50 years ago: Harry Belafonte “Banana Boat Song” charted

The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) Harry Belafonte

Writer(s): traditional, arranged: Harry Belafonte, William Attaway, Lord Burgess (see lyrics here) First Charted: January 12, 1957 Peak: 5 US, 11 HP, 3 CB, 2 HR, 7 RB, 2 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 57.2 video, 116.51 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The music of “The Banana Boat Song” is “so light and airy” LS that it is easy to overlook that lyrically it is about hired people or even slaves being overworked. They will “do everything possible to earn money and feed their families.” LS Dock workers are loading bananas on a ship. They do the work at night to avoid the hot, tropical, daytime sun. LS They also sing to develop cohesive teamwork. Trinidadian singer Edric Connor was the first to record the Jamaican folk song (originally known as “Day Dah Light”) in 1932. LS In 1954, Jamaican singer Louise Bennett recorded the song. LS The Tarriers recorded the song in 1956 and took it to #4. Harry Belafonte also recorded the song in 1956 as part of his Calypso album. It was very different from his “folk-based debut.” TB He recorded it as a tribute to his childhood and the Caribbean musical style. LS He was born in Harlem, New York, but at eight years old, his family returned to Jamaica, his mother’s homeland, for five years. LS His timing was perfect – by the end of 1957, calypso music accounted for 25% of all American record sales. TB He specifically chose “The Banana Boat Song” because of the stereotypes at the time that people in the Caribbean were “lazy, constantly drinking rum, and having sex” LS so he wanted to sing “a classic work song about a man who works all night for the equivalent of a sip of beer.” LS The song gained another measure of fame when it was used in the 1988 film Beetlejuice. It has also become popular to sing at baseball games. SS Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Act Name LS LotOfSense.com (3/9/2022). “Explaining the meaning behind the song ‘Banana Boat Day-O’ – Harry Belafonte” SF Songfacts SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 688-9. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 21. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 3/25/2023.

50 years ago: Harry Belafonte’s Calypso hit #1 for 1st of 31 weeks

First posted 3/25/2008; updated 9/29/2020.

Calypso Harry Belafonte

Charted: June 16, 1956 Peak: 131 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: world music

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) (2/23/57, 5 US, 7 RB, 2 UK) I Do Adore Her Jamaica Farewell (10/20/56, 14 US) Will His Love Be Like His Rum? Dolly Dawn Star-O The Jack-Ass Song Hosanna Come Back Liza Brown Skin Girl Man Smart (Woman Smarter) Total Running Time: 31:23

Rating: 4.347 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings) Quotable: “This landmark album…had a revolutionary effect on folk music in the 1950s and ‘60s” – Cary Ginell, All Music Guide Awards:

About the Album: “This is the album that made Harry Belafonte’s career. Up to this point, calypso had only been a part of Belafonte’s focus in his recordings of folk music styles. But with this landmark album, calypso not only became tattooed to Belafonte permanently; it had a revolutionary effect on folk music in the 1950s and ‘60s.” AMG “The album consists of songs from Trinidad, mostly written by West Indian songwriter Irving Burgie (aka Lord Burgess). Burgie’s two most successful songs are included – Day O and Jamaica Farewell…as are the evocative ballads I Do Adore Her and Come Back Liza and what could be the first feminist folk song, Man Smart (Woman Smarter).” AMG “Calypso became the first million-selling album by a single artist, spending an incredible 31 weeks at the top of the Billboard album charts, remaining on the charts for 99 weeks. It triggered a veritable tidal wave of imitators, parodists, and artists wishing to capitalize on its success.” AMG “Years later, it remains a record of inestimable influence, inspiring many folksingers and groups to perform, most notably the Kingston Trio, which was named for the Jamaican capital. For a decade, just about every folksinger and folk group featured in their repertoire at least one song that was of West Indian origin or one that had a calypso beat. They all can be attributed to this one remarkable album.” AMG “Despite the success of Calypso, Belafonte refused to be typecast. Resisting the impulse to record an immediate follow-up album, Belafonte instead spaced his calypso albums apart, releasing them at five-year intervals in 1961, 1966, and 1971.” AMG Notes: A 2005 reissue added bonus tracks “Venezuela,” “Kukla-Mu,” “Sylvie,” “Baby Darlin’,” “Hello Everybody,” and “Melda Massi.”

Resources and Related Links: Harry Belafonte’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Cary Ginell