Recently, I stumbled upon a funny song on Youtube named "The Coconut Song" (alias Da Coconut Nut - by Smoky Mountains) and I couldn't quite figure out what music genre is it writen in.
What's the genre The Coconut Song is in?
2 Answers
The most strong characteristic (and despite some possible other minor influences introduced by the choir arrangement) is that of Calypso, a traditional genre from the Antilles, because of:
- syncopated rythm
- call and response structure
- vocal oriented with multiple voices (in this case is a pure choir performance, but several voices at work in Calypso is common, even if there is intrumental accompaniment)
- it's subjective, but the melody suggests the Calypso to me
- the obvious accent of the lead singer and the thematic of the coconut
One of most famous calypsos (perhaps the most famous) is the Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte. Despite Belafonte's rendition being slower and more relaxed than the Coconut Song, the similarities seem pretty obvious to me.
Thanks to Chris Sunami for confirming the genre attribution and helping to make the answer more clear.
answered Jul 11, 2016 at 9:39
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2+1 I wouldn't be tentative about the genre identification, this is definitely calypso. There's actually a very similar "Coconut" calypso song that Belefonte himself does. Jul 11, 2016 at 14:08
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2I suppose you're right @Chris, some of the harmonies used sound to me at bit too modern for the genre, but perhaps I was overly cautious. I'll improve the text. Jul 11, 2016 at 14:19
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@ChrisSunami - Please do not post comments containing "+1", "-1", or "Thanks". Excessive comments like this can put this community to an end.– user7708Oct 14, 2019 at 2:58
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3@MaikaOshikkoSakuranomiya While I appreciate your initiative, I'm not aware of any ban on comments containing +1", "-1" or "Thanks." What is discouraged is comments consisting entirely of such content-free markers or approval or disapproval, since those are redundant with the voting system. I'd also note that the Stack Exchange community is experiencing much deeper problems at this point in time... Oct 14, 2019 at 14:02
The genre may be calypso but the composer (and the accent of the soloist) is Filipino. The song was released as a pop single in the 1990s by the group Smokey Mountain, which was mentored by Ryan Cayabyab, the composer. The choral arrangement is ca. 2008.
