"Hooked on a Feeling" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by B. J. Thomas | ||||
from the album On My Way | ||||
B-side | "I've Been Down This Road Before" | |||
Released | October 29, 1968 | |||
Recorded | 1968 | |||
Studio | American Sound (Memphis, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label | Scepter | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mark James | |||
Producer(s) | Chips Moman | |||
B. J. Thomas singles chronology | ||||
|
"Hooked on a Feeling" is a 1968 pop song, written by Mark James and originally performed by B. J. Thomas. Thomas's version featured the sound of the electric sitar (played by Reggie Young) and reached No. 5 in 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100. [3]
It has been recorded by many other artists, including Blue Swede, whose version reached No. 1 in the United States in 1974. [4]
The song was written by Mark James, who was introduced to producer Chips Moman around 1967 by Moman's mutual friend Steve Tyrell, a singer and James' manager. [5] : 81–82 James was hired by early 1968 [6] to write for Moman's publishing company, which led to him writing songs for many artists, including his childhood friend B.J. Thomas. [5] : 81–82 One of these songs was "Hooked on a Feeling", which James wrote about the thrills of being in love, inspired by his feelings for his childhood sweetheart. [5] : 169 [7] It was recorded at the American Sound Studio in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, [8] with musicians Tommy Cogbill (guitar) Reggie Young (guitar), Mike Leech (bass) and Buddy Emmons (drums). It was first released on October 29 of that year. Country artists Louise Mandrell and RC Bannon also recorded and released this song in 1979. The band Mercy included a version on their first album in 1968. [9]
Chart (1968–1969) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia ( Go-Set ) [10] | 35 |
Canada RPM Top Singles | 3 |
New Zealand ( Listener ) [11] | 10 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] | 5 |
US Cash Box Top 100 | 5 |
Chart (1969) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada [13] | 31 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] | 99 |
"Hooked on a Feeling" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Blue Swede | ||||
from the album Hooked on a Feeling | ||||
B-side | "Gotta Have Your Love" | |||
Released | 1973 [15] | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | Pop rock [16] | |||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label | EMI Svenska | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mark James | |||
Producer(s) | Bengt Palmers | |||
Blue Swede singles chronology | ||||
|
In 1973, the Swedish pop rock group Blue Swede recorded a cover version, which included the ooga chaka introduction from a 1971 cover by Jonathan King. Its commonly claimed that King had heard Johnny Preston's "Running Bear", which was the inspiration for the ooga chaka chant, however King states, "the chant had nothing to do with Running Bear - it was my idea to use the reggae rhythm in an unusual way, that's all." [17] The Blue Swede version of the song also tweaked the lyrics to avoid a drug reference. [18] This version reached No. 1 in the United States. [4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 20 song for 1974. On 25 July 2012, the 1974 live performance by Blåblus video was officially uploaded to YouTube; it has generated nearly 6 million views as of October 2022. [19]
Record World said that "the opening hook will have buyers crying for the 'oogah chugga' record." [20]
In 1992, Blue Swede's recording was featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's debut feature Reservoir Dogs .
In 1998, during an episode of the legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal , "Cro-Magnon", the main character's neurosis about being able to conceive a child before her biological clock runs out is illustrated by her imagining a computer generated baby dancing into her bedroom to Blue Swede's recording of "Hooked on a Feeling". A website featuring the dancing baby and the Blue Swede recording became an internet meme, further cementing the scene in pop culture history. [21]
The 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy , [22] which featured the brass fanfare and title lyrics of Blue Swede's version prominently in its trailers and theatrical release, resulted in a significant spike in sales for the recording; [23] the film's soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart in August 2014. [24] The song was also featured in the teaser trailer for the 2017 sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 . [25] The song was performed by Blue Swede's lead vocalist Björn Skifs as the opening act of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö. [26]
Personnel, according to the liner notes of the 2004 compilation album Skifs Hits! [27]
Chart (1974-2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [28] | 4 |
Canada RPM Top Singles [29] | 2 |
New Zealand ( Listener ) [30] | 7 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 90 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [31] | 1 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [32] | 31 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [33] | 1 |
Chart (1974) | Rank |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [34] [35] | 29 |
Canada [36] | 27 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [37] | 20 |
US Cash Box [38] | 34 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [39] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [40] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] Blue Swede version | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [42] B.J. Thomas version | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [43] Blue Swede version | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Waterloo is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the first released internationally. It was originally released on 4 March 1974 in Sweden through Polar Music. The album's title track won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and became a global hit, launching the group's career.
Blue Swede were a Swedish rock band fronted by Björn Skifs which was active between the years 1973–1979. Blue Swede released two albums of cover versions, including a rendition of "Hooked on a Feeling", which brought them international chart success. The band consisted of Anders Berglund (piano), Björn Skifs, Bosse Liljedahl (bass), Hinke Ekestubbe (saxophone), Jan Guldbäck (drums), Michael Areklew (guitar), and Tommy Berglund (trumpet). They disbanded after Skifs decided to embark on his solo career.
Björn Nils Olof Skifs is a Swedish singer, songwriter, actor, and screenwriter. Skifs has represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in the 1978 contest and in the 1981 contest.
Billy Joe Thomas was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, achieved chart success. King's career in the music industry was effectively ended in 2001, when he was convicted of sexually abusing five teenage boys.
"Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by the American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was recorded by Elvis Presley with the producer Chips Moman. Presley's version reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, his 18th and final no. 1 single on that chart. In 1999, Presley's RCA Victor Records version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"I Feel for You" is a song written by American musician Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. The most successful and best-known version was recorded by R&B singer Chaka Khan and appeared on her 1984 album of the same name. It became the recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Khan.
"I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released in September 1978 by Warner Bros. as her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album, Masterjam, was released in late 1979.
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ABBA: The Album (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses, with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. The song reached the top ten in both the UK and US, and was notably covered by the British band Erasure in 1992.
"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
"Free Ride" is a song written by Dan Hartman and performed by the Edgar Winter Group from their 1972 album They Only Come Out at Night, produced by Rick Derringer. The single was a top 15 U.S. hit in 1973, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on Cash Box. In Canada, it peaked at number 8.
Den sjunde vågen is the second studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson, originally released on 17 February 1986 on LP and Cassette by EMI Sweden, with a CD release following on 29 October 1986. The album was a commercial success upon release, peaking at number six and spending almost three months on the Swedish Albums Chart. "Den bästa dagen" and "Silver i din hand" preceded the album as single releases: the b-sides from these singles served as bonus tracks when the record was later issued on CD.
Hooked on a Feeling is an album by Swedish Rock band Blue Swede released in 1974. They became internationally recognized largely due to their 'ooga chaka' cover of Jonathan King's 1971 version of the 1968 Mark James song "Hooked on a Feeling".
Francis Rodney Zambon, known professionally as Mark James, was an American songwriter. He wrote hits for B.J. Thomas, Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley, including Hooked on a Feeling, Always on My Mind, and Presley's hit single "Suspicious Minds".
"Fox on the Run" is a 1975 song by the British glam rock band Sweet, first recorded in 1974. It was the first Sweet single with the A-side written by the band, rather than by producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and was their 14th single overall. The song became the best charting single in Australia in 1975, with six weeks at number one. It is about the band's groupie. She was unnamed on purpose.
"Hello It's Me" is a song written by American musician Todd Rundgren. It was the first song he wrote, and was recorded by his group Nazz as a slow ballad, released as the B-side of the band's first single, "Open My Eyes", in 1968. A mid-tempo version of "Hello It's Me", recorded for Rundgren's 1972 solo album Something/Anything?, was issued as a single in 1973, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The American Sound Studio was a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee which operated from 1964 to 1972. Founded by Chips Moman, the studio at 827 Thomas Street came to be known as American North, and the studio at 2272 Deadrick Street came to be known as American East or the Annex.
The Living Room Sessions (2013) is B.J. Thomas' first "unplugged" album, celebrating fifty years in the recording industry and forty-seven years since his first gold record. The Living Room Sessions offers many of Thomas' most recognizable hits, the album was produced to instill the atmosphere of an intimate setting and includes duet performances from some of Thomas' favorite artists.
The discography for American musician B. J. Thomas includes releases from five decades, between the 1960s and the 2010s. Thomas is best remembered for his hit songs during the 1960s and 1970s, which appeared on the pop, country and Christian music charts. His popular recordings include the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", the Larry Butler and Chips Moman song "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", and the original version of the Mark James song "Hooked on a Feeling".
Claes Ove Dieden was a Swedish singer-songwriter, best known for his cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron" which became a hit in Sweden in 1969. Several of his compositions were recorded and saw commercial success by other groups.
The ooga-chaka-ing cover of B.J. Thomas' '60s top 5 hit that takes a good pop song and makes it immediately unforgettable.
In Thomas' hands, it's a Vegas version of psychedelia...