“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” is a famous line spoken by Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, in the film The Wizard of Oz. While walking through the dark forest, they get scared when they start hearing noises coming from the foliage around them. The Scarecrow wonders if there are any animals out there who might be interested in eating things like, um, straw, and the Tin Man says Yeah, there are probably lions and tigers and bears out there. Naturally, this causes the Scarecrow to anxiously repeat, “Lions and tigers and bears,” and Dorothy throws in the good old “oh my” for dramatic effect. Pretty soon, the three rapscallions are skipping through the forest chanting, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” So today we begin with Lions.
“Lions” Running to 5 minutes and 5 seconds, this song by Dire Straits was inspired by songwriter/guitarist Mark Knopfler’s nocturnal wanderings about the “Wild West End.” Knopfler moved to the capital after completing an English degree at Leeds University. The lions “live” in London’s Trafalgar Square. They were sculpted by Sir Edward Landseer; the four massive statutes were erected in 1868, and have been a tourist attraction ever since. Knopfer “I wrote this just off Trafalgar Square in London. I also think of a Ted Hughes poem comparing the idea of “Where are the lions?” as opposed to these starlings, in terms of contemporary figures of strength who aren’t there, who used to be there.”
“Lions” is a song by Skillet from their 2016 album ‘Unleashed’. Skillet frontman John Cooper encourages us not to fear, but instead put our faith and confidence in Christ. If we do that we will be lions, who traditionally symbolize courage, strength and authority.
By Your power, we will go
By Your spirit, we are bold
If we’re gonna stand, we stand as giants
If we’re gonna walk, we walk as lions
“The Bible tells us to be strong and courageous. Lots of times, we don’t feel very strong and courageous. In fact, we feel very weak,” said Cooper. “However, the Bible tells us that we are more than conquerors, and that the battle belongs to the Lord. I hope this song encourages you to have faith instead of fear.”
“Lions” is a track by Skip Marley who is the grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley. This is the first single he released after signing to Island Records in 2017. It is one of a number of songs that he wrote with American songwriter and record producer Savan Kotecha. The titular “Lions” refers to the people who are protesting against the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States.
We are the lions, we are the chosen
We gonna shine out the dark
We are the movement, this generation
You better know who we are, who we are
Kotecha said in an interview “I’m quite politically active, and we wrote some songs about what’s going on in this country. The first song, ‘Lions,’ was written for the protesters two days after the election. This is a time where artists really do need to say something. They are the voice of the people; it’s not going to be the news media or politicians.” This song soundtracked a controversial Pepsi commercial that was pulled a day after it appeared on YouTube. In the spot, a strangely joyful protest march ends at a line of police officers, where Kendall Jenner, who has left a fashion shoot to join the fun, hands an officer a Pepsi, which he opens to rapturous applause.
“Lions Roar” is the second single by ‘Speak, Brother’ from their album ‘Young & Brave’ (2017). This song was inspired by a moment vocalist James Herring had with his young nephew. He explained why he likened his nephew Liam to a lion. “He was very young and it was his first time at the seaside. His first time looking out at the endless horizon. I walked him to the waves, holding him steady. It was a chilly British seaside evening and the wind and waves were loud. Liam was a little scared and he was about to cry. It must have been very new, threatening and uncertain. But suddenly he let out his loudest roar. As if to silence the waves. Like a little fragile boy could stand up to the forces of nature? But as long as I held him there, and his mum wasn’t far off, he was as strong as a lion. It’s that strength from knowing who we are and that we’re not alone even in the midst of uncertainty, inspired this song.” This song is about togetherness and the life found within community.”
“Lion’s Share” is a track by British indie rock band Wild Beasts who were formed in 2002 in Kendal, by Queen Katherine School students Hayden Thorpe (vocals) and Ben Little (guitar). They originally performed under the name of Fauve, the French term for “wild beast”. In January 2004, schoolmate Chris Talbot (drummer) joined, and they changed the band’s name to Wild Beasts. The following year another student, Tom Fleming (bass), became a full time member of the band. After A-levels, they all decamped to Leeds, where three of them enrolled at the city’s university whilst Little worked at odd jobs. After signing with Domino Records in February 2007 Wild Beasts released their debut album Limbo, Panto the following year. The band’s sophomore release Two Dancers was widely acclaimed and The Fly magazine voted it as their Best Album of 2009. This take on love and its collateral damage is the opening track from their third long player, Smother, which was released in May 2011.
