Calypso (album)

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Calypso
RCA Victor
Producer	Ed Welker, Herman Diaz Jr., Henri René
Harry Belafonte chronology
Belafonte (1955) Calypso (1956) An Evening with Belafonte (1957)
Singles from Calypso
"Jamaica Farewell" Released: September 1956 "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" Released: December 1956

Calypso is the third studio album by recording artist

record album to sell over one million copies.

In 2015 Calypso was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[2]

In 2018, Calypso was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."^[3]

Album information

The first track "

chart. "Star-O", the sixth track on the album (and B side of the "Day-O" single), is essentially a short reprise of "Day-O", with slightly different lyrics.

It is 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 return to their homes (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 mento folk song about the beauties of the West Indian islands and a love left behind. This was the first album on which the song was published. The song was released as a single, reaching number 14 on Billboard's Pop chart, becoming the second hit from the album.

Reception

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Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]

Calypso was the first

"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".

Popular culture

Belafonte's original 1955 recording of "Day-O" was heard in the dinner scene in the Tim Burton film Beetlejuice (1988). Belafonte appeared in a "Day-O" music video, featured on MTV, promoting the film. "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" was also featured in Beetlejuice as well as episodes of The Simpsons and I Love Lucy.

Track listing

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
• Brock Peters – chorus leader
• Roy Stevens – cover photo
• William Attaway – liner notes

References