Summary

• Four of Calypso artist Harry Belafonte's existing songs are featured in Tim Burton's 1988 movie Beetlejuice.
• Belafonte's music played a huge role in creating some of the most memorable moments in Beetlejuice.
• Belafonte's signature song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" plays multiple times in Beetlejuice, including in the iconic dinner party scene.

Harry Belefatone's music is one of the most memorable parts of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, and the '80s horror comedy classic actually features four of the Calypso artist's vintage songs. Since its release in 1988, Beetlejuice has become one of the most beloved Halloween staples. The success and adoration of Beetlejuice launched a prolific franchise which includes an animated TV series, video games, a stage musical, and the upcoming 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Its enduring legacy is owed to some of its biggest strengths, like the costumes, practical effects, and, of course, Michael Keaton's performance as the titular troublemaker.

Beetlejuice 2 releases in theaters on September 6, 2024.

One of the most iconic elements of Beetlejuice that has contributed to its enduring legacy is the music in the film. Beetlejuice's original score was written and arranged by composer and longtime Burton collaborator Danny Elfman, who had previously composed the score for Burton's feature directorial debut Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) would go on to create the music for all but three of Burton's movies. In addition to Elfman's electrifying score, Beetlejuice is known for its inspired use of Calypso artist Harry Belafonte's music, most notably his signature song "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," which plays multiple times in Beetlejuice.

When Every Harry Belafonte Song On The Beetlejuice Soundtrack Plays In The Movie

One Harry Belafonte Song Plays More Than Once In Beetlejuice

"Sweetheart from Venezuela" by Harry Belafonte: After the opening credits, the very first scene in Beetlejuice opens with Belafonte's "Sweetheart from Venezuela" playing as Adam inspects a spider he found on his scale-sized model of Winter River. He tosses the spider out the window and continues working on the miniature town as Barbara enters the room. The song continues as the couple exchange gifts and start kissing, which is interrupted by the phone ringing, followed by the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. "Sweetheart from Venezuela" stops playing after Adam and Barbara look out the window and see their pushy realtor Jane arrive.

"Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" by Harry Belafonte: After the first Belafonte song comes to an end in Beetlejuice, Jane tries to tell Barbara about an offer on the house. Barbara proceeds to kick Jane out of their house and the scene cuts to Adam playing Belafonte's "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" on the cassette player in his workshop. When Adam pulls up the window shade, Jane appears in the window and startles him. Jane tries to tell him about the offer on the house, but Adam pulls down the window shade to block her out. Adam turns the song off before asking Barbara to come with him to the store.

"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" by Harry Belafonte: Right after Beetlejuice is shown reading the Maitlands' obituary in the newspaper, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" plays for the first time in Beetlejuice as Barbara dusts the surfaces in their basement while Adam decides where to place them in the cemetery of his Winter River model. The couple then hears a car pull up and looks out the window to see Jane and the Deetz family arrive. Adam tries to call out to Jane, but Barbara informs him that one of the rules for ghosts in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased is that "the living usually won't see the dead."

A slowed-down snippet of the "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" hook plays over the "A Geffen Company Release" production logo before the opening credits of Beetlejuice.

"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) plays a second time in one of the most well-known scenes from Beetlejuice. While the Deetzes are having guests over for dinner, a possessed Delia looks alarmed at the dinner table as she suddenly starts lip-syncing to "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)." Soon the whole table is lip-syncing and dancing along to the song in unison, except for Lydia. The song ends after an arm emerges from each of the guests' shrimp cocktails, grabbing their faces and pushing them back against the wall.

"Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora)" by Harry Belafonte: Beetlejuice's ending shows Lydia returning home from school and asking Adam to use his possession powers on the furniture. He complies and the furniture starts moving as "Jump in the Line (Shake Señora)" begins to play and Lydia and the Maitlands dance together. After a quick cut to Charles and Delia upstairs, Lydia begins levitating while dancing and lipsyncing to "Jump in the Line." The scene then cuts to Beetlejuice in the afterlife waiting room where he gets his head shrunk. Beetlejuice ends with Lydia and the team of ghost football playersdancing midair to "Jump in the Line."

Where To Listen To The Beetlejuice Soundtrack

The Beetlejuice Soundtrack Does Not Include All 4 Harry Belafonte Songs On Streaming

Beetlejuice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music and includes every track of Elfman's original score. This album also includes "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" and "Jump in Line (Shake Señora)," although the latter does not appear to be available on Spotify. The streaming versions of the Beetlejuice soundtrack do not include "Sweetheart from Venezuela" or "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)," but all four of Belafonte's songs featured in Beetlejuice are available to stream via his artist page.