'Rum and Coca Cola' is a 1942 calypso song by
Lord Invader about women on Trinidad prostituting themselves to American soldiers. In 1944, the song was performed in the US by the
Andrews Sisters, with the verses altered but the underlying meaning of the song still intact; the song was banned from radio play, however, because of the reference to alcohol. Both versions of the song were enormously popular, and the ensuing plagiarism suits ran until 1950. The copious
Rum and Coca Cola Reader has the
full story, and
over twenty versions of the song.
[more inside]
posted by kaibutsu
on Nov 1, 2011 -
45 comments