Born Edric Browne in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where his childhood was imbued with the African traditions of Shango and Spiritual Baptist Shouting, he assumed the name George E. Browne in homage to the family friend, Richard E. Braithwaite, whose library introduced him to works of black history and activism.
Browne joined a Norwegian tanker at the age of 20 and, after a brief stay in Australia, signed off in Scotland in 1941. After befriending other expatriate Trinidadians in Glasgow he relocated to London and began to earn his living as a musician. In 1947-8 he co-founded (with Bermudian Ken Gordon, uncle of newsreader Moira Stuart) the Three Just Men group and toured in Europe and North Africa with the trio the following year.
He inherited the name Young Tiger from the calypsonian Growling Tiger when in 1953 he recorded a cover version of Tiger's song "Single Man". Young Tiger's hits dating from that same year include "Calypso Be" and "I Was There" - the latter being his observations about the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - and "Mamzelle Josephine". Subsequently embracing jazz music, he recorded with a number of bands, including Humphrey Lyttelton's Paseo Jazz Band. In the 1960s he pursued an acting career for a time - he played the role of Jesus Christ in a passion play produced at the First World Festival of Negro Arts in Senegal in 1966 - and in 1970 he gave up music to open a London restaurant and health club with his then wife. When that was forced to close because of rent increases, they moved to the USA, where for a time they had restaurants in Florida and California.
He returned to the UK in the late 1980s, living in retirement in Croydon. His calypso "I Was There" featured on the 2002 Honest Jon compilation London Is the Place for Me: Trinidadian Calypso in London, 1950-1956. Following the re-release of his "Calypso Be" on London Is the Place for Me, Vol. 2 (November 2005), Browne played at the BBC "Electric Proms" festival in 2006, performing a few songs together with the London is the Place for Me Allstars.
Calypso Be
Young Tiger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To tell you friends I'm quite unenthused.
This modern music's got me confused,
To tell you friends I'm quite unenthused.
I like Pee Wee Hunt or the great Count Basie
But can’t make head nor tail of this Dizzy Gillespie
Oop-pop-a-da
Be-a-ba-du-la-be-plee
Ple-oobly-oobly-oobly-oobie
Chum-cheeree-a-bah
Oop-pop-a-dee-de-doom ah-ah!
Dizzy Gillespie is the creator
Of this new style along in co with Charlie Parker,
Coleman Hawkins, Howard McGhee -
They all indulge in this monstrosity
They take a major seventh and a flated ninth
Two ool-ya-koos and a half a pint
Then
Oop-pop-a-da
Be-a-ba-du-la-be-plee
Ple-oobly-oobly-oobly-oobie
Chum-cheeree-a-bah
Oop-pop-a-dee-de-doom ah-ah!
The beboppers you see around
They all converse in a special tongue
"Ool-ya-koo" and "eel-ya-da"
One means "hello", the other "ta ta".
They call a man "a cat" and a girl "a chick",
And they're up to all kinds of shady tricks
With their
Oop-pop-a-da
Be-a-ba-du-la-be-plee
Ple-oobly-oobly-oobly-oobie
Chum-cheeree-a-bah
Oop-pop-a-dee-de-doom ah-ah!
In conclusion I must now say
The bebop boys they know how to play
But that music is not for me
So take it back Mr. Gillespie
You better take it back to 52nd Street
With your high speed riffs and stacatto beats
And your
Oop-pop-a-da
Be-a-ba-du-la-be-plee
Ple-oobly-oobly-oobly-oobie
Chum-cheeree-a-bah
Oop-pop-a-dee-de-doom ah-ah!
Ah-ah!
The song "Calypso Be" by Young Tiger reflects a common sentiment in music history of older generations struggling to understand newer musical styles. The lyrics convey the confusion and distaste for bebop music, particularly the style popularized by Dizzy Gillespie. The song describes the complexity of bebop music, using phrases like "major seventh and a flated ninth" and "two ool-ya-koos and a half a pint," to criticize the genre as a "monstrosity." The language used by bebop musicians is also mocked in the lyrics, with "ool-ya-koo" and "eel-ya-da" referred to as a "special tongue."
Despite the song's critical tone, it acknowledges the skill and talent of bebop musicians, stating that "the bebop boys they know how to play." However, the singer ultimately concludes that bebop is not for him, urging Gillespie to take the music back to its origins on 52nd Street.
Overall, "Calypso Be" reflects a common tension in music history between older, established genres and newer, more experimental styles. The song highlights the difficulty of reconciling these different musical traditions and the resistance that often arises when they clash.
Line by Line Meaning
This modern music's got me confused,
The singer is confused by contemporary music and is not enjoying it.
To tell you friends I'm quite unenthused.
The singer is explaining that they do not have any enthusiasm for modern music.
I like Pee Wee Hunt or the great Count Basie
The singer likes traditional jazz musicians like Pee Wee Hunt and Count Basie.
But can’t make head nor tail of this Dizzy Gillespie
The artist does not understand or enjoy the music of Dizzy Gillespie.
Dizzy Gillespie is the creator
Dizzy Gillespie is one of the inventors of the new style of jazz music.
Of this new style along in co with Charlie Parker,
Charlie Parker is a co-inventor of the new style of jazz music with Dizzy Gillespie.
Coleman Hawkins, Howard McGhee -
Coleman Hawkins and Howard McGhee are other musicians who indulge in this new style of jazz music.
They all indulge in this monstrosity
The artist views this new style of jazz music as a monstrosity.
They take a major seventh and a flated ninth
The musicians use certain chords in their music, including a major seventh and flattened ninth.
Two ool-ya-koos and a half a pint
They also include certain phrases in their music, like 'ool-ya-koo', and drink alcohol to help get them in the right mindset for playing.
The beboppers you see around
The singer is talking about the people they see playing this new style of jazz music.
They all converse in a special tongue
The musicians have a special language they use to communicate with each other.
"Ool-ya-koo" and "eel-ya-da"
These are examples of the phrases that the musicians use to communicate.
One means "hello", the other "ta ta".
The phrases have different meanings, with one meaning 'hello' and the other 'goodbye'.
They call a man "a cat" and a girl "a chick",
The musicians have nicknames for people, like calling a man 'a cat' and a woman 'a chick'.
And they're up to all kinds of shady tricks
The artist is suggesting that the musicians engage in deceptive or dishonest behavior.
In conclusion I must now say
The artist is wrapping up their thoughts on the topic.
The bebop boys they know how to play
The singer acknowledges that the musicians are skilled at playing their instruments.
But that music is not for me
The singer recognizes that the music is not to their taste.
So take it back Mr. Gillespie
The artist is urging Dizzy Gillespie to take back his new style of jazz music.
You better take it back to 52nd Street
The artist thinks that the new style of jazz music belongs back in its birthplace, 52nd Street in New York City.
With your high speed riffs and stacatto beats
The style of jazz music involves fast and energetic playing with a lot of interruption in the chords and rhythms.
And your
This line is a continuation of the previous line, introducing another example of the style of jazz music.
Oop-pop-a-da
This phrase is an example of the type of sounds and phrases that the musicians use in their music.
Be-a-ba-du-la-be-plee
This is another example of the types of sounds and phrases used in the new style of jazz music.
Ple-oobly-oobly-oobly-oobie
Yet another example of the type of sounds and phrases used in the new style of jazz music.
Chum-cheeree-a-bah
And another example of the type of sounds and phrases used in the new style of jazz music.
Oop-pop-a-dee-de-doom ah-ah!
Finally, another example of the types of sounds and phrases used in the new style of jazz music.
Ah-ah!
This is an exclamation indicating the end of the song.
Contributed by Skyler E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.