Hey everyone, it's Music Monday!
Music Monday is a biweekly feature of this blog which will focus on a song from an international artist, be it a classic or a current hit.
The first Music Monday honor goes to Harry Belafonte and the Muppets. If you read this site long enough, it should become apparent that I LOVE the Muppets. Yes, I had to use all capitals. In addition to the lovable characters Jim Henson created, The Muppet Show featured many amazing artists that are still listened to today. From Elton John to Simon and Garfunkel, musical guest stars filled the show with notable performances but Harry Belafonte's "Turn the World Around" is one that really sticks out for me.
Though Belafonte technically isn't an international artist (he was born in New York), he's famous for popularizing Caribbean styles of music and his political and humanitarian activism makes him an international figure. It was this activism as well as his interest in Third World music that lead him to sing this African inspired track on the The Muppet Show. Henson's team created the African mask puppets especially for the clip and it's said that Jim Henson considered this production some of his best work.
This blog, in its least shallow form, focuses on how we can use media to experience, learn about and enjoy different cultures and places so I think Belafonte's joyous performance is a great way to kick things off.
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