On The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots cover a lot of songs and almost always successfully make them their own. From merging Bob Dylan and Drake into a strangely interesting mutation, to doo-wopping with Billy Joel, one thing is clear – the Tonight Show crew has range, man. But can they nail a song that’s been covered dozens of times? Answer: yes. Yes they can.
Few songs have been covered as many times as “Iko Iko“, which was originally called Jock-A-Mo by Sugar Boy and his Cane Cutters (a ridiculously great band name). The New Orleans song tells a tale of a traditional skirmish between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians, but failed to make a cultural impact until the Dixie Cups covered it in 1964. Then Cyndi Lauper covered it, The Neville Brothers covered it, even Aaron Carter covered it around the turn of the century, with Alvin and the Chipmunks performing the latest version of the song in their 2015 movie Road Chip.
Needless to say, this song has been done. And yet, you throw Sia, Natalie Portman, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots in a slew of black and white outfits, give them some rudimentary percussion, and what’s old is new again. Thanks, music.
(Via The Tonight Show)
