"I Put a Spell on You" | ||||
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Single by Screamin' Jay Hawkins | ||||
from the album At Home with Screamin' Jay Hawkins | ||||
B-side | "Little Demon" | |||
Released | October 1956 | |||
Recorded | September 12, 1956 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | Okeh | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Arnold Maxin | |||
Screamin' Jay Hawkins singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"I Put a Spell on You" on YouTube |
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written and recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins' greatest commercial success, reportedly surpassing a million copies in sales, [5] [6] even though it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts. [7] [8]
Hawkins' recording of it was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings—published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981) [9] —and ranked No. 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Hawkins had originally intended to record "I Put a Spell on You" as "a refined love song, a blues ballad".[ citation needed ] However, the producer Arnold Maxin "brought in ribs and chicken and got everybody drunk, and we came out with this weird version ... I don't even remember making the record. Before, I was just a normal blues singer. I was just Jay Hawkins. It all sort of just fell in place. I found out I could do more destroying a song and screaming it to death." [10] His first wife Anna Mae Vernon later claimed that she wrote the song and let him take the credit. [11]
Hawkins first recorded "I Put a Spell on You" as a ballad during his stint with Grand Records in late 1955. However, that version was not released at the time (it has since been reissued on Hawkins' UK Rev-Ola CD The Whamee 1953–55). The following year, Hawkins re-recorded the song for Columbia's Okeh Records —the notorious screaming version, which was released in October 1956. However, this version was banned from most radio programming for its outrageous "cannibalistic" style. A truncated version was later released omitting the grunts and moans from the ending of the song, but the ban generally remained. [12] Despite the restriction, the record still sold over a million copies. [13]
The hit brought Hawkins together with Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed who promptly added him to his "Rock and Roll Revue". Up to this time, Hawkins had been a blues performer; emotional, but not wild. Freed suggested a gimmick to capitalize on the "demented" sound of "I Put a Spell on You": Hawkins wore a long cape, and appeared onstage by rising out of a coffin in the midst of smoke and fog. [14] The act was a sensation, later bolstered by tusks worn in Hawkins' nose, on-stage snakes and fireworks, a cigarette-smoking skull named "Henry" and, ultimately, Hawkins transforming himself into "the black Vincent Price". [15] This theatrical act was one of the first shock rock performances. [16]
The original version features in the 1984 film Stranger Than Paradise .[ citation needed ]
"I Put a Spell on You" has been covered by other artists extensively; there are several hundred versions. Most of the covers treat the song seriously; few attempt to duplicate Hawkins' bravura performance. Although Hawkins' own version never charted, several later cover versions have.
Other notable versions:
"I Put a Spell on You" | ||||
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Single by Alan Price Set | ||||
B-side | "Iechyd-Da" | |||
Released | March 18, 1966 | |||
Recorded | January 1–2, 1966 | |||
Studio | Kingsway, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:20 | |||
Label | Decca | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hawkins | |||
Producer(s) |
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Alan Price Set singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"I Put a Spell on You" on YouTube |
In May 1965, shortly after the release of their single "Bring It On Home to Me", [24] keyboardist Alan Price left pop group the Animals. The reason for his departure from the group has been debated; though some sources claim it was a fear of flying stemming from their American tours, [25] [26] others claim it was a feud between lead singer Eric Burdon and Price regarding royalties over their 1964 single "The House of the Rising Sun", which solely credited Price as an arranger thus leaving the other members without any payments for the song. [26] [27] Price himself states that he left the day the band embarked on a tour to Sweden. [28] Price then decided on beginning a solo career while the Animals recruited a new keyboardist, initially Mick Gallagher for a short tour before settling on Dave Rowberry. [29]
Price then started putting together a band of his own, which consisted of baritone saxophonist Clive Burrows, tenor saxophonist Steve Gregory, guitarist Peter Kirtley, bassist Rod Slade, drummer Roy Mills along with trumpeter John Walters, whom he had met during his time in the Animals. [30] [31] The band quickly garnered a recording contract with Decca Records and subsequently debuted on record with a cover of Burt Bacharach's "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" in August 1965. Although this release failed to chart, it "showed great promise". [32]
Price allegedly came to know about "I Put a Spell on You" through vocalist Chris Farlowe, who had a record collection comprising mostly rhythm and blues along with soul music. [31] It is unclear what version of the song he heard for his version; however, as the Animals were big fans of Nina Simone it is likely Price heard it through her version. [33] It was however part of the group's repertoire for a while before being recorded, which occurred during a rather tense moment of Price's life, as his mother died on New Year's Eve 1965, the day prior to recording it, which according to Price meant that "emotions sort of transmuted themselves onto the record". [28] The recording, which took place at Kingsway Recording Studios in London, was produced by Price together with manager Mike Jeffery. [34] It was, according to Price, "also the cheapest hit record to produce", allegedly costing only £16. [34] It was recorded rather straightforward in one take with the exception of a re-take involving the horn section. [34]
I was fed up with people looking around for "commercial" sounds for me month after month, and I decided to do "I Put A Spell On You". We'd been doing it on stage for some time and it had been going down well.
— Alan Price (1966) [35]
"I Put a Spell on You" was released through Decca Records on March 18, 1966, in the United Kingdom. [36] It was backed by "Iechyd-Da", an original instrumental composition written by John Walters. It quickly became a large hit, entering the Record Retailer chart on April 6, 1966, at a position of number 38. [37] It peaked at number 9 on April 27, a position it would hold for two weeks before dropping off the chart on June 8 at a position of number 50. [37] It fared similarly well on the other British charts, reaching number 12 in Melody Maker , New Musical Express and Disc. [38] [39] [40] It also reached number 1 on Fab 40. [41] It became a small hit in the United States, reaching number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of that year. [42]
Upon release, the single garnered generally positive reviews amongst critics. In Record Mirror, Peter Jones and Norman Jopling describe the single as having "sepulchral tones" set to the backing of Price's organ. [43] They also state that the build-up with Price's "moody vocals" "builds well" while ending on the notion that it is his best recording "since leaving the Animals". [43] In a blind date for Melody Maker with Barry Fantoni, the record is described as having vocals similar to Eric Burdon. [44] Beyond Burdon, Fantoni also believes there are traces of Steve Winwood in Price's voice. [44] He states that the "minor progressions are great" and ends on the notion that it "deserves to do well" due to its "big sound" reminiscent of James Brown. [44] Hawkins' was apparently not keen on Price's version due to the commercial success it had, as it kept him out of the spotlight. He is alleged to have stated "how could this white boy get credit for this black boy's song?" after watching Price perform it. [45] Additionally, Price was critical of Hawkins' original version of the song, calling it "terrible" compared to Nina Simone's version. [46]
Derek Johnson believes that "I Put a Spell on You" is one of the "finest rhythm and blues discs ever waxed in this country." [46] Retrospectively, the single has also received praise by critics. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic considered it "brilliant", [47] while also comparing it to previous material by the Animals, ending on the notion that it is "bluesy". [48] Unterberger also claims that "I Put a Spell on You" is "his best early performance", [49] "marvellous", [50] while also stating that it was amongst the best British hits not to become big in America. [51] Though never included on an album upon original release, it has later appeared on many albums by Price, the first being This Price Is Right in 1968. [49]
Chart (1966) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [52] | 35 |
France (IFOP) [53] | 31 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [54] | 11 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [55] | 10 |
New Zealand (Listener) [56] | 15 |
UK ( Disc and Music Echo ) [38] | 12 |
UK ( Melody Maker ) [39] | 12 |
UK ( New Musical Express ) [40] | 12 |
UK ( Record Retailer ) [37] | 9 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [42] | 80 |
US Cashbox Looking Ahead [57] | 105 |
US Record World Upcoming Singles [58] | 106 |
"I Put a Spell on You" | ||||
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Single by Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
from the album Creedence Clearwater Revival | ||||
B-side | "Walk on the Water" | |||
Released | October 1968 | |||
Recorded | February 1968 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:26 | |||
Label | Fantasy Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | J. Hawkins | |||
Producer(s) | Saul Zaentz | |||
Creedence Clearwater Revival singles chronology | ||||
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In October 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revival released a cover of this song, which was also on their eponymous debut album released in July 1968. The cover fit Fogerty's voice, whose own manic vocal delivery had much in common with Hawkins' powerful singing style. It was released in October 1968 with "Walk on the Water" as the B-side. This version peaked on the U.S. charts at #58. The band performed it at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
"I Put a Spell on You" | ||||
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Single by Annie Lennox | ||||
from the album Nostalgia | ||||
Released | September 15, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Annie Lennox singles chronology | ||||
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Annie Lennox recorded her own version of the song in 2013, and released it on September 15, 2014, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, Nostalgia .
The original release failed to make any impact on charts until it was included on the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey ; after the inclusion, the song did chart in the US, UK and France.
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [60] | 81 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [61] | 60 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [62] | 80 |
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) [63] | 98 |
France (SNEP) [64] | 29 |
Germany (GfK) [65] | 63 |
Hungary (Single Top 40) [66] | 31 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [67] | 81 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [68] | 44 |
UK Singles (OCC) [69] | 63 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [70] | 97 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [71] Original Version | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [72] Fifty Shades of Grey | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [73] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, shouting vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You", he sometimes used macabre props onstage, making him an early pioneer of shock rock. He received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the 1989 indie film Mystery Train.
Eurythmics were a British pop duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band that broke up in 1980. They released their first studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 to little success, but achieved global acclaim with their second album, Sweet Dreams (1983). The title track became a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Canada and the US Billboard Hot 100. Eurythmics went on to release a string of hit singles and albums, including "Love Is a Stranger", "There Must Be an Angel " and "Here Comes the Rain Again", before splitting in 1990.
Ann Lennox is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Appearing in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams " with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's lounge suit, the BBC wrote, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze". Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include "There Must Be an Angel ", "Love Is a Stranger" and "Here Comes the Rain Again".
Alan Price is an English musician who first found prominence as the original keyboardist of the English rock band the Animals. He left the band in 1965 to form the Alan Price Set; his hit singles with and without the group include "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear", "The House That Jack Built", "Rosetta" and "Jarrow Song". Price is also known for work in film and television, taking occasional acting roles and composing the soundtrack of Lindsay Anderson's film O Lucky Man! (1973). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Animals.
Medusa is the second solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 6 March 1995 by RCA Records. It consists entirely of cover songs. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and peaked in the United States at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States. As of 2018, Medusa had sold over six million copies worldwide.
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, it reached number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. One of the anthems of the 1967 Summer of Love, it is one of the most commercially successful singles in history, having sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. In the years since, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has become an enduring classic, with more than 1,000 known cover versions by other artists.
"Why" is the debut solo single of Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, released on 16 March 1992. It was taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), and reached number five in the United Kingdom. In the United States, "Why" peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was also a big hit internationally, reaching number one in Italy and peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Ireland and five other countries. Its music video was directed by Sophie Muller. Stereogum ranked "Why" number one on their list of "The 10 Best Annie Lennox Songs" in 2015.
"Deep Purple" is a song and the biggest hit written by pianist Peter DeRose, who broadcast between 1923 and 1939 with May Singhi as "The Sweethearts of the Air" on the NBC radio network. The British rock band Deep Purple named themselves after the song.
"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics and American singer Aretha Franklin. A modern feminist anthem, it was written by Eurythmics members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and featured on both Eurythmics' Be Yourself Tonight (1985) and Franklin's Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985) albums. The duo originally intended to perform with Tina Turner, who was unavailable at the time and so they flew to Detroit and recorded with Franklin instead. The track also features three of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers: Stan Lynch on drums, Benmont Tench on organ, and Mike Campbell on lead guitar, plus session bassist Nathan East.
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British synth-pop duo Eurythmics. It was released as the fourth and final single from their second album of the same name in January 1983. It was their breakthrough hit, establishing the duo worldwide. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1983, and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 six months later; it was their first single released in the US.
Them Again is the second album by the Northern Irish band Them, fronted by lead singer and songwriter Van Morrison. The album was released by Decca Records in the UK on 21 January 1966, but it failed to chart. In the U.S., the album was released with somewhat different tracks in April 1966 and it peaked at number 138 on the Billboard chart.
"Here Comes the Rain Again" is a 1983 song by British duo Eurythmics and the opening track from their third studio album Touch. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. The song was released on 13 January 1984 as the album's third single in the UK and in the United States as the first single.
"Would I Lie to You?" is a song written and performed by British pop duo Eurythmics. Released on 9 April 1985 as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Be Yourself Tonight (1985), the song was the first by the duo to feature their change in musical direction from a predominantly synthpop style to rock and rhythm and blues. The song, and its accompanying album, featured a full backing band and relied less on electronic programming.
"Love Song for a Vampire" is a song composed and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. It was recorded for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film, Bram Stoker's Dracula based on the 1897 gothic horror novel, where it plays during the end credits. Produced by Stephen Lipson, it was released in February 1993 by RCA and BMG as a double A-side with "Little Bird" in Ireland, the United Kingdom and several other countries in Europe. The single was a hit, peaking at number three on the UK and Irish Singles Charts. "Love Song for a Vampire" by itself reached number four in Spain and number ten in France. The music video for the song was directed by Sophie Muller, featuring footage from Bram Stoker's Dracula.
"Who Do You Love?" is a song written by American rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley. Recorded in 1956, it is one of his most popular and enduring works. The song represents one of Bo Diddley's strongest lyrical efforts and uses a combination of hoodoo-type imagery and boasting. It is an upbeat rocker, but the original did not use the signature Bo Diddley beat rhythm.
"Put a Little Love in Your Heart" is a song originally performed in 1969 by Jackie DeShannon, who composed it with her brother Randy Myers and Jimmy Holiday. In the U.S., it was DeShannon's highest-charting hit, reaching number 4 on the Hot 100 in August 1969 and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In late 1969, the song reached number 1 on South Africa's hit parade. The song rivalled the success of her signature song, "What the World Needs Now Is Love".
"No More 'I Love You's'" is a song written by British musicians David Freeman and Joseph Hughes and recorded by them as the Lover Speaks. It was released in June 1986 as the lead single from their self-titled debut album. The song was covered by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox and became a commercial success for her in 1995, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.
"A Hazy Shade of Winter" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on October 22, 1966, initially as a stand-alone single, but subsequently included on the duo's album Bookends (1968). It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Detroit City" is a song written by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis, made famous by Billy Grammer, country music singer Bobby Bare and Tom Jones. Bare's version was released in 1963. The song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard.
This article is the discography of the Scottish pop and rock singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. After a decade of major international success as part of Eurythmics, Lennox began her solo career in earnest in 1992 with the release of her first album Diva, which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". The same year, she performed "Love Song for a Vampire" for Bram Stoker's Dracula. To date, she has released six solo studio albums, three of them being covers albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009).
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