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Dr. John — Iko Iko
Album: Dr. John's Gumbo
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1251









Released: 1972
Length: 4:14
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko un day
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko un day
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

My grandma see your grandpa
Sitting by the Bayou
My grandma see your grandpa
Gonna fix your chicken wire

Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko un day
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

My spy dog see your spy dog
Sitting by the Bayou
My spy dog see your spy dog
Gonna set your tail on fire

Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko un day
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

My little boy see your little boy
Sitting by the Bayou
My little boy see your little boy
Gonna fix your chicken wire

Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko un day
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay

My grandma see your grandma
Sitting by the Bayou
My grandma see your grandma
Gonna fix your chicken wire

Hey now (hey now)
Hey now (hey now)
Iko iko un day
Jockomo feeno ah na nay
Jockomo feena nay
Comments (75)add comment
 deniseperry wrote:

This is SO Little Feat.



The reverse, actually. Feat was an LA band that appropriated the New Orleans sound pioneered by Mac.
What a guy..
thoughts of Ethan Hunt free climbing...
 deniseperry wrote:

This is SO Little Feat.



And Grateful Dead! 
This is SO Little Feat.
Lyrics are off. Possibly someone else's version (there are many)
 Nerubo wrote:
It's almost impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to this song. Nor am I inclined to try. {#Laughing}



I Agree Completely!   Thanx RP!   
Back in the mid '80s, Dr. John & David Bromberg did a show at an out door amphitheater  where I did the house mix. AWESOME SHOW!  After they completed their shows,  they came back out and jammed together for over an hour!! GREAT SHOW!!   
 eileenomurphy wrote:

GREAT TUNE!!! ...Thank You for the lyrics!  A group called the "Dixie Cups" did this tune in the early 60s. It got a lot of airplay on WMCA 570 AM NYC (The Good Guys)! I was 7 or 8yrs old. I had no idea what they were singing about, or what the lyrics were.



in the 90's and 2000's one of the Dixie Cups was receptionist at WCKW 92.3 at their Metairie offices.
oh no... i repeat myself:

that crazy cat

playing that crazy syncopation

make you crazy

Tom Cruise free climbing is what I see when this plays.
GREAT TUNE!!! ...Thank You for the lyrics!  A group called the "Dixie Cups" did this tune in the early 60s. It got a lot of airplay on WMCA 570 AM NYC (The Good Guys)! I was 7 or 8yrs old. I had no idea what they were singing about, or what the lyrics were.
 Jelani wrote:
Ah, reminds me of my tragic, horrific, glorious days living in NOLA. {#Drunk}
 

hated the place. Out in Kenner was better but still. Yet, still miss some things about it.
especially the food
 fineartdesign wrote:
That damn grooves so much. Love the horns!
 

Brilliant 
That damn grooves so much. Love the horns!
Strange to think that 1972 saw not only this version of Iko Iko released, but also the slightly odd version by Long John Baldry, produced by Elton John (who also provided backing vocals). I really enjoyed that Baldry album back in the day.
30 years later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_8IifQjYuI  {#Smile}
 ch83575 wrote:
I can't hear Dr. John without thinking about Curious George. 

 
There are definitely worse things to think about than Curious George.
{#Whisper} I kind of miss watching that show now that my son's older.
It's almost impossible to be in a bad mood while listening to this song. Nor am I inclined to try. {#Laughing}
I can't hear Dr. John without thinking about Curious George. 
At the end where they're singing "what'd I say" I feel like they're taunting my failures to decipher the accents earlier. {#Cheesygrin}
All hail the doctor! 
damn! i thought he was going to let it play into "Blow Wind Blow"
Ah, reminds me of my tragic, horrific, glorious days living in NOLA. {#Drunk}
Gotta love Mr Rebennack.
It was a very special Carnival this year

This and the original are staples at Mardi Gras.
Birh pay tribute to the 'Mardi Gras Indians'.
sigh
It's a long time until Mardi Gras. 

Thanx Bill for the work break. Went form chair dancing to actually bopping around the office. RP just what i needed. Carry On !!


This is probably my very least favorite cover of this that I've ever heard, unfortunately. :(
far prefer the original, but not a bad cover
Yeah, nice rotation!!
everybody sing along....
My grandma and your grandma,  were sittin by the fire,

My grandma told your grandma, I'm going to set your flag on fire,

 

Takin bout  hey now, hey now

Iko! Iko! an de'

Jackomo fe no nan e' , Jackomo fe nan e'

 

Look at my King all dressed in red

Iko! Iko! an de'

I bet you 5 dollars,  he kill you dead! 

Jackomo fe nan e'

Takin bout .....  hey now, hey now

Iko! Iko! an de'

Jackomo fe no an e' , Jackomo fe nan e'

 

My flagboy and your flagboy,  sittin by the fire,

My flagboy  told your flagboy, I'm going to set your flag on fire,

Takin bout .....  hey now, hey now

Iko! Iko! an de'

Jackomo fe no an e' , Jackomo fe nan e'

 

See that guy all dressed in green, Iko! Iko! an de'

He's not a man,  he's a lovin machine!

Jackomo fe nan e'

Takin bout  hey now, hey now

Iko! Iko! an de'

Jackomo fe no nane' , Jackomo fe nan e'

 

Takin bout  hey now, hey now

Iko! Iko! an de'

Jackomo fe no ane' , Jackomo fe nan e'

 


 melissa wrote:


You have OBVIOUSLY never been to Mardi Gras!

 

no i haven't (though would like to) but the song still sucks{#No}
The more Mack the better!
 Sloggydog wrote:
I love this song but have never known who the original is by. Anyone help? I had thought the grateful dead for some reason but that was probably just the first version i heard.
 
Sugar Boy Crawford gets credit but most people in New Orleans say its more a traditional song same as wikipedia suggests. Have family  there and everybody in family remembers it so go figure and this isn't Mac's best version fo sho I do neaux dat cher


I love this song but have never known who the original is by. Anyone help? I had thought the grateful dead for some reason but that was probably just the first version i heard.

                                                                                  {#Dancingbanana_2}{#Bananajam}{#Dancingbanana}



 toterola wrote:

It just sounds like "o". It's spelled "-eaux"
 

So it's "Ikeaux Ikeaux"?  {#Smile}
ch83575 wrote:
Has anybody else noticed that it sounds much easier to rhyme with a cajun accent? Damn near every word ends with "o"!
It just sounds like "o". It's spelled "-eaux"
Has anybody else noticed that it sounds much easier to rhyme with a cajun accent? Damn near every word ends with "o"!
Hey Now!
phillips wrote:
Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! Wish I could be in New Orleans...
Mamou Mardi Gras is much better - take it from the wife of a Cajun boy. :) no overpriced drinks and no groping! there's versions of this song i like better than this one, but can never complain about Dr. John. ^_^
171 wrote:
And let's not forget the M:I-2 version by Zap Mama.
Jup, that version pumped along like only Zap Mama can. =)
You're kidding me....Stevie Wonder, John Prine and Richard Thompson in the same place and the same day!! Hmmm....I've got a credit card, it could happen, I might be there too. DoctorHooey wrote:
Ahh yeah ... I wish I were going to JazzFest this year... If you've never been, you should! (click here)
Ahh yeah ... I wish I were going to JazzFest this year... If you've never been, you should! (click here)
MMMMM Zatarans!
Happy Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)!!!! Go out and over-indulge in a little something today!
Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! Wish I could be in New Orleans...
Right on! More Mardi Gras goodness!! HAPPY FAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!!! Wish there were some second line bananas.
orpheus wrote:
I agree. What is the attraction with this song? It sucked the first time I heard it by other artists and it still sucks! What UP!!!??
You have OBVIOUSLY never been to Mardi Gras!
All versions of this song are rather "ho-hum" I'd say.
Nice jazz set. Reminds me of home.
Vogelfrei wrote:
Larry Williams (of "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" fame) recorded a blazing cool version of it in the late 1950's. Williams gets songwriting credit on this fabulous compilation album, but other sources cite James Crawford in 1950. The roots of the song go even further back into folk traditions.
Maybe some of those versions would be better, because this one really doesn't do it for me.
macasaurus wrote:
I think it was originally done in the early 60's by the Dixie Cups.
Larry Williams (of "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" fame) recorded a blazing cool version of it in the late 1950's. Williams gets songwriting credit on this fabulous compilation album, but other sources cite James Crawford in 1950. The roots of the song go even further back into folk traditions.
technohippybiker wrote:
This makes me want to hear some Dr. Professor Longhair. That'd be cool. He really plays that piano
I agree. Let's hear some of that fine Irma Thomas as well!
This makes me want to hear some Dr. Professor Longhair. That'd be cool. He really plays that piano
From Koko (Taylor) to Iko Iko. Pretty cool. Who wrote it? I'm only familiar with Dr John's version. Edited: Searched this up:
This song was written and recorded back in the early 1950's by a New Orleans singer named James Crawford who worked under the name of Sugar Boy & The Cane Cutters. In the original group were Professor Longhair on piano, Jake Myles, Big Boy Myles, Irv Bannister on guitar, and Eugene 'Bones' Jones on drums. This group was also known as the Cipaka Shaweez. The song was originally called 'Jockomo' and it has a lot of Creole patois in it. Jockomo means 'jester' in the old myth. It is Mardi Gras music, and the Shaweez was one of many Mardi Gras groups who dressed up in far out Indian costumes and came on as Indian tribes. The tribes used to hang out on Claiborne Avenue and used to get juiced up there getting ready to perform and 'second time' in their own special style during Mardi Gras. That's dead and gone now because there's a freeway where those grounds used to be. The tribes were like social clubs who lived all year for Mardi Gras. getting their costumes together. Many of them were musicians, gamblers, hustlers and pimps.
Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!
olsaltybastard wrote:
Didn't Siouxie and the Banshees do a version of this?
I think it was originally done in the early 60's by the Dixie Cups. In '82 it was released by the Belle Stars and charted in the UK, then in US in '89 as it was included on the 'Rain Man' soundtrack. If you want an offbeat version, it was recently remade by Oregon based Glass Candy.
Didn't Siouxie and the Banshees do a version of this?
And the late, great Harry Nillson did a rousing version!
orpheus wrote:
I agree. What is the attraction with this song? It sucked the first time I heard it by other artists and it still sucks! What UP!!!??
It's that rolling beat. Very fun. The 80's version is my favorite (that I've heard so far... If I was in a band I'd love to cover this one!)
say what?
stickytylertoo wrote:
There was a version of this song that made a bit of a hit in the 80's on the Rain Man soundtrack.
and "The Flamingo Kid"
agoston wrote:
Make it stop :(((
I agree. What is the attraction with this song? It sucked the first time I heard it by other artists and it still sucks! What UP!!!??
And let's not forget the M:I-2 version by Zap Mama.
The Dixie Cups did a nice version
deadline wrote:
Where do I know this song from...?
There was a version of this song that made a bit of a hit in the 80's on the Rain Man soundtrack.
Make it stop :(((
I think the Neville Brothers play it as well. This was one of my favorite tunes to see the Dead play live. It has always really gotten the crowd going, dancing all over the place - even more than usual!
Originally Posted by deadline: Where do I know this song from...?
Cyndi Lauper did it, and lots of other people.
Where do I know this song from...?