Despite the varied and widespread ideas and interpretations of it’s phrasing, the song has been emblazoned into the hearts and the minds of the nation, and has risen as one of the loudest and most celebrated songs of the Mardi Gras season. Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. (. “Code Language!”, Iko! Many freed slaves lived in New Orleans, the city becoming one of the earliest racially integrated towns in the South, and home to some of the first communities of freed slaves and “free people of color.” Furthermore, the Mardi Gras Indians developed their unique and beautiful tradition as a form of respect to the Native Americans, who were thought to have aided escaped slaves in the area. What they didn’t know was that producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were recording the entire affair. One of the Lyrics to this song goes “See my King all Dress in Red, IKO IKO Ae Ay, Bet you 5 Dollars, He will Shoot You Dead, IKO IKO Ae Ay”. “Listen! … The phrase "Mamma Mia" was big in 1976. The song, like so many traditional folk songs, has a long and storied history, winding from rushed phonetic translation in New Orleans to a misheard title in Chess Records and far beyond and before. Given that Crawford's song is based on similar New Orleans celebratory ritual sources, including traditional songs from Mardi Gras parades, its closeness to the Dixie Cups' tune is striking. On Tuesday, the Mardi Gras indians, who spent thousands of dollars and millions of beads constructing wildly elaborate suits, will march through the streets of New Orleans in a complex hierarchy of Kings and Spy Boys and wild men, chanting exotic dirges and dancing in grandiose fashion. Great Article I enjoyed it very much! And what language is it? Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah. They tweaked the lyric, "This is the worst trip since I've been born" to "...I've ever been on" as a wink to acid culture. Scholars have proposed various linguistic origins, suggesting, alternately, that it the phrase is Native American, West African, or a creolization of those languages with New Orleans French. “Chock-o-Mo,” though based on the long standing traditions of the magical Mardi Gras Indians who will proudly parade through the streets of the Crescent City in Tuesday, has become a tradition in-and-of itself. Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T. It’s origins steeped in mystery and in all likelihood, much like the city of New Orleans, a gumbo of regional and ethnic backgrounds, it has become as inseparable to the city as Professor Longhair. Chess released a single under the band name Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters which sold well regionally, and gave Crawford another chance to shine. In 1982, both Natasha (#10) and The Belle Stars (#35) had UK Top 40 hits with their renditions of the Dixie-Cups version. The pop group was in the studio recording, and during some downtime in between takes, they played an impromptu, loose jam of “Jock-A-Mo” that they had remembered from their hometown — even offhandedly using ash trays as drums. “God is watching.”, Jocomo Fee No is Jacouman Fi na In a discussion with Offbeat, he picked up the lyrics sheet and, for the most part, accurately sang the melody of the song based on what he knew of African language — a song he had never heard before, but recognized the unique phrasing and was able to guess the melody based on his knowledge of African dialects. "Iko Iko" wasn't originally planned to be recorded at its session. Others, like Dr. Evershed Amuzu, who was interviewed in an excellent Offbeat article on the song, say that the phrase is almost strictly of African descent. Jock O Mo Fee No Nay.” Though the song has been featured in dozens of movies ranging from Skeleton Key and Rain Man to Hangover, what the lyrics mean continue to be somewhat of a mystery. Akout! I was just trying to write a catchy song. Many Africans who had been kidnapped were sold through New Orleans — a major port. Cajuns are of French, Native American, and African American descent, and have been around Louisiana since the 1700s. Scholars have proposed various linguistic origins, suggesting, alternately, that it the phrase is Native American, West African, or a creolization of those languages with New Orleans French. Ozzy biting a dove? The Mary J. Blige song "No More Drama" samples the theme to the appropriately dramatic soap opera The Young And The Restless. Drake's "One Dance" was the first ever song to rack up one billion streams on Spotify. Iko! Crawford received no royalties from the Dixie Cups’ version, despite it being a clearly cut-and-dried cover of his original work. 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