I'm talkin' rum and coca cola 🎵
Workin' for the yankee dollar (in the immortal words of Lord Invader)
Happy Monday friends,
Thank you to the 4 new subscribers who took the time to check out Drink To That off the back of the start of the Substack virtual tour last week. Had some great food for thought about building community and connecting with like-minded folks.
I’m in a bit of a singsong mood this week and the drinks industry has no shortage of melodies. I’m particularly struck by the connection that rum has to songs and it reminds me of the sea.
With that in mind, Monday’s newsletter is bringing you some rum and musical news that evoke the Caribbean and ocean voyages.
Best,
Jamie
A Song Of Trinidadian Defiance And American Appropriation: The Story Of Rum And Coca-Cola
Rum is the kind of drink that crosses boundaries. It can act as the bridge between different mediums, linking hospitality with entertainment. The music industry is no different, with rum being a major theme in many songs and one of the most memorable is Rum and Coca-Cola.
Originally a Trinidadian song that was appropriated and bastardised, Rum and Coca-Cola has an interesting history that stretches back to World War II.
A satirical take on American greed
During the Second World War, roughly 20,000 American GIs were stationed in Trinidad with the aim of defending the island against invasion. The soldiers soon started to make their presence known in ways that upset the locals.
The Trinidadian Calypso singer Rupert Westmore Grant, who performed under the name of Lord Invader, didn’t care for the American occupation. He observed the soldiers using their money to coerce local women into prostitution while drinking rum and coke. These observations became the heart of Rum and Coca-Cola, a song that commented on American excess.
Invader worked with fellow Calypso singer Lionel Belasco to compose the melody, which came from a song called L’Annee Passee. It wasn’t long before Rum and Coca-Cola turned into a huge hit in Trinidad, becoming one of the most popular songs of 1943.
Amsterdam’s appropriation
In September 1943, American entertainer Morey Amsterdam visited Trinidad as part of a U.S.O tour. During his time on the island, he heard Rum and Coca-Cola and took the music back with him to the US. He created his own version of the song and later claimed that he’d never heard of the original.
Amsterdam went on to record Rum and Coca-Cola with the Andrews Sisters in 1945. In under ten minutes, they created a record that went on to sell seven million units and topped the Billboard magazine chart for seven weeks.
The issue with Amsterdam’s version is that it stripped Rum and Coca-Cola of its social commentary. He altered the lyrics to the point it sounded as if women were deliberately prostituting themselves and never really thought about what he was writing.
The Andrews Sisters also failed to think about the lyrics. Patty Andrews said “we had a recording date, and the song was brought to use the night before. We hardly really knew it, and when we went in we had extra time and we just threw it in. it was actually a faked arrangement.”
Maxime Andrews has said “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 just went over our heads.”
Lord Invader and Belasco both sued Amsterdam for copyright infringement, winning the case in 1948. Although Amsterdam retained ownership of the song, he needed to pay royalties.
Rum and Coca-Cola will always stand out as a Trinidad song that captures the feelings of a people at a specific time in history.
Songs Of The Sea: Randy Dandy-O!
Songs Of The Sea is a segment that tells the origins of different sea shanties and what makes them so timeless. From pirate ditties, to melancholy choruses about the realities of ship life, the sea shanty has left an enduring mark on popular culture. In particular, Randy Dandy-O does an excellent job of describing the harsh conditions of life at sea.
With tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a jaunty rhythm, Randy Dandy-O is a classic sailor’s tune.
Context
Randy Dandy-O is a traditional capstan shanty, which sailors sang during the laborious task of pushing capstan levers to lift heavy objects or raise a ship’s anchor. The song was led by a shantyman who organised a call-and-response structure, meaning that every time the shantyman called out, the crew joined in for the refrain. It provided a sense of connection between shipmates, helping them work together.
The story behind Randy-Dandy O is that it was used to mock naval officers and helped sailors voice their frustrations without being punished. This is indicated by the use of words like ‘rollicking’ which is a not-so-subtle replacement of the word ‘bollocking.’ In British English slang, a bollocking means be dressed down or told off.
‘Randy Dandy’ is a reference to dandies and fops, which is how many sailors viewed their commanding officers. As the officers were usually required to wear a uniform at sea, this did little to bond them to their crew, making it seem as if they were above the people they served with.
‘Parish rigged’ is another clear insult, which is slang for a poor equipped ship. This was often the work of a miserly captain. But compared to other versions of Randy Dandy-O, this insult was pretty tame!
Lyrics
Now we are ready
To sail for the horn
Way hey, roll and go!
Our boots and our clothes,
Boys, are all in the pawn
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
Heave a pawl, o heave away
Way hey, roll and go!
The anchor’s on board
And the cable’s all stored
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
Soon we’ll be warping her out
Through the locks,
Way hey, roll and go!
Where the pretty young girls
All come down in their frocks
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
Heave a pawl, o heave away!
Way hey, roll and go!
The anchor’s on board
And the cable’s all stored
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
Come breast the bars,
Bullies, heave her away
Way hey, roll and go!
Soon we’ll be rolling her
Down through the Bay
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
Heave a pawl, o heave away!
Way hey, roll and go!
The anchor’s on board
And the cable’s all stored
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
Heave away, bullies, you parish-rigged bums
Way hey, roll and go!
Take you hands from your pockets and don’t suck your thumbs!
To me rollicking Randy Dandy-O!
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