Calypso: Harry Belafonte's Million-Selling Album

How many Harry Belafonte songs can you name off the top of your head? I bet the first song that popped into your head was The Banana Boat Song, right? That song is synonymous with Harry Belafonte but it is only one of many gems that he has to offer from Carribean music. Let me get out my Calypso CD and play it for you.

This is one of a few records that has been in my family since 1958. I have the album and CD. I ripped the songs off my own CD and made another one just so I could put the songs in the exact order I'd like to hear them. Calypso was the start of Harry Belafonte's enormous popularity.

I know that Harry's becoming rather unpopular these days because of his political views as well as making extreme remarks about people in government whom he disapproves of, and he's been lambasted and called a has-been and a moron, and that's just the nice stuff!

Be that as it may, I'm not tossing out my Calypso CD because it hasn't and never will lose its value to me as a collection of Carribean folk music that just can't be beat. Calypso was the first LP in the history of music which sold more than 1 million copies.

1. The Banana Boat Song is the first song on my personal CD, because I was never that crazy about it. Actually there is another song called Star-O that sounds so much like Day-O, I didn't even include it. These Jamaican folk songs were sung by banana workers, with many improvisations.

Day, me say day-o
(Daylight come and me want go home)
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day-o
(Daylight come and me want go home)

At a live show Day-o would probably be the last song, because usually the most popular song is saved for last, but c'est la vie. In my case, my favorite song by a singer is rarely the most popular one.

2. My second song is called I Do Adore Her, a song about lost love that has a moderate tempo .

I 'd reveal how I do adore her
Hang my heart on my sleeve just for her
All my love thru-out life assure her
If this moment I could Amour her.

3. The third selection is a rollicking dance number called Dolly Dawn:

When Dolly hear them sound the drum
Up she jump and she holler: "Here I Come"
Cause she gonna dance, she gonna sing
She gonna cause the rafters to ring
Cause she gonna dance, she gonna sing
She gonna cause the rafters to ring
Don't stop her when she hear the call
Dolly Dawn gonna have herself a ball

4. The fourth song is Brown Skin Girl which talks about children left behind by American servicemen:

Now de Americans made an invasion
We thought it was a help to the island
Until they left from here on vacation
They left de native boy home to mind their children

Brown skin girl stay home and mind baby
Brown skin girl stay home and mind baby
I'm goin away, in a sailing boat
And if I don't come back
Stay home and mind baby

Now I tell you de story 'bout Millie
Well she made a nice blue-eyed baby
Dey say she fancy de mother
But de blue-eyed baby ain't know she father.

It's a little hard to imagine this song being released in the 1950s, isn't it? When I first heard this song, I could not understand that last line, and I got a book out of the library about Caribbean music. The song was in there and I also learned that not all Carribean music is calypso.

5. Next comes another famous song, Jamaica Farewell. A very pretty song that tells of the island's beauties:

Down the way where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop
But I'm sad to say, I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

6. Hosanna is a joyful song about the importance of the home:

Hosanna me built a house, oh
House built on a weak foundation
Will not stand oh no
Stories told through all creation
Will not stand oh no

7. Man Smart, Woman Smarter was written by a guy called King Radio, whose real name was Norman Span. He also wrote Matilda. This is a great song with plenty of illustrations of how women have outwitted men throughout time!

I say let us put man and woman together
To find out which one is smarter
Some say man but I say no
De woman got de man dese days you know

Whoa, it was really hard to put these last 3 in a favorite order. The only way I was able to even do it is to imagine that I only had time to come in and play one track.

8. Come Back, Liza is such a haunting love song. It just makes you want to cry.

Come back Liza, come back girl
Wipe the tear from me eye
Come back Liza, come back girl
Wipe the tear from me eye

9. Will His Love Be Like His Rum. This is a wedding song that is lots of fun.

Will his love be like his rum,
Yes it will, yes it will,
Intoxicating all night long,
Yes it will, yes it will, everybody,
Drink, drink this toast,
Drink this wedding toast,
Drink oh drink this toast,
To the two we love the most,

And, now for the number one song on my CD, the song that I would like to hear Harry Belafonte sing last because it's a blast:

10. The Jackass Song is about an unruly donkey that will 'hee haw till judgment day':

Now I tell you in a positive way
Don't tie me donkey down there
Cause me donkey will romp and play
Don't tie me donkey down there

I would recommend this collection of Carribean music, which is available in its regular lineup on CD, to anyone. People of all ages, including children, love the infectious and timeless songs.

It has also been said that Belafonte was disliked and resented by many Carribeans due to his being dubbed the "King of Calypso". Harry Belafonte discusses these issues in a 2004 documentary called "Calypso Dreams" honoring many of calypso's legendary performers.

There are several other songs in the calypso vein by Harry Belafonte that I love. Matilda is one of them. Jump in the Line, one of the Belafonte songs featured in the movie Beetlejuice, is a song that you will find hard to listen to sitting down. Another great one is Man Piaba where Belafonte describes a boy's hilarious worldwide search to learn about the birds and bees. Mama Look a Boo Boo was a song that was very popular on the radio in the late 1950s where Belafonte is playing the role of a beleaguered father with disrespectful children.

It should also be noted that Harry Belafonte has recorded in many other genres besides Carribean music and calypso, including blues, gospel and American standards.