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Calypso (album)

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Released
  
1956

Artist
  
Label
  
RCA Victor

Awards
  
Grammy Hall of Fame

Length
  
31:23

Release date
  
1956

Genres
  
Calypso music, Mento

Calypso (album) httpsiytimgcomvinITKMpzQL4Umaxresdefaultjpg

Recorded
  
August 18, October 20, November 9, 1955 at Webster Hall, New York City

Producer
  
Ed Welker, Herman Diaz Jr., Henri René

Similar
  
Harry Belafonte albums, Calypso music albums, Other albums

The banana boat song day o harry belafonte


Calypso is the third studio album by recording artist Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor (LPM-1248) in 1956. The album became his second consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, where it stayed for 31 consecutive weeks.

Contents

Harry belafonte banana boat song day o


Album information

The first track "Day-O (Banana Boat Song)" largely contributed to the success of the album and it is still the song for which Harry Belafonte is best known, reaching number five on Billboard's Pop chart.

It is a traditional Jamaican folk song, not a calypso, sung from the point of view of dock workers working the night shift loading bananas onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over, and they want their work to be counted up so that they can go home (this is the meaning of the lyric "Come, Mr. Tally Man, tally me banana / Daylight come and me wan' go home.")

The third track, "Jamaica Farewell", is a calypso folk song about the beauties of the West Indian islands and a love left behind. This was the first album on which it was published. It reached number 14 on Billboard's Pop chart, becoming the second hit from the album.

Reception

Calypso is the first LP album to sell over one million copies. Several singles, including Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," and Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" had surpassed 1 million copies previously. The album is number four on Billboard's "Top 100 Album" list for having spent 31 weeks at number 1, 58 weeks in the top ten, and 99 weeks on the U.S. charts. Allmusic gave the album 5 stars out of 5 and called it, "a record of inestimable influence".

"Day-O" was used in a dinner scene in the Tim Burton film Beetlejuice. "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" was also featured in Beetlejuice as well as The Simpsons and I Love Lucy episodes.

Personnel

  • Harry Belafonte – vocals
  • Millard J. Thomas – guitar (1, 4, 6, 7)
  • Frantz Casseus – guitar
  • Tony Scott and His Orchestra (2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11)
  • The Norman Luboff Choir (8, 9, 10)
  • Production notes:

  • Ed Welker – producer
  • Herman Diaz Jr. – producer
  • Henri René – producer ("Man Smart (Woman Smarter)")
  • Tony Scott – conductor
  • Broc Peters – chorus leader
  • Roy Stevens – cover photo
  • William Attaway – liner notes
  • Songs

    1Day O
    2I Do Adore Her
    3Jamaica Farewell (Based On Traditional Aire)

    References

    Calypso (album) Wikipedia