choir. That number kept growing, and the choir now has more than 300 members.

The young musicians in the choir take lessons in music theory, and they are encouraged to pick an instrument as well.

All classes are covered by local and state government and private sponsors.

In 2011, the choir visited the United States for the first time.

The motto of their American Tour was: “Music: The Best Bridge for All People.” We completely agree with that universal truth.

The jungle sounds they make in the intro are priceless!

In the beginning, the boys imitate various animals—which is apt, considering the song they’re about to perform.

You’ll hear owls, monkeys, meerkats and all sorts of birds.

The boy who imitates the monkey is truly talented, the sounds are beyond believable—but, that’s not all. These boys can sing, too. Their angelic voices welcomed us to a different kind of jungle, the one where harmonies make you feel like you’re one with nature.

The boy who did the elephant sound at the very end even leaned back a bit, as if his invisible trunk were about to touch the sky.

Then he made a proper “happy elephant sound,” and if there is some sort of prize for the best animal impressionist, he definitely deserves it!

“Wimoweh” is not just another word.

The story behind the line that was used so much since “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” first appeared, is more popular than you might think.

Linda Solomon, who originally recorded the song, worked as a herder protecting cattle in the African hinterlands. It was in his childhood, but Solomon remembered that the lion was the main predator. In Zulu, lion translates to “mbube,” and it’s pronounced “eem-boo-beh”. Sounds familiar, right?

Well, people misheard it and started pronouncing in “wimoweh” in the English version.

Who knew there was such a unique story behind such a well-known lyric? Let’s hope that the mbube and the whole jungle will always be at peace.

Watch the full video in the link below:

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Article Sources:

Wikipedia

Dagilelis

YouTube/BERNIUKŲ CHORAS DAGILĖLIS

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By Safet Satara

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Safet Satara is a contributor at SBLY Media.