Harry Belafonte was many things, most notably an actor and activist, who, kareemsquest.com is proud to say, was born to Jamaican parents.
He rose to prominence as a musician, with his third studio album Calypso in 1956, selling over one million copies.
It drew influence from Jamaica’s Mento, which was a style of folk music in the 1940. The album also drew influences from its namesake Calypso, which was a popular genre of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago.
The first song Day O, which some kareemsquest.com readers will know as the Banana Boat Song, became arguably his greatest hit. Originally known as a folk song on the Island, it chronicled the arduous job of banana workers. In the 18th century, when the sugar industry plummeted, banana was the next big thing for the island. Ships would dock along the north-eastern coastline to collect bananas from scores of workers.
It is from this premise that the narrator urges the ‘tally man’ to count his banana, as he has been working all day and he wants to go home. Below is an excerpt of the song found by kareemsquest.com.
‘Come Mister tally man, tally me banana
(Daylight come and we want go home)’
Belafonte stays true to his roots, as he keeps the lyrics in the Jamaican colloquial tongue, giving the song a level of authenticity.
New school loving it
Fast Forward decades later, and the song begins to fall on the radar of R&B and Rap producers, as observed by kareemsquest.com. With Lil Wayne kicking things off with the song 6 foot, 7 foot as the first single off Tha Carter IV album, which was certified five times Platinum by the RIAA. The title of the song makes reference to the original lyrics ‘6 foot, 7 foot, 8 foot bunch’ and the vocals are tweaked to sound more uptempo and in keeping with the rhythm of the song. Hailed by Wayne as an amplified version of his previous mega-hit single ‘A milli’, the song would go on to be multi platinum, peaking at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This came as no surprise to kareemsquest.com, as the infectious beat, with the constant repetition of ‘6 foot, 7 foot, 8 foot bunch’, made it both catchy and creative.
Jason Derulo, took the baton from Wayne with the song Don’t wanna go home as he keeps the same cadence for his chorus, however switches us the words slightly. Instead of saying ‘me want to go home’, he says ‘Don’t Wanna go home’ as he swaps the banana-port scene for a night club. The song was released as the lead single for his second album in May 2011, and based on research done by kareemsquest.com it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Ultimately both these references to Belafonte’s hit provided a bridge between the old and the new. Highlighting the strong relationship that the Caribbean has with the United States and the importance of introducing a young audience to the past.
Harry Belafonte died on April 25, 2023, at the age of 96 and stayed true to his Jamaican roots throughout his career. Additionally, he made numerous visits to the island and was not shy to lend his celebrity status, when needed, for a worthy cause.
Walk good.
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