"Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)" is a calypso song composed by Lord Kitchener and best known from a version recorded by vocalist

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

in 1961.

Other renditions

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

and his Third Herd recorded Kitchener's song in 1952 for Mars Records; Herman's band recorded it live that same year with the title "Jump in Line." Lord Invader released a cover of the song on the Folkways label in 1955, titled "Labor Day (Jump in the Line)". His rendition reached

mento Mento is a style of Music of Jamaica, Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It is a fusion of African rhythmic elements and European elements, which reached peak popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

star Lord Flea, who in turn recorded a version based on Lord Invader's interpretation. It was released on August 1, 1958, by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. The song was recorded by Lord Fly and Joseph Spence in 1958. Fly's version inspired

, who released his own take on November 17, 1961 (credited to his pseudonym Raymond Bell on the disc label). It was included on the album '' Jump Up Calypso.'' Perhaps its most memorable appearance is in the 1988

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

film ''

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,'' during the movie's end. This occurrence later appeared in the Broadway musical stage adaptation in 2019 as the finale. The song was later used in the first episode of the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

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series '' Common Side Effects''. Belafonte's rendition of the song is featured in the 2010 dancing video game '' Just Dance 2''. Belafonte's rendition of the song went viral on video-sharing app

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

in August 2019, without showing a significant increase in sales. The song inspired the 1962 Gary U.S. Bonds hit single " Twist, Twist Senora". Rock band Ash released a cover in April 2025.

Certifications

References

{{authority control Songs about dancing Harry Belafonte songs 1961 singles Calypso songs 1946 songs