"I Put a Spell on You" is a song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was later covered by numerous other artists. Screamin Jay Hawkins Jalacy Hawkins, best known as Screamin Jay Hawkins (Cleveland, Ohio, July 18, 1929 – Paris, France, February 12, 2000) was an African American singer famed for his wildly theatrical performances of songs like I Put a Spell on You and Constipation Blues. // Early career Hawkins originally set out... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 songs (not ranked) that shaped Rock and Roll, based on the permanent exhibit of the same name (source available at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Website): Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I...

The original version

The song starts out with the big-voiced Hawkins singing a ballad to a lost love. Very quickly, however, the performance becomes something unique: Hawkins seems positively demented as he sings, he threatens wildly, screams, grunts and groans, and sounds utterly demoniacal in reclaiming the lady as his own. A ballad is a story in a song, usually a narrative song or poem. ...

Hawkins had originally intended to record "I Put a Spell on You" as a refined love song, a blues ballad. He reported, however, that the producer "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." The blues ballad synthesizes blues feeling and attitudes (using the blues scale and chord progressions) with the conventional 32-bar popular song from Tin Pan Alley. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Trinomial name Gallus gallus domesticus A chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a type of domesticated bird which is often raised as a type of poultry. ... Drunkenness, in its most common usage, is the state of being intoxicated with alcohol (i. ... The blues is blal vaökdgohdtzkhchg cnlncgdl a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the full twelve note chromatic scale plus the microtonal intervals and a characteristic eight and twelve-bar chord progression. ...

Some sources claim that "I Put a Spell on You" had been released earlier than 1956 in a more sedate form, but this has not been verified. The date of 1949 for an original release on the Grand label would appear unlikely, since it predates both the formation of the record label and the beginning of Hawkins's performing career. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

"I Put a Spell on You" became a quick success, despite being banned by some stores and radio stations. A softer version minus certain sounds deemed "cannibalistic" reached the Top 40 and brought Hawkins together with Alan Freed and his "Rock and Roll Review". A radio station is a site configured for broadcasting sound. ... Cannibalism is the act or practice of eating members of the same species, e. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... Alan Freed, also known as Moondog (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc-jockey (DJ) who became internationally known for promoting African-American Rhythm and Blues (R&B) music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of Rock and Roll. ...

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. The blues is blal vaökdgohdtzkhchg cnlncgdl a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the full twelve note chromatic scale plus the microtonal intervals and a characteristic eight and twelve-bar chord progression. ... A coffin (in North American English, also known as a casket) is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains -- either for burial or after cremation. ...

The act was a sensation, later bolstered by tusks worn in Hawkins' nose, on-stage snakes and fireworks, and a cigarette-smoking skull named "Henry". A lit, unashed cigarette A full ashtray. ...

Impact

The theatrical act was one of the first shock rock performances, and was the progenitor of much that came later in rock and roll, including George Clinton, Arthur Brown, Alice Cooper, Dr. John, Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath, Screaming Lord Sutch, Warren Zevon, and Marilyn Manson, among the many who vied for Hawkins' title as a rock and roll madman. Shock rock is an umbrella term for bands in many different music genres which combine rock music with elements of shock value in a stage performance involving acts of theatricality, sex and/or violence which are designed to push the limits of decency. ... George Clinton George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American musician, he is widely considered one of the forefathers of funk. ... The Rev. ... Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948), is a hard rock singer and musician. ... Dr. John album cover Dr. John, (born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr on November 21, 1940, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a colourful pianist, singer, and songwriter, whose music spans, and often combines, blues, boogie woogie, and rock and roll. ... Ted Nugent performs at a USO concert at Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy, June 1, 2004 Theodore Anthony Ted Nugent (born December 13, 1948) (aka The Nuge, Uncle Ted, Sweaty Teddy, Theodocious Atrocious and The Motor City Madman) is a hard rock guitarist from Detroit, Michigan, originally gaining fame as... For other uses, see Black Sabbath (disambiguation). ... David Edward Sutch (or Screaming Lord Sutch) (November 10, 1940 – June 16, 1999) was a British musician, politician and maverick. ... Zevon on the cover of his 1978 album, Excitable Boy. ... This article is about the band Marilyn Manson. For its lead singer of the same name, see Marilyn Manson (person). ...

"I Put a Spell on You" has been covered dozens of times, perhaps most famously by Nina Simone, but also by performers such as Natacha Atlas, Audience, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Them, Sonique, Arthur Brown, The Animals, Joe Cocker, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Marilyn Manson, and many others. There is a live performance by Pete Townshend on his Deep End Live! album (with David Gilmour). In pop music a cover version is a new rendition of a previously recorded song. ... Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An audience is a group of people who participate in and experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. ... Creedence Clearwater Revival, frequently referred to as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Swamp Rock band, fronted by John Fogerty. ... Them was a British-Irish band formed in Belfast in 1963, featuring Van Morrison on vocals and harmonica, Billy Harrison on guitar, Eric Wrixen on piano and keyboards, Alan Henderson on bass, and Ronnie Millings on drums. ... Sonique is a British singer and DJ. She won the 2001 Brit Award for British female solo artist. ... The Rev. ... The US edition of The Animals self-titled debut album. ... Joe Cocker Joe Cocker (born John Robert Cocker, May 20, 1944) is a rock/blues musician. ... Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian rock musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter and occasional actor, best known for his work in the rock and roll band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and his fascination with American music and its roots. ... Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945 in Washington, Tyne and Wear) is a British singer, musician and songwriter, famed for his suave visual and vocal style, who came to public prominence in the 1970s as lead vocalist with Roxy Music. ... This article is about the band Marilyn Manson. For its lead singer of the same name, see Marilyn Manson (person). ... Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (born May 19, 1945 in Chiswick, London) is an influential English rock guitarist and songwriter who is best known as the guitarist for the rock band The Who. ... This is a live CD that contains excerpts of a 1985 performance at the Brixton Academy in Great Britain. ...

Most of the covers treat the song seriously; few attempt to duplicate Hawkins's bravura performance.

Also, it has been sampled in songs by Notorious B.I.G. (“Kick In The Door”) and by LL Cool J (“LL Cool J”). Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls (after a stylish gangster in the 1975 comedy, Lets Do it Again), but best known as The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game). ... James Todd Smith III (born January 14, 1968) is an American hip hop artist better known by his stage name, LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James). He is best known for romantic ballads like I Need Love as well as hardcore rap like I Cant Live Without My...

In films, it has been performed by Bette Midler in Disney's Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus; and by Diamanda Galás, whose version is featured in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Marilyn Manson's version was featured in David Lynch's Lost Highway. The Creedence Clearwater Revival version was used in Rebecca Miller's The Ballad of Jack and Rose. It has been also played in an episode of The Simpsons (I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can) and an episode of The PJ's. It was featured in the movie Stranger than Paradise. Bette Midler, on the cover of her 1973 album of the same name This is about the performer also called The Divine Miss M; for her eponymous albums, see her list of albums. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hocus Pocus may mean: Hocus Pocus (magic), a magic word Hocus Pocus (book), by Kurt Vonnegut Hocus Pocus (movie), starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Omri Katz Hocus-Pocus (mythology), the wife of the giant Galligantus Hocus Pocus (game), a computer game by Moonlite Software and published... Diamanda Galás (born August 29, 1955) is an American-born avant-garde performance artist, vocalist, and composer. ... Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946), known simply as Oliver Stone, is an Academy Award-winning American film director and screenwriter. ... Natural Born Killers is a 1994 motion picture directed by Oliver Stone and starring Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson. ... This article is about the band Marilyn Manson. For its lead singer of the same name, see Marilyn Manson (person). ... David Lynch at Cannes in 2001 David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946, in Missoula, Montana) is an American filmmaker. ... Lost Highway is a 1997 film directed by David Lynch. ... Creedence Clearwater Revival, frequently referred to as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Swamp Rock band, fronted by John Fogerty. ... Rebecca Augusta Miller (born September 15, 1962 in Roxbury, Connecticut) is an American film director, screenwriter and actress, most known for the films Personal Velocity: Three Portraits, The Ballad of Jack and Rose and Angela, all of which she wrote and directed. ... Movie poster for The Ballad of Jack and Rose The Ballad of Jack and Rose is a 2005 film written and directed by Rebecca Miller. ... The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ... Im Spelling as Fast as I Can is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. ... The PJs (sic) was an animated series centered around Hilton-Jacobs high-rise apartment owner Thurgood Stubbs (Eddie Murphy) and his wife Muriel (Loretta Devine). ... Stranger than Paradise is an absurdist comedy film written directed by American director Jim Jarmusch in 1983. ...

The Hawkins version has even become a standard accompaniment for ice skaters, including Michelle Kwan, Alexei Urmanov and the team of Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow. Outdoor ice skating in Austria Ice skating is travelling on ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) blade-like devices moulded into special boots (or, more primitively, without boots, tied to regular footwear). ... Michelle Kwan skating in the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships Exhibition in Dortmund, Germany Michelle Wing Kwan (Traditional Chinese:關穎珊, Simplified Chinese: 关颖珊, born July 7, 1980), is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. ... Alexei Urmanov is a Russian figure skater who participated in the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. ... Elizabeth Punsalan was an American figure skater. ... Jerod Swallow was an American figure skater. ...

The song has also figured in countless radio and television advertisements, like those for Pringles and Levi's. Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... Three Pringles cans Pringles is a brand of potato chip or crisps snack produced by Procter & Gamble. ... Levis are a brand of riveted denim jeans manufactured by Levi Strauss & Co. ...