Yé ké yé ké


"Yé ké yé ké" is a song by Guinean recording artist Mory Kanté. It was released in 1987 as a single from his third studio album Akwaba Beach. The song became an international hit, it was one of Africa's best-ever selling hits as well as being a European number one in 1988, making it the first ever African single to sell over one million copies. The song was a top five hit in France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, where it topped the chart for two consecutive weeks. A remix named the "Afro Acid Mix" was especially made for UK release where it reached No. 25. In 1994, German techno duo Hardfloor remixed the song and released this new version with moderate success.
The lyrics are in Mandinka.

Track listings

; 7" single
  1. "Yé ké yé ké" – 3:58
  2. "Akwaba Beach" – 5:11
; 12" maxi
  1. "Yé ké yé ké" – 6:17
  2. "Akwaba Beach" – 5:11
  3. "Yé ké yé ké" – 3:58
; 12" maxi – US
  1. "Yé ké yé ké" - 6:17
  2. "Yé ké yé ké" - 5:25
  3. "Yé ké yé ké" - 5:25
  4. "Yé ké yé ké" - 3:38
  5. "Akwaba Beach" - 5:11
; 12" maxi – UK
  1. "Yé ké yé ké"
  2. "Akwaba Beach"
  3. "Yé ké yé ké"
; CD single
  1. "Yé ké yé ké" – 6:20
  2. "Akwaba Beach" – 5:14
  3. "Yé ké yé ké" – 7:17

    Charts

Peak positions

1 1995 version

1 1996 remix

Year-end charts

Popular culture

Asia

Due to the international popularity of the song, Cantopop singer Priscilla Chan recorded a cover version on her 1988 album, Autumn Colours . In September 1989, the song appeared in a television commercial for the second generation Toyota Carina ED in Japan.
The song was also popular in India. "Yé ké yé ké" was used as background music in the 1990 Bollywood film Agneepath, inspired the Bollywood song "Tamma Tamma" in the 1990 film Thanedaar, and inspired the song "Pellikala Vachesindhe" in the 1997 Telugu film Preminchukundam Raa.

Greece

A Greek-language parody of Yé ké yé ké, titled Ελλάδα Είναι Μόνο Μία, was recorded by Harry Klynn for his 1989 political comedy album Ραντεβού Με Την... Εισαγγελία. In contrast to Mory Kanté's original subject of doting on a love interest, Klynn's parody version discusses various political issues present in Greece during the late 1980s such as the Davos process for reconciliation between Greece and Turkey. In particular, the main chorus of the original is replaced by "Our is burning, it's burning" to imply the lack of action on the part of the government in power at the time.