Harry Belafonte - Calypso

Harry Belafonte: Calypso

Album #7 - June 1956

Episode date - March 15, 2023

The Top 500 of The Top 40
0:00
0:00

By the mid-fifties, the horrors of World War II dissipated as America grew in strength and influence, but daily newspaper reports constantly reiterated places on the globe that were previously unfamiliar to the average American.

When the war ended, an interest in foreign locales and cultures set in, particularly those that represented our side of the fight. Americans were itching to travel to peaceful destinations and to discover new cultures. A new musical offshoot of folk music called “Exotica” appeared, based on the music of other cultures, and it thrived. None were more successful than Harry Belafonte.

In 1955, the “Belafonte” album contained Afro-Caribbean songs evoking locations such as Trinidad and/or Jamaica. “Belafonte” held the #1 spot until Elvis Presley released his debut album and knocked him down a peg. With “Calypso”, Belafonte reclaimed the number one spot with a vengeance, greedily hanging on the top spot for a full 31 weeks. His music conjured the sunny environs of a Caribbean paradise occupied by a presumably friendly, even playful population. As a side effect, the travel industry exploded, with cruise ships and commercial air travel benefiting from the fantasies that were being exploited by Exotica. Most listeners presumed the songs on “Calypso” to be traditional Caribbean material, not realizing they were mostly original compositions written by a Brooklyn-born Barbados descendant named Irving Burgie (aka Lord Burgess) and a Mississippi-born writer named William Attaway.

Feature Tracks:

Day-O

I Do Adore Her

Jamaica Farewell

Will His Love Be Like His Rum?

Dolly Dawn

Star-O

The Jack-Ass Song

Hosanna

Come Back Liza

Brown Skin Girl

Man Smart (Woman Smarter)

June 1956 - Billboard Charted #1

Related Shows

The Who  - Tommy

The Who: Tommy (Part 1)

Album #99 - May 1969

0:00
0:00
Chicago - CTA

Chicago Transit Authority: CTA

Album #98 - April 1969

0:00
0:00
The Bee Gees - Odessa

The Bee Gees: Odessa, Part 2

Album #97 - March 1969

0:00
0:00
The Bee Gees - Odessa

The Bee Gees: Odessa, Part 1

Album #97 - March 1969

0:00
0:00
MC5 - Kick Out the Jams

MC5: Kick Out the Jams

Album #96 - February 1969

0:00
0:00
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin First Album

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin (1)

Album #95 - January 1969

0:00
0:00
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bayou Country

Album #94 - January 1969

0:00
0:00
The Rolling Stones: Beggar's Banquet

The Rolling Stones: Beggar's Banquet

Album #93 - December 1968

0:00
0:00
The Beatles- The Beatles (White Album)

The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album), Part 2

Album #92 - December 1968

0:00
0:00
The Beatles: The White Album

The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album), Part 1

Album #92 - December 1968

0:00
0:00
Traffic - Traffic

Traffic: Traffic

Album #91 - November 1968

0:00
0:00
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland - Part 2

Album #90 - October 1968

0:00
0:00