Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Records I'd Forgotten Existed, Let Alone Loved (An Occasional Series): Special "The Lion (or Somebody) Sleeps Tonight" Edition

From his 1981 debut solo album Law and Order, please enjoy pop genius auteur Lindsey Buckingham and the world class nuttiness that is "Bwana."

Those falsetto glissandos...those Munchkin background vocal "ra-ta-ta-tas"...oh my god.

Frankly, I flipped for this song from the moment I first heard it, and to this day it a) absolutely cracks me up and b) I have no freaking idea what it's about. (I should add I'm not sure Buckingham could get away with the lyrics in 2025. I mean -- "Bwana"? Not exactly PC -- it's kind of the poetic equivalent of wearing a gorilla suit.) 😎

In any event, a coveted PowerPop No-Prize© will be awarded to the first reader who posits a theory of the song's meaning that strikes me as plausible. 😎😎

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9 comments:

  1. getawaygoober7/30/2025 9:29 AM

    Stumbled onto this "meaning".....

    In her book "Storms" Carol Ann Harris comments that this song was a sarcastic response to Mick Fleetwood's solo project which began as a trip to Africa one reason of which was to study African music.

    I say ol' Lindsey (and the publishers) lost a bet.

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  2. steve simels7/30/2025 11:10 AM

    Works for me. You coveted No-Prize is on its way. 😎

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  3. Alzo7/30/2025 12:21 PM

    I guess if a white hunter goes on a musical safari, he can bag himself a cute novelty tune. This is in the same vein as 'Apeman' or 'Coconut.'
    It's certainly not as egregious as Styx' 'Don't Sit Down on the Plexiglas Toilet,' which demonstrates that some people have no shame.

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  4. pete7/30/2025 1:30 PM

    homage to Roy Orbison?

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  5. Allan Rosenberg7/30/2025 2:22 PM

    I think it's about white imperialists opening up on the native population with machine guns. That's where the ra-ta-ta-tas comes in (an old comic book sound effect.). Of course with my damaged hearing I can't understand the lyrics so the above theory works for me.

    Captain Al

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  6. Anonymous7/30/2025 2:40 PM

    He did this on SNL with Mick Fleetwood's Zoo backing him up.

    Alzo - I didn't think the plexi-glass toilet thing was real. That's truly wretched. WTF were they thinking.

    VR

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  7. Rob7/30/2025 4:00 PM

    The Tokens & Lindsey both referenced African real world lyrics. 🤔

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    Replies
    1. danny19597/30/2025 9:27 PM

      "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was lifted by Pete Seeger from an African song. Seeger tried to straighten out the rights issues to get the money back to the actual songwriter, but I don't think it ever worked out.

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