Matilda (calypso song)
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"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,[1] but ASCAP simply lists Harry Thomas alias Harry Belafonte, the writer of "Hold 'Em Joe"[citation needed]); some credits are given as Norman Span.
"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 (the stage name of Norman Span) recorded the song.[2] Harry Belafonte's first recording of it in 1953 became a big hit.[3]
Belafonte originally recorded "Matilda" on April 27, 1953, and it was released as a single. He re-recorded the song for his second RCA Victor LP, Belafonte, released in 1955. The oft-repeated phrase in his rendition of "Matilda" emphasizes 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.
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, where the total playing time for "Matilda" is nearly 12 minutes.[4]
