# Song ID -- African lyrics, funky drums/bass/sax, played on Top-40 Oldies station

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-african-lyrics-funky-drums-bass-sax-played-on-top-40-oldies-station/526655>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 27, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-african-lyrics-funky-drums-bass-sax-played-on-top-40-oldies-station/526655 "2010-01-27T16:15:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-african-lyrics-funky-drums-bass-sax-played-on-top-40-oldies-station/526655/1 "2010-01-27T16:15:02Z")

</div>

The title gives the salient identifying features of this song. It’s a deep-voiced male singer who is pretty much talk-singing. Some of the lyrics sound like “kuma kuma kuma” … none of the lyrics are in English. Many of the lyrics sound like the inspiration for Michael Jacksons “_Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Ku Sa_” chant in “Wanna Be Starting Something”.

The music is pretty funky … very prominent drums and sax, a little less prominent bass. I’d place it pretty squarely in the 1967-1979 time frame.

The station it played on normally sticks to Top 40 material. They will very occasionally play a deep album cut, but definitely only from a hit album if they do.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-african-lyrics-funky-drums-bass-sax-played-on-top-40-oldies-station/526655/2 "2010-01-27T16:18:01Z")

</div>

> [@bordelond](#):
>
> Many of the lyrics sound like the inspiration for Michael Jacksons “_Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Ku Sa_” chant in “Wanna Be Starting Something”.

That would be Soul Makossa, by Manu Dibango.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-african-lyrics-funky-drums-bass-sax-played-on-top-40-oldies-station/526655/3 "2010-01-27T16:46:36Z")

</div>

Thanks, **Marley**. Peaked at #35 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1973, so it was right in this station’s wheelhouse.