Expert: Sebastini - 2/23/2008

Question
Song from 80's, sounds like an African choir and one solo, forgive me but I just remember the words "Hey ya mom mom mom baa way."  Which are hardly even the words they sing- HELP!!

Answer
hey K, im not really certain but i'd like to give it a shot though. what i had in mind with that somewhat african-line "Hey ya mom mom mom baa way" was the song "Life In A Northern Town" by the new-wave group dream Academy. Here's the lyrics...please do tell me if this is the one you were looking for.

LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN

A Salvation Army band played
And the children drank lemonade
And the morning lasted all day,
All day
And through an open window came
Like Sinatra in a younger day,
Pushing the town away
Ah -

(Chant)
Ah hey ma ma ma
Life in a northern town.

They sat on the stoney ground
And he took a cigarette out
And everyone else came down
To listen.
He said "In winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze
With John F. Kennedy
And the Beatles."

(Chant)
Ah hey ma ma ma
Life in a northern town.
Ah hey ma ma ma
All the work shut down.

The evening had turned to rain
Watch the water roll down the drain,
As we followed him down
To the station
And though he never would wave goodbye,
You could see it written in his eyes
As the train rolled out of sight
Bye-bye.

(Chant)
Ah hey ma ma ma
Life in a northern town.
Ah hey ma ma ma
Life in a northern town.