Scremin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You

I Put A Spell On You Lyric

I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
Stop the things you do
Heheheh
I ain't lyin'

Yeah
I can't stand no running around
I can't stand no putting me down

I put a spell on you
Because you're mine, oh yeah

sax solo

Stop the things you do
heheheh
I ain't lyin'

Uaaaaargh!
I love you. I love you. I love you anyhow

I don't care if you don't want me
I'm yours right now

I put a spell on you
Because you're mine

Oh, yeah

(lots of snoring & growling)

Song Notes : "Hawkins wrote this as a ballad lamenting the loss of a girlfriend he wanted back. The original version was a lot slower and much more tame. Hawkins was recording for Grand Records at the time, and had a hard time convincing them to release this. A year later, Hawkins recorded the version that became famous for another label, and transformed the song into a spooky tale about putting a curse on the girl so he can have her"

Hawkins performed the ghoulish version for the first time at a Christmas concert staged by Cleveland DJ Alan Freed in 1956. He got a huge reaction from the song, and Freed invited him to perform it on his TV special. Hawkins developed a bizarre stage show around this. He would come out in a flaming coffin and wield a skull on a stick that he named "Henry."

"The producers wanted a "weird" sounding record, so they gave the musicians lots of food and liquor and created a party atmosphere at the session"

"The version with various grunts and groans was banned by most radio stations. An edited version became a hit with teenagers who liked the forbidden sound"

"Before taking on his spooky stage persona, Hawkins (real name: Jalacy Hawkins) was a boxer and professional piano player. He died in Feb, 2000 and was rumored to have at least 50 children"

"Another popular cover was by Nina Simone, an influential singer who performed a variety of standards and jazz songs before her death in 2003. Her 1991 autobiography is titled I Put A Spell On You."

"Creedence Clearwater revival covered this in 1968 and performed it at Woodstock in 1969. It was their second single, but did not chart"