In 1961, Harry Belafonte returned his attentions to the strain of music that had made him a household name. Jump Up Calypso was Belafonte’s third album of West-Indies-styled tunes (following 1956’s Calypso and 1957’s Belafonte Sings Of The Carribean), and was an instant commercial and critical success. “Gloria” sits in the middle of side one, one of the lesser-known moments on a record full of classic tunes. It’s not the flashiest or catchiest song, but it’s the one I keep returning to.
It’s little more than some unwieldy rhymes and a gentle swell of notes, a man singing of courtship and heartbreak and ongoing infatuation. The arrangement is a model of restraint: plucked latin guitar and a shuffling beat laying a foundation, muted steel drums echoing from far away. The similes used to express the narrator’s love range from strained (“I want you like a cop wants a wanted man”), to just plain strange (“I want you like a bad dose of castor oil”). And Belafonte’s voice sits alone, high in the mix, his gentle chuckles at the end of each verse projecting a relaxed sincerity. It’s both plea for attention and statement of affection, futile pursuit and romantic notion together in a simple melody.
“Gloria” was written by Bob Gordon and Clifton Ryan. It is not on any compilations, and has not been made available for download. The full Jump Up Calypso album is available on CD (with original artwork and liner notes, and in very good fidelity) as part of a low-price import collection.
you’ve perked my interest and I’d like to hear this sometime…