So, I've been messing about on Spotify all weekend and saw an ad for Pitbull with T-Pain and a song called Shake Senora. As a big fan of Harry Belafonte I had to see how badly they'd mangled Jump in the Line. Much to my surprise, I quite liked the new version though nothing compares to the beloved original.
While Mr. Belafonte's terrific version enjoyed a surge of popularity a couple of decades or so ago thanks to Winona Ryder and Beetlejuice, you don't hear Jump in the Line much any more. What you hear even less is the relatively unfortunate Cherry Poppin' Daddies and the cover they recorded for Baseketball. This new version might change that, however.
I fully support people re-imagining great old songs like this under the theory that they will draw people's attention to the terrific originals. That sometimes requires a concerted effort in the comments on YouTube and on blogs like The NPJ to get out the word, however. So consider this my contribution to the cause: three versions of Jump in the Line from the past fifty years. I have the album, "Jump Up Calypso", on which Harry Belafonte released the original in 1961 (yes, vinyl FROM 1961). They don't make albums like that any more. But with luck they'll keep finding ways to bring old, fantastic music back around to new generations. Enjoy!
Categories:
drum and bass,
folk,
oldies,
versions,
world beat
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