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| Calypso | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1956[1] | |||
| Recorded | August 18, October 20, November 9, 1955 | |||
| Studio | Webster Hall,New York City | |||
| Genre | Mento,calypso | |||
| Length | 31:23 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Ed Welker, Herman Diaz Jr.,Henri René | |||
| Harry Belafonte chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Calypso | ||||
| ||||
Calypso is the third studio album by recording artistHarry Belafonte, released byRCA Victor (LPM-1248) in 1956. The album became his second consecutive number-one album on theBillboard Best Selling Pop Albums chart, where it peaked for 31 weeks.[2][3]Calypso was the firstLong Play record album to sell one million copies.
In 2015,Calypso was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[4] In 2018,Calypso was selected for preservation in theNational Recording Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5]
The first track "Day-O (Banana Boat Song)" largely contributed to the success of the album[2] and became Belafonte'ssignature song,[6] the single reaching number five onBillboard'spop chart.[2] "Star-O", the sixth track on the album (and B side of the "Day-O" single), is essentially a shorter reprise of "Day-O", with slightly different lyrics.
It is sung from the point of view of dock workers working the night shift loadingbananas 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.")[2]
The third track, "Jamaica Farewell", is amento folk song about the beauties of theWest 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 onBillboard's pop chart, becoming the second hit from the album.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [7] |
Calypso was the firstLP record album to sell over one million copies.[8] Previously, other single records includingGlenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo,"[9]Bing Crosby's "White Christmas,"[10] andTennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons"[11] had surpassed the milestone. The album is number four onBillboard's "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. album charts.[12]AllMusic gave the album 5 stars out of 5 and called it "a record of inestimable influence".[13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" | Traditional, arranged byWilliam Attaway, Harry Belafonte,Lord Burgess | 3:02 |
| 2. | "I Do Adore Her" | Burgess | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Jamaica Farewell" | Burgess | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Will His Love Be Like His Rum?" | Attaway, Belafonte | 2:33 |
| 5. | "Dolly Dawn" | Burgess | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Star-O" | Belafonte, Burgess, Attaway | 2:02 |
| 7. | "The Jack-Ass Song" | Burgess, Attaway | 2:52 |
| 8. | "Hosanna" | Burgess, Attaway | 2:34 |
| 9. | "Come Back Liza" | Burgess, Attaway | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Brown Skin Girl" | Norman Span | 2:43 |
| 11. | "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" | Span | 3:31 |
Production notes:
| Chart (1956) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBest Selling Pop Albums (Billboard)[14] | 1 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
