
Peak
14
Weeks
18
Score
2,194
Chart Year
1989
A music video was used to promote the single. The music video features scenes from the Rain Man movie as well as Belle Stars lead singer Jennie McKeown wearing a black outfit with blue dangling treble clefs and bleach blond dreadlocks. Jennie is also accompanied by four dancing girls in colorful outfits and a dancing man trying to persuade a subdued man. The original music video uses the 1989 remix which samples Woo! Yeah! from Lyn Collins's Think (About It). On the bridge, a line from the Thunderbirds episode Ricochet is also heard on the remix.
"Iko Iko" (/ˈaɪkoʊ ˈaɪkoʊ/) is a much-covered song from New Orleans, United States, originally titled "Jock-A-Mo" when released in 1953. The song tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians, and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and released in 1953 as a single by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford and his Cane Cutters, but it failed to make the charts. It was subsequently covered many times, most notably by the British group the Belle Stars in 1982. The song was first made popular as "Iko Iko" in 1965 by an American girl group, the Dixie Cups, who scored an international hit with it. In 1967, as part of a lawsuit settlement between Crawford and the Dixie Cups, the trio were given part songwriting credit for the song. In 1972, Dr. John had a minor hit with his version of "Iko Iko". In the UK, two competing versions of the song were released in 1982—one by the all-female group the Belle Stars and the other by Scottish singer Natasha England. While the Belle Stars' version peaked at 35 in the UK, Natasha's version reached the top 10. However, the Belle Stars version later reached the US Top 20 after being included in the 1988 film Rain Man. Cyndi Lauper covered the song in 1986. The Grateful Dead began incorporating “Iko Iko” into their live shows in 1977.[1] The song became a staple of their many tours throughout the 1980s, with the band playing it over 180 times until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995.[2] "Iko Iko" became a European hit again in 2001 after being covered by the German dance act Captain Jack. An adaptation by Papua New Guinea artist Justin Wellington under the title "Iko Iko (My Bestie)", featuring the Solomon Island duo Small Jam, became an international hit in 2021 after a successful TikTok challenge. In 1982, the British all-female band the Belle Stars had a minor UK chart hit with their cover of "Iko Iko", which reached number 35. The track was produced by Brian Tench and was also featured on the band's eponymous debut album, The Belle Stars, which reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. The single was released almost simultaneously as the Natasha England version, which went on to be a Top 10 hit. However, after it was included on the soundtrack to the 1988 film Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, the Belle Stars version was released in the US, hitting No. 14 and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 charts, respectively. The single was issued on Capitol Records. Their version of the song is in the opening scene of the film. The Belle Stars version was also included in the 1997 film Knockin' on Heaven's Door and The Hangover in 2009.
My grand-ma and your grand-ma Were sit-tin' by the fire. My grand-ma told your grand-ma "I'm gon-na set your flag on fire" Talk-in' 'bout Hey now ! Hey now ! I-ko, I-ko, un-day Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-né Jock-a-mo fee na-né Look at my king all dressed in red I-ko, I-ko, un-day I bet-cha five dol-lars he'll kill you dead Jock-a-mo fee na-né Talk-in' 'bout Hey now ! Hey now ! I-ko, I-ko, un-day Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-né Jock-a-mo fee na-né My flag boy and your flag boy were Sit-tin' by the fire My flag boy told your flag boy "I'm gon-na set your flag on fire" Talk-in' 'bout Hey now ! Hey now ! I-ko, I-ko, un-day Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-né Jock-a-mo fee na-né See that guy all dressed in green? I-ko, I-KO, un-day He's not a man He's a lov-in' ma-chine Jock-a mo fee na-né Talk-in' 'bout Hey now ! Hey now ! I-ko, I-ko, un-day Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-né Jock-a-mo fee na-né
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 4, 1989 | 86 | 40 |
| 2 | Mar 11, 1989 | 70 | 56 |
| 3 | Mar 18, 1989 | 59 | 67 |
| 4 | Mar 25, 1989 | 46 | 80 |
| 5 | Apr 1, 1989 | 40 | 86 |
| 6 | Apr 8, 1989 | 31 | 95 |
| 7 | Apr 15, 1989 | 27 | 99 |
| 8 | Apr 22, 1989 | 22 | 104 |
| 9 | Apr 29, 1989 | 16 | 110 |
| 10 | May 6, 1989 | 15 | 111 |
| 11 | May 13, 1989 | 14 | 112 |
| 12 | May 20, 1989 | 17 | 109 |
| 13 | May 27, 1989 | 26 | 100 |
| 14 | Jun 3, 1989 | 34 | 92 |
| 15 | Jun 10, 1989 | 47 | 79 |
| 16 | Jun 17, 1989 | 59 | 67 |
| 17 | Jun 24, 1989 | 69 | 57 |
| 18 | Jul 1, 1989 | 83 | 43 |