Ten Songs You Might Not Know Were Covers (Vol. 5): Banana Boat Song (#3)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86993)
United States
February 25, 2019 9:03am CST
Sometimes when you find out that the best-known version of a song is actually a cover you are impressed with the original. This may not be one of those times. Here's another song that you might not know is a cover.
#3: Banana Boat Song
Most people associate "Banana Boat Song" with two things: Harry Belafonte and Beetlejuice. (Okay, the Beetlejuice version is Harry Belafonte's version.) This is the song that'll be on Belafonte's tombstone, it's that closely associated with him. His 1956 rendition more or less introduced "calypso"-style music to America.
Of course, it's not an original. It's an old Jamaican folk song, dating to the late 19th century.
It first saw the light of day, vinyl-wise, in 1952....coming out like an opera song. This will shock you when you hear the first recording...and probably send you running for the Beetlejuice soundtrack.
Banana Boat Song
Traditional
Originally recorded (as "Day Dah Night") by Edric Connor and the Caribbeans, 1952
Famously covered by Harry Belafonte, 1956
Day-O:
The inspiration for Harry Belafonte's "Day-O."
2 people like this
2 responses
@FourWalls (86993)
• United States
25 Feb 19
Glad you're enjoying the series, and learning something. Truthfully, so do I. I wasn't aware that there was a version of "Twist and Shout" before the Isley Brothers' before I started researching this series.
@amadeo (111937)
• United States
25 Feb 19
@FourWalls How many hours do you do research on this.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86993)
• United States
25 Feb 19
@amadeo — a lot, and not much. When I have an urge to do a covers countdown I’ll usuall start in my iPod. Then I’ll look in the Whitburn. The shocks come when I look up the songwriting credits and original performance. One coming tomorrow really surprised me to find who did the first recording.
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
25 Feb 19
I didn't know it was a cover but not surprised it's a traditional.
1 person likes this
