Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

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History

Harry Belafonte's popularization of “Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” a folk song from Trinidad, was a major cultural event in 1956-57. It started a worldwide calypso craze and made Belafonte an international superstar. That’s not relevant to Phish’s rendition, though. They played it at the 7/6/97 Desenzano soundcheck because it is, as Trey put it, “the official limbo song,” and the band needed to play something for the last round of the audience limbo contest in progress. Fishman makes a brief attempt at singing the words, but the performance is really just Page playing the melody on piano and the others following along halfheartedly.

Phish, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" – 7/6/97, Desenzano, Italy

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