Jump Up Calypso, 1961
Written by Lord Kitchener, 1946
This song, with its infectious Calyspo rhythms, is known by millennials and kids alike due to its inclusion in Beetlejuice and the direct-to-video Disney offering The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. However, its lineage is far messier than its pop-culture afterlife suggests. It was recorded by Trinidadian artists Lord Kitchener and Lord Invader, and Jamaican Calypso artist Lord Flea. Somewhere in the decades between its writing and Belafonte's version the "Shake, Senora" chorus was added. Belafonte uses that chorus and leans into bright, infectious calypso rhythms and an uptempo arrangement that turns the song into pure motion: hips, shoulders, whole rooms shifting. His delivery folds the song's island exuberance into sleek pop craftsmanship, giving it a buoyant, effortless joy.
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