"Matilda" (sometimes spelled Mathilda) is a calypso song. Some songwriting credits are given as ''Harry Thomas'' (rumoured to be a pseudonym combining Harry Belafonte and his guitarist, Millard Thomas, but ASCAP simply lists Harry Thomas alias Harry Belafonte, the writer of "Hold 'em Joe"), some credits are given as Norman Span.
History
"Matilda" is a song lamenting a woman who took a man for all he was worth. The song dates back to at least the 1930s, when calypso pioneer
King Radio
Norman Span, known as King Radio, was a top Trinidadian calypsonian active in the 1930s and 1940s.
He was a waterfront worker in Port of Spain when he started performing in public in 1929. Six years later he started his short-lived recording ca ...
(the stage name of Norman Span) recorded the song.
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...
first recorded it in 1953, which became a big hit.
Harry Belafonte's first recording of the song was on April 27, 1953 and was released as a single. He re-recorded "Matilda" for his second RCA Victor LP, ''
Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internat ...
'', released in 1955. The oft-repeated phrase in his rendition of the song is like the following, emphasizing the syllables of the subject's name as shown:
:''Hey! Ma-til-da; Ma-til-da; Ma-til-da, she take me money and run a-
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.''
Belafonte often performed the song in concert, and he would encourage the audience to sing that line. An example is heard on his 1959 live album ''
Belafonte at Carnegie Hall
''Belafonte at Carnegie Hall'' is a live double album by Harry Belafonte issued by RCA Victor. It is the first of two Belafonte Carnegie Hall albums, and was recorded on April 19 and April 20, 1959. The concerts were benefits for The New Lincoln ...
'', where the total playing time for "Matilda" is nearly 12 minutes.
Allan Sherman recording
Allan Sherman
Allan may refer to:
People
* Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name
* Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker
* Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...
recorded a variation of the song in his first album, 1962's ''
My Son, the Folk Singer
''My Son, the Folk Singer'' is an album by Allan Sherman, released by Warner Bros. Records in 1962. On the album sleeve, the title appears directly below the words "Allan Sherman's mother presents."
The album, recorded before a live audience, ...
'', and put a Jewish-sounding spin on it, including asking portions of his audience (such as "Members of Hadassah") to sing along:
:''Oy! My Zel-da; My Zel-da; My Zel-da, she took the money and ran with the tailor.''
Sherman was later sued by the estate of the song's composer for not obtaining permission to perform it, because "Matilda" was protected by copyright law. Sherman paid a substantial penalty for this, as recounted in his book, ''A Gift of Laughter''.
Other recordings
*
Jimmy Soul
Jimmy Soul (born James Louis McCleese; August 24, 1942 – June 25, 1988) was an American vocalist. He is best remembered for his 1963 number one hit, "If You Wanna Be Happy."
Background
Born in Weldon, North Carolina,Hot 100 charts.
*
The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...
performed a cover of this song six times from 1994 to 1995.
*In Germany, the song was made popular by singer
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...