Catch the Banana Boats

American singer, actor, and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte was born as Harold George Bellanfanti, Jr. on March 1, 1927. He is known for popularizing calypso music and made a breakthrough in this career with his 1956 album Calypso. His songs were used in films and on TV, and he left this world at the age of 96.

"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" is a traditional Jamaican folk song and a good example of calypso music. This is a call-and-response work song from the dock workers’ point of view working the night shift loading bananas on large ocean cargo ships called banana boats. Harry Belafonte recorded the best-known version of the song in 1956, and it became one of his signature songs. The song charted on the Top 40 Singles chart.

“Island in the Sun” is a song that was written by Harry Belafonte and Irving Burgie. It was recorded by Belafonte for the 1957 film of the same name and is featured on his 1957 album Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean. Belafonte performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show to promote the film. In 2017, Belafonte released the album When Colors Come Together: The Legacy of Harry Belafonte for his 90th birthday with the intention of fostering racial harmony, which included a new version of "Island in the Sun" titled "When Colors Come Together (Our Island in the Sun)" performed by a multi-ethnic children's choir.

"Jamaica Farewell" is a Jamaican-style folk song. It was written by Lord Burgess, an American-born, half-Barbadian songwriter. The song was recorded by Belafonte and featured on his 1956 album Calypso. The song charted on the Billboard Pop chart.

"Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)" is a calypso song composed by Lord Kitchener and best known from a version recorded by vocalist Harry Belafonte in 1961. The song was featured in the 1988 film “Beetlejuice” and also appeared as the finale in the 2019 Broadway musical stage adaption. The Belafonte version was also featured in the 2023 film “Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.”

“Lean on Me” was a song Belafonte sang while studying drama and paying for his classes by singing in New York clubs at time backed by jazz legends like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. This jazzy ballad was written by Allan Green and Ed Waldman, with a tenor sax solo by Brew Moore. Not to be confused with the song of the same name by Bill Withers decades later.

“Man Smart, Woman Smarter” is a calypso tune that was written by the Trinidadian composer Norman Span, who recorded under the name King Radio. The song became popular when recorded by Belafonte in 1956 and featured on his album Calypso. Belafonte's version was used in Tim Burton's film “Beetlejuice” (1988), starring Michael Keaton.

“Matilda” is a calypso song written by Harry Thomas. Belafonte performed the song in concert and encouraged the audience to sing Hey! Ma-til-da; Ma-til-da; Ma-til-da, she take me money and run a-Venezuela. An example is here on Belafonte’s 1959 live album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, where the total playing time for the song is nearly 12 minutes.

“Skin to Skin” became a major hit in Europe, sung by Belafonte and Jennifer Warnes. Belafonte featured it on his final album, Paradise in Gazankulu, in 1988. The album was part of a wave of American protest music against the apartheid in South Africa.

“Turn the World Around” is the title track to the 1977 album of the same name, which Belafonte co-wrote with Robert Freedman. The song is best remembered by a 1978 performance on the TV show “The Muppets.” Belafonte worked with Jim Henson on designing the masks that Muppets wore in the scene, evoking African tribal masks without using any patterns that could cause offense with religious or national significance.