Billy Joel sung “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” with Jimmy Fallon Thursday night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Billy Joel was on the show to talk about his experience singing at 12.12.12. The Concert for Sandy Relief to benefit the Robin Hood Relief Fund .
Jimmy Fallon proposed the two-man doo-wop right there on the show. “You’re one of my all time favorites… so I came up with an idea, where maybe I can sing with you.” Billy Joel agreed with easy grace, and the duet starts exactly a minute into the clip. The stars used the Looper app on the iPad to overlay recordings of themselves, first as the backup singers, and then as the main vocals.
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was originally written in zulu and became a pop culture hit in the US in the 1950s and a number one hit in 1961 by The Tokens . The song is a tribute to music culture and a perfect choice for the unlikely duet.
Billy Joel first hit the charts in 1973 with “Piano Man,” on the album Piano Man , his first with Columbia . In an interview with U~T San Diego , Billy Joel stated that he decided to join a rock band after seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. Since then, the 64 year old singer, pianist, and composer has become the 3rd best selling solo singer. Billy Joel’s illustrious music career boasts 33 Top 40 hits in the 70s, 80s, and 90s with such timeless songs as “The Entertainer”, a #34 hit in the United States (1974), “Only the Good Die Young” (#24) on Joel’s first Top Ten album, The Stranger (1977), and “The Longest Time” #14 in 1984. In 2013, Joel received the Kennedy Center Honors for influencing American culture through the arts.
Billy Joel New Years Eve ticket prices proved that the singer is still immensely popular. With an average ticket price of $477.22 at the Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Forbes Magazine predicts that Billy Joel will be able to play 36 monthly shows before the concerts cease to be financially viable. Long Island scheduled extra trains to help transport Billy Joel concert goers on New Years Eve.
With those kind of numbers, Jimmy Fallon no doubt was honored to sing with the immensely popular Billy Joel. One look at Jimmy Fallon’s expression proves it.
Visit BillyJoel.com to follow news on the rock star and his music.
Find out more about Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s The Tonight Show at http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/ .