THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

591-Kid Creole and the Coconuts Present Coati Mundi-Que Pasa/Me No Pop I.

1980-Number 32 single.

Best Bit-At 0.04. They’ve got a lovely bunch of Coconuts.

Kid Creole was born Thomas August Darnell Browder, on August 12th, 1950, in The Bronx, New York City, United States, he took his stage name in 1980, from the 1958 musical drama film ‘King Creole,’ starring Elvis Presley (1935-1977.) As an adult he began going by his two middle names, August Darnell, forming his first band ‘The In-Laws,’ with his half-brother, Stony Browder Jr. (1949-2001) in 1965. After the band disbanded he became an English teacher in a middle school, in Hempstead, New York, through until 1974, when once again he teamed up with Stony Browder Jr. this time to form ‘Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band’ in 1976, becoming its lyricist and bass player. The other three band members were Cory Daye, Mickey Sevilla, and Andy Hernandez. With ‘Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band,’ August Darnell released three studio Albums between 1976-1979, (a fourth Album without him was issued in 1984) and eight singles, also between 1976-1979, of which their second single ‘Cherchez La Femme,’ reached Number 27 on Billboard in America, and Number 2 in the Netherlands in 1976.

In 1980 August Darnell, now calling himself ‘Kid Creole,’ and Andy Hernandez, now going by the name of ‘ Coati Mundi,’ along with the Swiss-born Adriana Kaegi, who at that time was Darnell’s wife, co-founded ‘Kid Creole and the Coconuts.’ Their music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of ‘Disco,’ and ‘Latin American,’ Caribbean, and Cab Calloway (1907-1994) (see also best songs 303) styles, conceptually inspired by the ‘Big Band’ era. ‘The Coconuts’ are a trio of female backing vocalists, and dancers, (of which there have been many over the years) were founded, and originally choreographed and costumed by Adriana Kaegi. There have been 32 different members of ‘Kid Creole and the Coconuts’ come and go, and at the time of writing they remain active with August Darnell being the groups one constant. The discography of ‘Kid Creole and the Coconuts.’ includes 14 studio Albums released between 1980-2011, and 27 singles released within the same time period, there are also seven official compilation Albums, and one live Album available. In America none of their singles or Albums have charted, but in the UK, their third Album ‘Tropical Gangsters,’ from 1982 peaked at Number 3, and seven of their singles have reached the UK top 40, with ‘Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy,’ charting the highest at Number 2 in 1982.

‘Que Pasa / Me No Pop I’ was the fourth single released by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, from 1980, but did not appear on their debut studio Album ‘Off the Coast of Me,’ from August 1980. The song was written by Andy Hernandez, with the production being by Hernandez, and August Darnell. Andy Hernandez who is also known as ‘Coati Mundi,’ and prior to that ‘Sugar Coated’ Andy Hernandez, when with ‘Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band,’ was born on January 3rd, 1950, in New York City, New York, United States. As well as providing vocals, he also played the Vibraphone whilst in Kid Creole and the Coconuts. He has released two solo studio Albums, in 1983, and 2010, and has acted in many films, and television shows, including in the 1987 American comedy film ‘Who’s That Girl,’ starring Madonna, and on television in the American crime drama series ‘Miami Vice.’

With ‘Rap’ music being very much in it’s infancy at that time ‘Que Pasa / Me No Pop I’ definitely had a feeling of ‘novelty’ about it, when it was first released in 1980, as the song includes singing, and a ‘Rap’ by Andy Hernandez, as ‘Coati Mundi.’ The majority of the lyrics are in English, but some are in Spanish, and as I am not fluent in Spanish, I can only make an educated guess as to what the song is about. It appears that the narrator and his girlfriend are no longer compatible, and in his anger he tells her what he thinks of her. Whereas ‘Pop I’ and ‘Olive Oil’ were made for each other, it appears that these two were not.

‘I wear baggy pants and two-tone shoes, I’m a gentleman, with me you can’t lose. I’m five foot three, but if you mess with me, you’re gonna lose your manhood, you dig. I tell you, there’ll be another bi-centennial before I hear the truth from your mouth. You better hear me out, you better hear me out.’