The Many Functions of Calypso Music and the Mixing of African, European, Latin American, and American Traits
Today, calypso is often deemed the music of the Caribbean (Liverpool). Like most music in the African Diaspora, calypso’s roots go back to the days of plantations and slavery. Some of the most important characteristics of calypso were brought to the Virgin Islands by African slaves (Liverpool). However, the music has also been influenced by European — such as Spanish, French, English, and Danish — Latin American, and American cultures, as these countries have come in contact with the Caribbean, whether through colonization, international traveling, tourism, or, in more recent years, media, film, radio, etc. Calypso has long been known as a music of the people (Liverpool), because it has been used to resist slavery, combat oppression, critique society, and advocate for the beliefs of the artists. Even after the emancipation of slaves in the Caribbean, calypso continued to be a form of resistance within the lower social classes. Musicians used stories, allegories, satire, humor, and hidden meanings in their music in order to criticize the upper class and unjust aspects of society, express their ideas and opinions, inform others of recent news, spread gossip, tell stories, etc. (Liverpool). Since then, the music has evolved to serve other functions as well. These include appealing to tourists, bringing more people to the Islands, and making more money (Sheehy, “The Virgin Islands”). The music also functions to celebrate the diverse culture and identity of the Islands, acknowledging the many countries and cultures that have influenced the islands throughout history and still today, while also expressing a uniquely Caribbean culture (Ockerstrom). The musical traits of the calypso song “Beautiful Girl” by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Nights — including tempo, rhythm, timbre, and instrumentation — reflect the various functions of calypso music, which include “resistance” (protest of oppression, social advocacy), self-expression and storytelling, appealing to tourists and making money, and celebrating the diverse cultural identity of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The song does this by mixing African, European, Latin American, and American musical traits.
The tempo helps to serve the multiple functions of the music. “Beautiful Girl” has a moderate, walking tempo and a meter of 2/2. There is also a metronomic pulse, which keeps the tempo steady. Throughout history, calypso has been a genre of resistance (Liverpool). The constant pulse and steady beat are African musical traits. This serves as a form of resistance, as it allows the musicians to celebrate their African heritage. It also demonstrates their refusal to conform to another culture’s rules and traditions. The metronomic pulse and constant tempo also make the song idle for storytelling (another African musical trait) and self-expression. The music moves along at a steady rate, and the vocalists can simply sing different lyrics, at an unchanging pace, in order to tell the story and/or express themselves how ever they want. Thus, the music can be used for social commentary and critique as well as personal storytelling and expression (Liverpool). The constant, moderately-paced tempo also makes the music very danceable (Liverpool). The metronomic pulse is easy to clap along to, tap a foot to, sway to, move to, and dance to, which makes it an excellent choice of music for people who want to celebrate and have fun. However, the tempo is not extremely fast, as it is in salsa music, for instance. The moderate tempo allows for a slower, more relaxed form of dance. One does not have to be an exceptional dancer (or have any formal dancing experience at all) in order to move and dance along to a calypso song like “Beautiful Girl.” The moderate tempo also creates a relaxed, carefree sort of mood, which is often associated with vacationing and the Caribbean. This appeals to tourists, who come to the Caribbean to relax and, perhaps, to escape the hectic chaos of their day-to-day lives. In the same way, people — even people not currently in the Caribbean —can listen to calypso music to find escapism and to create a relaxing, Caribbean atmosphere, even when they are not really on vacation. This helps to spread the popularity of calypso and makes the music appealing even to non-tourists of the Caribbean, perhaps people who would like to be on vacation in the Virgin Islands but currently are not. Furthermore, the more people interested in the calypso, the more people who listen to the music, and the more people who come to the Caribbean, the more money is made. Finally, the tempo of “Beautiful Girl” contributes to celebrating the diverse identity of the Virgin Islands, by including African, European, Latin America, and American elements. The metronomic pulse is an African trait. However, the tempo also incorporates a Puerto Rican sound and style. Stanley Jacobs, the lead vocalist, explains that the beat used in “Beautiful Girl” is the same used in nearly all Puerto Rican calypso songs, because it is easy to dance to (Sheehy, “Quelbe! Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights”). “Beautiful Girl” also incorporates musical elements and influences from other countries, creating a uniquely Caribbean sound that celebrates the diverse culture of the Islands.
Similarly, the rhythm of “Beautiful Girl” supports the multiple functions of calypso. The rhythm of the percussion/accompaniment is fast-paced and danceable, based on cyclical patterns, and includes syncopation. Early calypso musicians often included satire, irony, humor, and social critic in the lyrics, in order to express their opinions and combat oppression (Liverpool). Since then, the lyrics of calypso songs have often changed to become more lighthearted, playful, and fun. However, calypso music still functions as a form of resistance, which is evident by examining the rhythmic elements discussed above. The rhythm of “Beautiful Girl” is clearly influenced by African drumming and percussion. The song includes repetitive, cyclical rhythmic patterns and syncopation, as the multiple instrumental layers play different rhythms and phrases. Both repeated patterns and syncopation are African musical traits. Incorporating such traits into song is a form of resistance because, once again, it celebrates the African heritage of the Caribbean and refuses to conform to European styles of music. The song is also a form of storytelling and self-expression, as the performer expresses his love and desire for a young woman, asks her to be with him, promises her that they will be married, says they will have children, etc. The rhythmic structure, which includes a cyclical form and short, repeated patterns, is a reflection of the rhythms that often accompanied griots as they told stories in African songs. The fact that the accompaniment is repetitive and constant makes it easier for the vocalist to sing whatever words he wants, to express himself, and to tell his story, not having to worry about staying in sync with changing or complex accompaniment. The rhythm also makes the song appealing to a wide audience, especially tourists. As mentioned before, the rhythm is very danceable. The music is upbeat and happy. Some instruments, such as the flute playing and vocalists singing the melody as well as the triangle in the background, set the moderate-paced tempo. However, most of the other instruments play fast-paced patterns and rhythms that make the listeners want to get up and dance. Calypso music became more danceable in the 1970s as “soca” (soul calypso) began to develop, and artists added regular bass pulses and multiple layers of varying rhythms to their music (Liverpool). The influence of soca is evident in “Beautiful Girl,” as the rhythms of the song are danceable and celebratory. This makes the music more appealing to tourists and better for parties, festivals, and events that tourists might attend in the Islands. This also creates a fun and care-free mood, which is a large part of calypso music’s appeal to the international audience. The rhythm, therefore, contributes to attracting tourists and making money. Finally, the rhythm of calypso celebrates the diverse Virgin Island culture and identity, by including African, European, Latin America, and American elements. The rhythms are primarily African, but the music is also influenced by jazz and soul music (Liverpool). By including rhythms and styles from multiple countries, “Beautiful Girl,” acknowledges the many cultures that have influenced the U.S. Virgin Islands and also celebrates its own unique identity.
The instrumentation and variety of timbres in “Beautiful Girl” serve the many functions of calypso, as well. The song includes African, Latin American, European, and American sounds and instruments, as well as sounds and instruments unique to the Caribbean. “Beautiful Girl” incorporates African instruments like the banjo and drums, Latin American instruments like the conga and guiro, instruments in traditional European ensembles such as the flute, American instruments such as the electric bass guitar and electric keyboard. It also incorporates uniquely Caribbean instruments like the steel drums. Including African instruments, as well as Latin American instruments, is a form of resistance, as the music refuses to conform to European and American styles and does not attempt to “sound European” or “sound American.” Including a variety of timbres is also an African trait and, thus, contributes in resistance. However, including European and American instruments is a form of resistance as well, as the musicians demonstrate that they have mastered these instruments and that they can play them just as well — or better — than the Europeans and Americans who invented them. At the same time, the song has a distinctly “Caribbean sound” — which is associated with relaxation, vacationing, and carefreeness — because of the steel drums incorporated into the song. This is likely to attract tourists and people who want to experience a laidback “Caribbean mood.” The music is also appealing to a wide range of cultures — African, European, Latin American, and American — because it incorporates elements of all of these different cultures’ music. The song can, therefore, be enjoyed by a larger audience and make more money. Finally, “Beautiful Girl” celebrates the diverse culture and identity of the Virgin Islands, a “melting pot” of many different cultures. The song does this by including instruments, timbres, and sounds from the many different countries and cultures that have influenced the Virgin Islands. At the same time, however, some of the instruments employed in the song — such as the steel drums — are unique to the Caribbean and celebrate the culture of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Beautiful Girl,” by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Nights, is an excellent example of the many different functions of calypso, including resistance and protest, storytelling and expression, appealing to tourists and making money, and celebrating the unique culture of the Caribbean and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The functionalities of calypso music are extremely diverse and rich, just as the culture of the islands is diverse and draws from many different influences. At the same time, calypso music is unique to the Islands and celebrates that special culture and identity.
Works Cited
Liverpool, Hollis Urban. “Calypso.” Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture,” edited by Carole Boyce-Davies and Carole Elizabeth Boyce Davie, ABC-CLIO, 2008, pp. 241–244. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcdaniel/reader.action?docID=305250.
Ockerstrom, Lolly. “Virgin Islander Americans.” Gale Encyclopaedia of Multicultural America, vol. 3, 3rd ed., edited by Thomas Riggs, Gale a Cengage Company, 2014. Gale Ebooks, go-gale-com.hoover2.mcdaniel.edu:2443/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CCX3273300188&docType=Topic+overview&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=GVRL&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3273300188&searchId=R3&userGroupName=west41605&inPS=true.
Sheehy, Daniel E. “Quelbe! Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights.” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2016, https://folkways.si.edu/stanley-and-the-ten-sleepless-knights/quelbe-music-of-the-u-s-virgin-islands/caribbean-world/album/smithsonian.
Sheehy, Daniel E. “The Virgin Islands.” Music Online: The Garland Encyclopaedia of World Music, 1941, pp. 968–974. Alexander Street, search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Creference_article%7C1000223892#page/988/mode/1/chapter/bibliographic_entity%7Creference_article%7C1000223892.
