This has to be American Cultural Imperialism at its worst: "Rum and Coca-Cola"

[Coventina]

I'll admit, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I'd heard this song by the Andrews Sisters since I was a kid, and never knew what it was really about.

Turns out, it's not "by" the Andrews Sisters at all. It's a calypso from Trinidad with original lyrics by Lord Invader, a famous calypso artist.

He wrote it during WW2 as biting social commentary. The Andrews Sisters covered it, and made it into a smash hit here in the states in 1944.

The problem? It's about impoverished Trinidadian women prostituting themselves for US Servicemen!
In what universe is that OK? Why did the American public eat it up?
Good lord, in terms of offensive songs, I really think this takes the cake! For three white women, already celebrities, to make money crooning about how "fun" prostitution is for poor black women.....GAH! It makes the blood boil!!

I mean, Lord Invader was trying to make a point about poverty and hypocrisy......the Andrews Sisters.....not so much.....

I just had to vent, because I just read the story behind the whole thing and was sickened.

I know this has nothing to do with what we're all talking about now....but in a way.....it does. It's the same attitude behind it all.....

on edit: added "cultural" to American Imperialism.....for obvious reasons that are obvious.

[SkeleTim1968]

1. I never knew this.

I just liked it because of how it sounded. In fact the only words I knew up until now were "drinking rum and coca cola"

I've learned all kinds of common terms are racist. "The peanut gallery" , "free white and 21" and even as obvious as that is , I didn't see it for what it was until I was in my mid twenties.

[Coventina]

5. I liked the song as a kid. My parents liked listening to the local "big band" radio station.

So, I heard it a lot because of that.

Now, I'm shocked that they never said anything (they were fundie Christians). I mean, it becomes pretty obvious when you listen to the lyrics. I think the song is far more offensive than any of my "heathen" rock 'n' roll songs they complained so much about.

[SkeleTim1968]

6. That's great.

"heathen" rock 'n' roll songs.

[melm00se]

41. and Jazz

because the young people (especially women) drank heavily, smoked in public, danced provocatively and generally behaved contrary to Victorian values was demonized.

[Dreamer Tatum]

2. I've been boycotting the Andrews Sisters since 1947.

Had I known about this outrage, I'd have started three years sooner.

Now I have three years of support of the Andrews Sisters on my conscience.

Damn.

[Coventina]

3. Just out of curiosity...what made you boycott them in 1947?

Inquiring minds want to know!

[msanthrope]

63. Whoosh!!!!!! nt

[arely staircase]

25. Yeah. Enough of their shit. nt

[Auggie]

32. "The lyric was there ... but we didn't think of what it meant ... (it) just went over our heads"

-- Maxine Andrews https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_and_Coca-Cola#cite_note-Sforza2015-6

The wiki article suggests the recording was rushed and performed without much thought, though to be fair the sisters did perform it multiple times and made two other recordings.

Morey Amsterdam of The Dick van Dyke Show apparently stole the lyrics and melody from Lord Invader and Lionel Belasco, and copyrighted a slightly different version in the U.S. Details at the link above.

[BKH70041]

40. LOL

Perfect answer!!

Two enthusiastic thumbs up!!

[malaise]

4. Well known in the Caribbean

You have no idea how many songs were stolen

[Coventina]

7. "Elvis got rich, while we remained poor."

Same pattern here on the mainland, as well.



However, the content of the song, in this case, really puts it over the top in outrageousness.
Just beyond sickening.

[Brother Buzz]

58. Do you girls know how to Jamaica Ska?

I hope Byron Lee saw a little jingle for letting Hollywood destroy his song.

[malaise]

60. It wasn't his song

He got rich doing the same thing

[Brother Buzz]

61. Chubby Checker didn't write The Twist

But it was his song.

[malaise]

62. Byron Lee was a cover king

who claimed a lot of what was not his. He doesn't even get a mention in Ska history.

I would argue that the Jamaican Chinese community contributed big time in terms of investing in the music but Byron was just one lucky fellow who attended the most prominent Jesuit boys college in Jamaica and that gave him middle class prominence.

I remember him releasing songs in Trinidad (as if they were originals) that were composed, sung and produced by others.

http://jamaicansmusic.com/learn/origins/ska

[Brother Buzz]

65. Interesting, but that's the cover I remember from 1970's...

and I believe it is still the best known cover of the song.

[malaise]

67. Bryon did great covers

but locals know who's who in the business. They also know who made the money while others did the work.

Reggae artist Dennis Brown was also a cover king - but he had several originals as well.

[Brother Buzz]

72. Ah, the Pat Boone of Jamaica

[AntiBank]

8. Lord Invader - Rum & Coca Cola (Intro with Alan Lomax)

Here is a performance by Trinidadian calypsonian, Lord Invader at the Town Hall in New York in 1946. The concert was hosted by archivist, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and all-round culture preserver, Alan Lomax. After hearing it in Trinidad in 1943, Morey Amsterdam copyrighted the song in the U.S. in 1944 and it eventually became a huge hit for The Andrews Sisters. However, it was copyrighted without the permission of Lord Invader and the result was a lawsuit. To further complicate matters, during the lawsuit Trinidadian composer and pianist, Lionel Belasco, also claimed that the song infringed upon his own copyright i.e. the melody of “Rum and Coca Cola” was similar to his adaptation of a Martiniquan folksong called “L'Année Passée“. Even though the folksong was public domain, Belasco’s stance was solidified by his previous copyrighting of his adaptation of the folksong in 1943. The result was two lawsuits against Amsterdam; Lord Invader for the lyrics, and Belasco for the music. In the end, the absurdity amidst all the settlements was that Morey Amsterdam was allowed to keep the copyright for the song.

[Coventina]

9. A travesty of justice. Basically, Lord Invader was just paid off to make him go away.

Thanks for posting the link to Lord Invader's performance.

[AntiBank]

12. Lionel Belasco (before Lord Invader) wrote "L'Année Passée“ (The Past Year), which is about

a girl from Martinique (French Antilles) who goes up to Trinidad to become a prostitute.

Lord Invader sorta stole it from. All around mess.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Belasco

I love old calypso. Here is a song about when the Nazi Graf Zeppelin dirigible visited T&T.

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2012-11-12/day-graf-zeppelin-flew


" Graf Zeppelin " by calypso pioneer "Attila the Hun&quot 1934)

Recorded in 1934, Attila the Hun (Raymond Quevedo 1892 -1962) recounts his experiences when the Graf Zeppelin visited Trinidad on the way to the Chicago World's fair.

[Coventina]

13. Thanks for all the good info and links!

It is so sad that so many of these artists never got their proper due.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. while you're at it, don't ever buy Bacardi products:

Bacardi's smooth image soured by charges of death plots and terror

For decades young drinkers have been seduced by Bacardi's promise of Latin hedonism. Its carefully cultivated image, synonymous with glamorous nightclubs and slinky dancers, has ensured that the drink remains the world's most popular spirit. Even the dismissal of Vinnie Jones as the brand's face failed to dent its appeal.

Yet a new investigation into a former head of the secretive dynasty that acquired vast fortunes from the rum has levelled fresh allegations involving links to international terrorists, assassination attempts and a plot to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist regime.

{claims} include accusations that a former head of the Bacardi family bought a fighter-bomber to target Havana, plotted to kill Castro and is linked to a terrorist outrage that killed 73 air passengers. >>>>ME: Orlando Bosch, released from custody** and protected in the US until his death by GHWBush. At odds with Bacardi's carefree image, the investigation details how a member of the Bacardi family was involved in plots to overthrow the Cuban government in the 1960s. It also alleges that some members of the Bacardi family supported economic sanctions against Cuba, a policy blamed for leaving thousands in poverty.

......................

Claims, to be screened tomorrow on BBC3, hint at the murky past of a key member of the family who tried to depose Castro throughout the 1960s. They detail how the late Pepin Bosch, former head of Bacardi, acquired a bomber in a plot to blow up a Cuban oil refinery. A successful attack, he hoped, would leave large parts of Havana without electricity, triggering a popular uprising that would topple Castro.

lots more at the guardian link

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/apr/11/broadcasting.cuba

**http://thedailybanter.com/2014/12/remember-time-jeb-bush-gave-safe-haven-terrorist-florida/

btw, their rum is shit.

Cheap in quality, but overpriced for what it is. Very skimpy in the flavor department - and what there is is mostly bad. While their older expressions have some merit (if overpriced for what they are in most cases), this has nothing to reccomend it. Cheap, industrial and just corrosive.

2 stars out of 10. this site is honest, and doesn't buy the hype of megacorps like Bacardi

http://www.spiritsreview.com/reviews-rum-bacardi-white.html

buy something real, from Cuba, like this:

http://havana-club.com/en/cuban-rum/havana-club-rum

my niece brought me back a bottle when she was in Cuba. pretty smooth; not great, but a good buy.

http://www.moderntiki.com/when-rome-burns/

[Coventina]

11. Just returned from Cuba with 3 bottles of Havana Club!

And yes, everything you say about Bacardi is real. They are part of the anti-Castro "grumpy old men" club.

I will never buy their rum, ever.

If Havana Club doesn't become available in the states, I'm going to stick with the small producers of the Caribbean.

[flamingdem]

18. How was Cuba? Did you get to see much music?

Am a lover of the musica de Cuba and the rum!!

[Coventina]

20. Wonderful! And yes, it's impossible not to hear live music while in Cuba.

But of course, I went to as many live shows as possible!!!!



(not really the right smiley for Cuban music, but you get the idea!)

[flamingdem]

21. Did you go to the clubs at night?

Any names of bands performers? I am partial to the dance music like Los Van Van, but also like jazz and traditional. I went to the Jazz Festival last December and hope to return this year.

[Coventina]

24. I only went to one night show: The Buena Vista Social Club

It's kind of aimed at tourists, but a great show.

It has as many of the great Cuban performers of the 20th century that are still alive and kicking.
They still sound great, a wonderful, classic ensemble!
I bought a CD from one of the performers: Jose Luis Arango after the show and shook his hand.

The other shows I attended were during the day.

Havana Compas Dance and Drum Company

Habanason

Los Rodrigo

I can't remember the other names.

[flamingdem]

38. That sounds great

I think Cuba is worth a repeat visit, just for the music alone. I'll look up some of those groups. Luckily the airfare is going down!

[Coventina]

44. Oh most definitely!!!

[Coventina]

14. Kick for the night owls.

[Coventina]

15. Kick for the day crew....

[Archae]

16. And Cab Calloway's "Minnie The Moocher..."

Is about a grifter who has a doper boyfriend.

So fucking what!

Are we going to run decades-old songs through the "politically correct" filter now too?

Should we go back to the days when classical music was written, looking for "imperialism?"
Ever read about how viciously anti-Jewish Wagner was?
Going to "boycott" Wagner now, including his wedding march from "Lohengrin?"

Going to boycott Mozart and Hadyn, since they happily worked for dictatorships?

[Brickbat]

17. There, there.

History hurts sometimes, I know.

[Coventina]

19. Ooookaayyyyy. It seems you didn't understand my point at all.

Three white women getting rich off of stolen material, while singing about how fun prostitution is for poor black women doesn't seem offensive to you?

Or, that fact that I DO find it offensive means I'm being "politically correct"?

And all that makes you angry enough to swear at me?

Yes, I know what a bigot Wagner is, and how his music was used to promote the Nazi agenda. That's why his music is rarely played in Israel. And when it is, it's usually protested.

[hexola]

34. You're overplaying the prostitution angle...

I think its just a broader metaphor for the mixing of cultures Caribbean (Rum) and American (Coca-Cola).

And, The Andrews sisters version is bit more sanitized - although they do the "working for the Yankee Dollar" line - you could argue the "work" is the women singing.

"Calypso sing and make up rhyme
Guarantee you one good real fine time"

The Andrews Sisters performed in military uniforms as 3 nurse/soldier gals - singing about soldier boys coming into port - and that was the effect...they sang as if they were the ones waiting for the "real fine time"

Curious why you think the song is about black women?

[Coventina]

43. Um, no, I'm really not.

Lord Invader acknowledged the song is about prostitution, and sanitized prostitution is still prostitution.

The vast majority of Trinidadians are black, and calypso is a black invention, and it is about native girls.

I suggest you read a book about the history of the Caribbean.
It will open your eyes.

[Squinch]

51. Do you do yoga?

[Vogon_Glory]

37. Judging from the posts by the self-appointed cultural commissars

I'd say that if they had their way, the answer would be "yes."

To me, this thread reminds me of a series of riffs by right-wing talk-show host Glenn Beck complaining about Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" being subversive and somehow "anti-American."

Of course I dis-respect left-wing "politically correct" just as much as I do it's right-wing counter-part,

[IronLionZion]

22. Never heard this song before

but this song came out in a time in which if a white woman and non-white man even thought about having a consensual romantic relationship, the non-white man would be imprisoned or hung from the nearest tree and their children would experience lots of discrimination.

[Coventina]

26. For sure! Sad that it was considered perfectly OK though, for white men to take advantage of the

impoverished black women.

And, that the Andrews Sisters would sing about it!

Just, shameful.

[Act_of_Reparation]

23. The Andrews Sisters weren't strangers to this kind of thing.

A fine example of romantic racism.

[Coventina]

27. Yikes!

[csziggy]

28. The song has it's own website - with an excellent history of the origina

Calypso on Trial

<SNIP>
Coca-Cola, of course, was not the only beverage to find favor with the American boys. No sales figures are available but it is a safe bet that the locally distilled rum, which was often drunk concurrently with Coca-Cola, enjoyed a surge in consumption no less dramatic. In fact "rum and Coke" was probably the favorite mixed drink on the island with soldier and civilian alike.

During the American "occupation" of Trinidad there were many opportunities for the thirsty GI's to sip a rum and Coke but none more refreshing than on a little outing with some of the young ladies of the colony. In fact the mutual appreciation of these two groups soon became legendary. Rum and Coca-Cola, it seemed, was not only their drink of choice but also their guiding metaphor: just as the two sugar-based liquids - one North American and one West Indian - swirled together in a glass, so too the Yankee soldiers "mixed" with the young women of Trinidad. [2]

In early 1943 a local calypso singer who had released some records in the U.S. on the Decca label wrote a song about this social phenomenon. The singer's name was Rupert W. Grant, known professionally as "Lord Invader", and the song was called "Rum and Coca-Cola". The first verse (of five) and the chorus went like this:

"Since the Yankees came to Trinidad
They have the young girls goin' mad.
The young girls say they treat 'em nice
And they give them a better price.

They buy rum and Coca-Cola,
Go down Point Cumana.
Both mother and daughter
Workin' for the Yankee dollar." [3]

To say that "Rum and Coca-Cola" was a big hit would be like saying that World War II was a big bother. In fact, the song shook the island to its volcanic core. Later, in a federal courtroom in New York City, Lord Invader would state that he had to sing it "three times a night" - probably making up new verses on the spot in true calypso style - in order to satisfy his listeners. The audience just couldn't get enough of it, especially the first line of the chorus with the flip-flop stresses on the name of the famous beverage. The audience all joined Invader in singing that part.

http://www.rumandcocacolareader.com/RumAndCocaCola/Calypso_on_Trial.html

The article goes on to detail how the song got distributed in the US and the copyright fight that followed.

[Coventina]

30. Cool! Thanks for the link!

Still cannot believe that a song that specifically references US servicemen purchasing the favors of Trinidadian women would have such a following here in the US.

I can see the local audience enjoying the barbed humor, but the US? Ick.

[apcalc]

29. I did not know the history of it, and really don't know the words...

Except for "rum and coca-cola". Just liked the way it sounded.

[Coventina]

31. Same here. It was an eye-opener for sure! n/t

[sufrommich]

33. "In what universe is that OK? "

In the universe that existed in 1944?

[hexola]

35. For sure you have to consider the context of the times - Maxine Andrews quote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_and_Coca-Cola

Years later, Maxine Andrews recalled, "The rhythm was what attracted the Andrews Sisters to 'Rum and Coca-Cola'. We never thought of the lyric. The lyric was there, it was cute, but we didn't think of what it meant; but at that time, nobody else would think of it either, because we weren't as morally open as we are today and so, a lot of stuff—really, no excuses—just went over our heads."

Sounds honest enough to me...

[Coventina]

47. Sounds like she's admitting they were idiots. They just sang stuff put in front of them?

Not bothering to find out what it was about?

[Bluenorthwest]

53. She says it went over their heads, and if you think artists, particularly female artists

had any choice but to sing what their company wanted then to sing you are mistaken.

Remember, current times feature songs that smear LGBT and women that are super popular, written by the artists who perform them and if anyone says it's bigoted that's just not accepted. Many of the top artists of today do anti gay material with intention. They are excused for doing so. This is true in the US and in other nations. In 2016. None of them have apologized or said they did not understand what they meant. Nope.

[Coventina]

54. Of course artists put forth reprehensible work now. It's not OK now, and it wasn't OK then.

[Coventina]

46. Really? So servicemen paying Trinidadian girls for sex was OK in 1944?

Doesn't sound very "Greatest Generation" to me.

[sufrommich]

48. You're blaming a whole generation for a song?

Make sure you stay clear of LaBelle or The Police or Elton John while you're at it,all wrote popular songs about prostitution.

[Coventina]

49. When it becomes a hit, extolling the "fun" US servicemen have at the expense of an impoverished

nation, yes, I think it reflects poorly on them.

"Roxanne" doesn't paint prostitution as being fun. It's not the subject matter, it's the treatment of it.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

55. You don't even have to go that far

Half the songs on the charts today include the word pimp somewhere....

Oh, but don't go there......

[liberal N proud]

36. Rum and Coca Cola really messed me up

I have not been able to do that formula for a long time.

My mother wouldn't talk to me for weeks after I crawled home through the snow and fell in the bathtub destroying the plumbing. That is some bad stuff.

Rum and Coke, not for me thank you!

[Albertoo]

39. Apparently, the people of Trinidad did not find the song offensive

From a quick glance at wiki, before being adapted by the Andrews Sisters in 1945,
the song was a hit with the local population of Trinidad in 1943.
I suppose it would not have been the case if the song had been offensive.

[Coventina]

45. Yes, the original Lord Invader version was extremely popular.

Because Lord Invader was critiquing the exploitation.

The Andrews Sisters were celebrating it.

There is a critical difference between the two versions.

[Albertoo]

57. IMHO, you read too much into it

OK, OK, open disclosure, I like the song and used it as a lullaby for kids.

But seriously, we can't quite judge the past with today's standards. The attitude toward casual sex in the 1940's tropics was probably relaxed and not bringing a stigma of exploitation, or I doubt the Lord Invader original would have been a popular success.

All the Andrews Sisters probably wanted to do was to duplicate in the US the success of the original song in Trinidad. I really have doubts about a girls group deliberately trying to glorify sexual exploitation.

In the same way, is this song making fun of lesbians?

[Coventina]

69. Please see my reply, post #68 below.

on edit: from the Wikipedia article on calypso:

1944's "Rum and Coca-Cola" by the Andrews Sisters, a cover version of a Lord Invader song, became an American hit despite the song being a very critical commentary on the explosion of prostitution, inflation and other negative influences accompanying the American military bases in Trinidad at the time.[6] Perhaps the most straight forward way to describe the focus of calypso is that it articulated itself as a form of protest against the authoritarian colonial culture which existed at the time.

[hexola]

66. Not a critical difference - they both wanted to make money off the same topic...

Not sure why you are giving Lord Invader a pass here...and his version doesn't come off as much of a critique...its the same upbeat, happy sounding song.

And - they both had a common motivation...profit.

[Coventina]

68. Calypso is a form of social protest song. That's what the genre evolved to do.

Do you think the Andrews Sisters were offering up a social protest?

on edit: from the Wikipedia article on calypso:

1944's "Rum and Coca-Cola" by the Andrews Sisters, a cover version of a Lord Invader song, became an American hit despite the song being a very critical commentary on the explosion of prostitution, inflation and other negative influences accompanying the American military bases in Trinidad at the time.[6] Perhaps the most straight forward way to describe the focus of calypso is that it articulated itself as a form of protest against the authoritarian colonial culture which existed at the time.

[Throd]

42. And don't get me started about "Mairzy Doats"!

That's some offensive shit right there.

[Archae]

50. Heck, "Louie Louie" had the FBI investigating it!

[Squinch]

52. Consider me dense. I'm not hearing it. I'm hearing about mares and does eating oats and ivy.

Tell me what I'm missing.

[UTUSN]

56. Recycled as "Cuba Libre" = with the 1stGen CubanExiles/CIA-ers.

Last edited Tue Jul 12, 2016, 11:35 AM - Edit history (2)

[Jetboy]

59. Andrews Sisters were a fantastic group.

I believe that they are all deceased now. Perhaps there are other battles higher on the priority list in 2016 than Andrews Sisters lyrics from the 1940s?

[Coventina]

70. *shrug* It's a discussion board. I was sharing something I learned.

Feel free to trash the thread if you don't like it.

[Iggo]

64. I guess, if you just now noticed the words to that song.

I'm 54 and I've known that wasn't a nice song since I was a little kid.

I mean it's right there in the chorus.

Different time, ugly by today's standards.

[Coventina]

71. I admit, I was a kid and didn't pay attention / listen carefully.

And, once free of my parents' influence in music, never listened to it again.

I came across the issue as I was doing some research on the Caribbean, due to a trip to Cuba I took recently.

[Iggo]

73. I didn't either, really, until my parents said, "Don't sing that. It's not nice."

Then I paid attention to what I was saying, and as I got older I started to understand what kind of work "both mother and daughter" were doing for that Yankee dollar. But to tell you the truth, I actually thought it was a Camptown Races or a Jolson-in-blackface kind of deal, kind of a punching down thing.

I didn't realize the commentary was originally going the other direction. So, thanks for this thread. I learned something!

[Coventina]

74. You'e welcome! Glad you got something out of it.

Kind of surprised by some of the other reactions on the thread.