For this song share I chose “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” by Harry Belafonte. This song originated as a call-and-response song for Jamaican dock workers who were employed in the banana trade business. These workers would typically work through the night to avoid the heat of the day. This song has been recorded by many different singers, but Harry Belafonte’s version from 1956 is the most popular. “Day-O (The Banana Song)” combines calypso and mento, a style of Jamaican folk music that inspired reggae music. Belafonte was a first-generation American to Jamaican-born parents and cared deeply about politics. He was a close friend of MLK and was appointed Cultural Advisor to the Peace Corp by JFK.

“Day-O” would be brought back into the spotlight in 1988 when his song was featured in Beetlejuice. Belafonte’s song was specifically chosen for this scene and the production team reached out to him to receive rights for the song. Many of Belafonte’s songs are featured throughout the film. The song choice over the movie scene of the Deetz’s dinner party being hijacked would go down as one of the most iconic film moments of the 1980’s. I remember the first time I watched Beetlejuice and the scene with the song all felt very strange, but I thought it was amazing.