The Lion Sleeps but Still Roars!

Today in Music History: December 18, 1961

There are songs we hear which we like but do not necessarily purchase a copy  or load it onto our personal iPods. Then, there are songs we really like and add them immediately to our playlist. Upon occasion is the song (or songs) we simply never tire of no matter how many times it is played on the radio, in a TV program or even as a movie theme song. It is the latter that is the case for the song in today's music history, which is probably just as popular today as when first recorded over 50 years ago! 

Welcome into the spotlight...

The Tokens: 
A group of Brooklyn boys hit it big-g-g-g-g time in the 60s when they recorded what is known today as the most recognizable song on the planet! The group began in 1955 as the Linc-Tones, a name formed from the school where all the boys attended, Lincoln High School. The original group members included Hank Medress, Neil Sedaka, Eddie Rabkin and Cynthia Zolitin. The following year Rabkin left and was replaced by Jay Siegel. In 1958, Neil Sedaka left the group to pursue his solo career as a performer and songwriter. That same year Zolitin also left the group. Twelve-year-old Mitch Margo and his brother Phil  joined Medress and Siegel in December 1959 and the band changed its name to The Tokens.

A Bit of Token Trivia...

The Tokens enjoyed success recording commercial jingles in the 1970s and 1980s for such products as Benson and Hedges cigarettes (“Silly Millimeter Longer”), Pan American Airlines (“Pan Am Makes the Going Great”), and Clairol hair products (“She Lets Her Hair Down”).

"It's hard to believe, at least for me anyway, that there's not a person in the world who doesn't know that song." ~The Lion King himself: Jay Siegel

1961 The Tokens started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'; it reached No.11 in the UK. REM included a live version of the song on the 1993 'Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight' single.

No.1 singles on this day...

• 1982 Hall and Oates started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Maneater', the duo's 5th US No.1 and biggest hit in the UK making No.6.

• 1982 UK-based Italian tenor and English girl Renee And Renato were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Save Your Love', the duo's only UK Top 40 hit and this year's Christmas No.1.

• 1993 Take That had their third UK No.1 single with the Gary Barlow penned song 'Babe'.

• 2005 UK pop-folk act Nizlopi were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'JCB Song', their only No.1 hit.

 
No. 1 Album on This Day... 

1971 Sly and the Family Stone went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'There's A Riot Going On'.

2005 ‘Fairytale of New York’ was voted the favorite Christmas song ever in a VH1 poll. The song by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl took the top spot, Mariah Carey's ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, was voted into 2nd place and Wham's ‘Last Christmas’ came third. Other songs voted into the Top 10 were, ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, Sir Cliff Richard at No.4, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ by Slade at No.5, ‘I Wish it could be Christmas Everyday’, Wizzard, No.6, ‘Christmas Time’, The Darkness, No.7, ‘Saviour's Day’, Sir Cliff Richard No.8, ‘Do They Know It's Christmas’ (1984), Band Aid at No.9 and ‘Lonely This Christmas’ by Mud at No.10.

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...