TLike much of the Caribbean, there was a time when Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago was musically dominated by songs about snow, mistletoe, and pumpkin pie. The voices of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Perry Como filled the airwaves as people clamored under the hot Caribbean sun.
But T&T already had its own Christmas soundtrack in the form of Paran. Parang is a Spanish-language folk music first brought to Trinidad by Venezuelan immigrant cocoa farmers in the 18th century. But despite this rich cultural heritage, classics like “White Christmas” and “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” remained Christmas staples.
When T&T gained independence in 1962, the country searched for a new national identity, much like a young child finding its footing. This period of postcolonial uncertainty created socio-economic tensions that culminated in the 1970 Black Power uprising.
This was an opportunity to encourage a shift away from imported music. Homemade Christmas songs such as Lennox Gray’s ‘Around My Christmas Tree’, Nap Hepburn’s ‘Listen Mama’ and Chalk Dust’s ‘Something Salt’ capture the essence of a true Trinidadian Christmas. , deeply touched people’s hearts.
Then, in 1978, calypsonian Edwin Hayon (affectionately known as “Crazy” and whose mother is Venezuelan) changed the state of Christmas music forever when he introduced a new genre that fused parang and soca. It has changed to
IIt all started when friend and songwriter Clebert Harewood handed Crazy a piece of paper with the opening lyrics: “I’ve accepted the role of lead singer.” Inspired by those words, Crazy started strumming the Quattro and, with encouragement from friends, recorded the song in New York with former Vincent producer Frankie McIntosh.
The song tells the story of how the audience responded to his carnival style paran.
I played the role of lead singer Paragramma in Arima.
Fans who found out about my paran band packed the grandstand.
Dave Elcock was the host when he introduced me.
People jump like a carnival to my silent performance
Allagata Allagata, Uno Lamb, Uno Parata
Maria, Maria, Maria, Mi Corazon
From Port of Spain to Fizabad, everyone knows Crazy Mad
Maria, Maria, Maria, Mi Corazon
Singing Francine in 1981 made history by releasing First soca paran full album, christmas is love
The real title of this song, which everyone still calls “Maria”, is “Parang Soca”, marking the first time that the term “Parang Soca” was introduced into the T&T music lexicon. Crazy innovatively fuses traditional parang instrumentation (cuatro, guitar, crunch) with calypso and soca rhythms (soca itself only emerged in the early ’70s), and combines it with English, Spanish, and Mixed with nonsense lyrics.
Although the Parang community initially opposed what they called “Christmas Calypso”, seeing it as a commercialization of their folk tradition, the song became popular. “Parang Soca” was so popular that at the next carnival, a five-man steel band played the song at Panorama, Crazy revealed.
Realizing he was onto something, Crazy followed up with another hit in 1979 called “Muchacha.” To date, he has produced over 60 Soca Paran songs. (Also, there is an ongoing debate in some regions about the distinction between “parang soca” and “soca parang”…)
In 1979, calypsonian Singing Francine (now deceased) became one of the leading singers of the genre with her song “Hail, Hail” announcing the birth of Christ. Nacimientos that paraderos We sang this in celebration of the holy birth.
Because we have a child
For a son we will love forever
like a thief in the night
he shined a light
He didn’t mean any harm,
he came to save us from damnation
Hurray, hurray, hurray!
Hurray, hurray! they say
Our Savior was born today!
He lies in his swaddling clothes
while the shepherds weep
because they couldn’t believe their eyes
and when he comes, one will
you know they are non-christians
Gather together and drive the nails with his hands
But on the third day he rose again
In other words, God shed His blood for us.
In 1981, Singing Francine made history by releasing the first full-length soca paran album. Christmas is love, It included popular songs like “Ay Ay Maria” and “Foolish Man.” She went on to produce other soca paran albums, including albums by Marcia Miranda (“Bring Out De Hum”, “Gimme Love”) and Susan Mikeu (“Trini Christmas Is The Best”). ), paving the way for other women in the genre. “Daisy is gone”).
THis door was now wide open and other calypsonians also jumped on the soca parang bandwagon. Icons such as Lord Kitchener, Relator, Swallow, Penguin, and Bill Trotman all contributed to the genre’s growing popularity.
As the 1980s drew to a close, former Trinidadian Calypso Monarch Irwin Reyes Johnson, known as Scrunter, burst onto the scene with his unforgettable 1988 hit “Peace Are Poke.”
Scrunter’s story resonated with many as it reflected his childhood in Sangre Grande, where Christmas meant sharing food and caring for one’s neighbor. Subsequent releases such as “Leroy,” “Anita,” “Ma Jeffrey,” and “Tribute to Daisy” became instant classics and cemented his place in the soca paran pantheon.
The genre, which began in the 1970s and blossomed in the 1980s, continues to thrive today. Artists like Crazy, Scrunter and Baron (another calypsonian who carved his name in soca parang history with songs like “It’s Christmas,” “Spanish Woman” and “Come Go”) They are making more of a living from soca parang. Calypso performs at local, regional and international Christmas events.
While a new generation of artists such as Jerome “Roma” Priscilla and Renbunction are the torchbearers of today’s soca parang, older songs continue to resonate with a multigenerational audience.
Just as Mariah Carey makes a comeback each year in America with her timeless hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Trinidad and Tobago’s soca parang songs rekindle the festive spirit across the island and are celebrated year after year. It feels fresh and new.
