HISTORY OF POP AND ROCK MUSIC - part 568

PART 568

HARRY BELAFONTE - Island In The Sun (1957)
HARRY BELAFONTE - Jamaica Farewell (1957)
HARRY BELAFONTE - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (1988)
CARLOS SANTANA feat. IDRISSA DIOP - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (2004)

The song \"Island in the Sun\" was written by Harry Belafonte and Irving Burgie (1957). There are now over 40 cover versions recorded by various artist like The Merrymen, JosÐ¹ Carreras, Caterina Valente in German and The Righteous Brothers, just to name a few.

\"Jamaica Farewell\" is a mento about the beauties of the West Indian Islands. The lyrics for the song were written by Lord Burgess (Irving Burgie). Lord Burgess was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926. His mother was from Barbados and his father was from Virginia. The song first appeared on Harry Belafonte\'s phenomenally successful album Calypso. It reached number fourteen on Billboard\'s Pop chart.
The Kingston Trio, who led the folk revival of the late 1950s, took their name from the title of this song, though they only recorded it many years later, in 2006. Other well-known singers of \"Jamaica Farewell\" include Sir Lancelot, Jimmy Buffett, Sam Cooke, Nina & Frederik, Pat Rolle, Carly Simon, Nuttea, Caetano Veloso and Sting who covered the song while playing a melody of his own \"Can\'t Stand Losing You / Reggatta de Blanc\" while still with The Police in 1983. Ray Conniff and James Last orchestras have performed the song as well, on their albums \"Happiness Is\" (1966) and \"Music From Across The Way\" (1971), respectively.

\"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)\" is a traditional Jamaican mento folk song, the best-known version of which was sung by Harry Belafonte and an alternate version interspersed with another Jamaican folk song, \"Hill and Gully Rider\", by The Tarriersâ€”later covered by Dame Shirley Bassey. Despite the song\'s mento influences, \"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)\" is widely known as an example of calypso music. It is a work song, 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 go home.