JACQUES D’IRAQUE
Composer
Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener and George Weiss
Lyricist
Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener and George Weiss
Performers
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Publisher
Laurel Music Corporation, New York
Show/Movie
Mister Wonderful
Notes

From the musical comedy "Mister Wonderful," book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman. Brooks Atkinson (NYTimes, Mar. 23, 2956, p. 23) called it "a spectacularly, noisy endorsement of mediocrity that comes alive only when young Mr. [Sammy] Davis rocks and rolls, tap-dances or does imitations."

The verse melody begins with the familiar "hoochy-coochy" theme, popular since the 1890s as an indication of a Middle Eastern setting.

Lyrics

There's a guy named Jack
From a coutry called Iraq [EE rack]
Now his real name is Jacques [jock]
And Iraq [EE rack] is Iraque [EE rock]
So they call him Jacques d'Iraque [Jock D'Rock]
There's a chick named Jill
Livin' on a Baghdad hill,
Ev'ry evening at eight when he calls for a date
She refuses Jacques d'Iraque.

(Boogie Rhythm)
JACQUES D'IRAQUE! Rock, rock.
JACQUES D'IRAQUE! Rock, rock,
>JACQUES D'IRAQUE! Rock, rock.
Un, deux, trois, go!
[Duet]
JACQUES D'IRAQUE! Rock, rock.
Jacques and Jill,
JACQUES D'IRAQUE! Rock, rock.
Climb that hill.
JACQUES D'IRAQUE! Rock, rock, rock, rock,
Jacques and Jill, rock, rock.

JACQUES D'IRAQUE is blue 'cause the gal won't say, "I do,"
While she dates ev'ry man from Iraq to Iran
She's ignoring JACQUES D'IRAQUE.
You can bet ol' Jacques gonna give that gal a shock,
He'll go out on a spree and he'll marry Marie
Just to teach Jill the rule that a gal shouldn't fool
With a guy named JACQUES D'IRAQUE.