“Iko Iko” by Justin Wellington (ft. Small Jam)
As expounded on later in this article, the artists who hold down this cover of “Iko Iko” are from the island nations of Papau New Guinea and the nearby Solomon Islands. And the reason we’re pointing that out from the jump is because there is a distinct island element featured on this party song, not only with quite a few mentions of the word “island” but also an overall beach kinda setting.
In fact the lyrics read a lot like the Latin American reggaeton tracks we’ve been coming across as of late, even though “Iko Iko”, at its core, is well over half a century old. In other words besides being a party song set on a beach, it is also one in which it appears women in particular are encouraged to “swing those hips” to some “island reggae”.
But to note, this is in fact a completely different part of the world from the Caribbean. So that would perhaps explain why there may be a sexual undertone. The titular “bestie” actually is a reference to a homey’s girlfriend. But that being said, the lyrics aren’t overtly sexual or anything like that.
Also to note, not all of the wording is in plain English. We would presume that some of the words sung are native to the South Pacific. But others, such as “Jockomo”, points to the true origins of this song, which actually can be traced back to Mardi Gras stateside.
What “Iko Iko” is all about
But conclusively, as put forth earlier, this is a party song with a distinct tropical flavor. And in many ways it is similar to party tunes from other parts of the globe, though very much being focused almost exclusively on dancing.
Justin Wellington
Justin Wellington is perhaps the first lead vocalist we’ve ever covered from Papau New Guinea. According to Wikipedia, his discography dates back to 2005, and he has experienced notable critical success throughout the years.
Also as of the writing of this post, Wellington has approximately 20,000 followers on Instagram and a more impressive 100,000 via Facebook. But besides that, there doesn’t seem to be much information readily available on the artist.
Small Jam
Meanwhile Small Jam is a duo of musicians, Heston Kiu and Mosten Hani, from the Solomon Islands, another nation we have yet to delve into on this blog. They too have a very limited online presence at the moment, even more so than Justin Wellington.
“Iko Iko”
Then as for “Iko Iko”, it is actually a song that originated in America, New Orleans to be exact, whose first recording (under the name Jock-A-Mo) was back during the 1950s.
Since then a number of artists have covered it, some to notable chart success. And whereas Wellington’s version may not have charted in Anglo-America, it has proven to be the most successful. This is in terms of the number of countries in which it appeared, over 15 in total. Moreover, the track has been certified gold in Italy.
When did Justin Wellington release “Iko Iko”?
It was Sony Music UK that put this song out, on 3 June 2019. And to note it didn’t end up charting until 2021, owing its newfound popularity to achieving viral status on TikTok. And that modified version also made its way onto the ever-popular videogame Fortnite Battle Royale.
Additionally this updated rendition, which reportedly includes the insertion of the “bestie” element, made it onto the Billboard Global 200 in June of 2021.
Credits
The credited writers of “Iko Iko” are the same authors responsible for its rendition dating back to the 1960s by a girl group from that era known as The Dixie Cups. The Dixie Cups were the second notable artists to cover the song after James “Sugar Boy” Crawford, who first rendered it (as Jock-A-Mo) in 1953.
So James Crawford (1934-2012) is credited as an author. In addition to Crawford, The Dixie Cups’ Rosa Hawkins, Barbara Hawkins and their late cousin, Joan Johnson (d. 2016) also possess writing credits.
Incredible tune I put it n when I am out in the hot tub when it’s -10 C makes me feel like I am in the Caribbean.
IDK WUT U MEAN BY THAT -_-
anonymous i dont know what you mean by that.
abalu (pronounced ay-bah-looh)