Harry Belafonte - Matilda

Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. (originally Belafonete; born March 1, 1927) is an American musician, singer, actor, and social activist. One of the most successful pop singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso," a title which he was very reluctant to accept (according to the documentary Calypso Dreams) for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O." Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes, and was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush Administration.
Born Harold George Belafonete, Jr., at Lying-in Hospital, New York City, New York, Belafonte was the son of Melvine (née Love), a housekeeper (of Jamaican descent), and Harold George Belafonete, Sr., a Martinican who worked as chef in the Royal Navy. From 1932 to 1940, he lived with his grandmother in the village of Aboukir in her native country of Jamaica. When he returned to New York City he attended George Washington High School after which he joined the Navy and served during World War II. At the end of the 1940s, he took classes in acting at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School in New York with the influential German director Erwin Piscator alongside Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, and Sidney Poitier, while performing with the American Negro Theatre. He subsequently received a Tony Award for his participation in the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac.
Belafonte started his career in music as a club singer in New York, to pay for his acting classes. The first time he appeared in front of an audience he was backed by the Charlie Parker band, which included Charlie Parker himself, Max Roach, and Miles Davis among others. At first he was a pop singer, launching his recording career on the Roost label in 1949, but later he developed a keen interest in folk music, learning material through the Library of Congress' American folk songs archives. With guitarist and friend Millard Thomas, Belafonte soon made his debut at the legendary jazz club The Village Vanguard. In 1952 he received a contract with RCA Victor.
His first wide-release single, which went on to become his "signature" song with audience participation in virtually all his live performances, was "Matilda", recorded April 27, 1953. "Try to Remember" is a song from the musical comedy The Fantasticks. It is the first song sung in the show, to get the audience to imagine what the sparse set suggests. Its lyrics, written by Tom Jones, famously rhyme "remember" with "September", "so tender", and "December", and repeat the sequence llow throughout the song: verse 1 contains "mellow", "yellow", and "callow fellow"; verse 2 contains "willow", "pillow", "billow"; verse 3 contains "follow", "hollow", "mellow"; and all verses end with "follow". Harvey Schmidt composed the music.
Hey! Matilda, Matilda, Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Once again now!
Matilda, Matilda, Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Five hundred dollars, friends, I lost:
Woman even sell me cat and horse!
Heya! Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Everybody!
(Matilda,) Sing out the chorus,
(Matilda,) Sing a little louder,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Once again now!
(Matilda,) Going 'round the corner,
(Matilda,) Sing out the chorus,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Well, the money was to buy me house an' lan'
Then she got a serious plan,
A-hey, ah!
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Everybody!
(Matilda,
Matilda,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.)
Once again now!
(Matilda,) Going 'round the corner,
(Matilda,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.)
Well, the money was just inside me bed,
Stuck up in a pillow beneath me head.
Don't you know,
Matilda, she found me money and...
Everybody...
(Matilda,
Matilda,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.)
Once again now!
(Matilda,) Hooma locka chimba,
(Matilda,) Bring me little water,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Women over forty?
(Matilda,
Matilda,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.)
Everybody!
(Matilda,) Goin' round the corner,
(Matilda,) Bring me little water,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Well, me friends, never to love again,
All me money gone in vain!
Uh, heya...
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.
Everybody!
(Matilda,
Matilda,) Oom, ba-locka-chimba!
(Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.)
Sing a little softer!
(Matilda,
Matilda,
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela.)
EVERYBODY!
(Matilda,
Matilda,) Sing out the chorus!
Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Music
• Harry Belafonte
• American
• musician
• singer
• actor
• social activist
• Caribbean
• Jamaica
• Matilda

[marledebakkerunicorn]

It's a pity that in all the credits you give Belafonte you do not explain that the Song Mathilda is written by King Radio from Trinidad. Harry sang a lot of songs written by calypsonians from Trinidad without them getting any credit for it. Beside King Radio he also sang songs from Sir Lancelot, Mighty Sparrow and Lord Melody.

[AnnaKipling1]

@marledebakkerunicorn

King Radio (Real name Norman Span) was a calypsonian active in the 1930s and 1940s. He composed

"Matilda", a calypso which in 1953 become famous worldwide from the version by Harry Belafonte.

[Yrie27]

Haha, love the background singers' little extra performance :-)

[77musica]

Big up ALL Caribbean people.

[TheKillahJunge]

The song is so, good

[misu59romania]

un mare artist nu se va naste asa artist

[Rain2103]

Dance on ;-) 

[Tjeena96]

do he sing kom tilbaka matilda 0:45? if he does thats swedish for : Come back matilda :)

[Lynelltravels]

I am so glad that Harry Belafonte, recorded traditional songs from all over the Diaspora (2), He never said that he wrote the songs, he recorded the songs and made us aware that they existed. Had it not been for him the world would not know of our richness in music and other cultures, unless we traveled.

Thank You Mr. B for all you ahave done, not only in music, but in civil rights and justice issues.

[nardrebel]

@maryhadalittlelamb25...even in the best situations, the composers get very little for their music; that is unless it is so popular that 100s of artists record it. I seriously doubt King Radio received $50 - $100 for composing this. I also doubt US copyright law extends to Trinidadians.

[deliaonline]

;-)

[maryhadalittlelamb25]

KING RADIO WROTE THIS SONG...SO WHY WOULD HE BE UPSET IF HARRY B WAS KNOWN FOR SINGING THIS SONG...I THOUGHT THE COMPOSERS WERE THE REAL MONEY MAKERS IN MUSIC INDUSTRY.? CONFUSED? O_o?

[mrfilmnoir68]

We sang this song back in the 5th grade in music class.