Harry Belafonte Duet with Stephen Colbert (WATCH)!
Being 84 hasn’t put much of a damper on musical legend Harry Belafonte’s charisma. Or his ability to keep up with comedians like Stephen Colbert. The singer stopped by The Colbert Report on Monday to discuss his new book My Song.
Colbert, in his conservative pundit persona, demanded to know why Belafonte persists in using his fame to help progressive causes, ”Shouldn’t you just be singing ‘The Banana Boat Song,’ which by the way is one of the finest banana-counting songs ever?”
Belafonte broke the news that Day O, one of Belafonte’s biggest iconic hits, might SOUND like a non-sense song about bananas, but its actually a political ballad.
“I must tell you that that song has an awful lot to do with the events of the day,” he said. “It’s a work song, a song about people doing grueling work on a plantation.”
While the political conversation between Colbert and Belafonte was enlightening, it was the singing that stole the show. When Colbert asked his guest if he still sings, Belafonte’s reply, that he does so occasionally, inspired Colbert to attempt to make their interview one of those occasions. He burst into seemingly spontaneous song, singing the Belafonte hit, Jamaica Farewell and soon the singer was joining in.
What do you think of their duet?
