# Who sang this song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680 "2006-04-07T03:47:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/1 "2006-04-07T03:47:38Z")
Yesterday, I heard the song _Iko Iko_ on the local variety station. (The type of station that plays “everything.”) I decided to buy the song on Napster. I type “Iko” into their search engine and … Good Lord! They have 40 different versions of it, by about 35 or so different artists! After a little Googling, I learned that Iko Iko is a fairly old song that’s been covered many times. That’s the problem. I’m looking for the version that was popular in the 1980’s. Does anyone know who might have sang that version? I’d rather not buy songs randomly, hoping to hit the right version (which might not even be in their catalog.) I think it made the pop charts, if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/2 "2006-04-07T03:54:37Z")
As a guess, a hit 80s version was by the [Belle-Stars](http://www.answers.com/topic/the-belle-stars) > [@](#): > > The Belle Stars were an all-female British pop group of the early '80s that split off from the Bodysnatchers. The lineup was Sarah-Jane Owen (guitar), Miranda Joyce (saxophone), Judy Parsons (drums), and Jennie McKeown (bass). They scored four U.K. Top 40 hits between 1982 and 1983, “Iko Iko,” “The Clapping Song,” “Sign of the Times,” and “Sweet Memory,” before splitting up. “Iko Iko” was used in the hit film Rain Man, turning it into a surprise Top 40 U.S. hit in 1989. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide The movie connection meant that it got played a lot, and probably still does, ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/3 "2006-04-07T03:56:58Z")
Cyndi Lauper did a version in the 80s also, I want to say on her _True Colors_ album, but it wasn’t a hit. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/4 "2006-04-07T04:08:36Z")
The Dixie Cups did a version on the Big Easy soundtrack. The movie came out in 1987. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/5 "2006-04-07T05:58:46Z")
\ Let’s take an Iko over to _Cafe Society_ Moved \ ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/6 "2006-04-07T11:42:23Z")
The Belle-Stars version sounds like it might be a good bet. I don’t think it was the Cyndi Lauper version. (I played the 30-second clip, and it didn’t ring any bells.) Incidentally, I wondered which forum to put this thread in, but I decided that since I really wasn’t looking for a discussion, that GQ might be more appropriate than Cafe Society. I guess not. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/7 "2006-04-07T14:09:43Z")
> [@percypercy](#): > > The Dixie Cups did a version on the Big Easy soundtrack. The movie came out in 1987. > -Lil This is the one I know best. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/8 "2006-04-07T14:48:03Z")
If ya care, The Grateful Dead had a great version of it. Very fun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/9 "2006-04-07T17:07:31Z")
Doesn’t Napster allow you to play a sample of the song before you buy it? iTunes does. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-this-song/351680/10 "2006-04-07T17:17:14Z")
The version I’ll always think of first, alas, is that performed by “Justine Bateman & The Mystery” in the execrable movie [Satisfation](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096037/).