"Josie and the Pussycats" evolved from DeCarlo's "She's Josie" comic, first published by Archie in 1963. The change in format came about as a result of the success of The Archies in the books, on television, and on the pop charts. When "Josie and the Pussycats" migrated to a Saturday morning cartoon in 1970 (courtesy of Hanna-Barbera Productions), a full Pussycats album and several singles were released on Captiol Records. These recordings feature Cathy Doguher as the singing voice of Josie, with Patrice Holloway (sister of Motown singer Brenda Holloway) as Valerie, and Cherie Moor (later Cheryl Ladd) as Melody. While the Pussycats' songs were featured heavily in the cartoon series, they were not successes on the pop charts as the Archies' recordings had been. Producer Danny Janssen gave the Pussycats a pop-soul sound with all three women sharing lead vocals.
Three decades later, Universal Pictures and MGM produced a live-action "Josie and the Pussycats" feature film, directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont and released in April 2001. R&B/pop producer Babyface, an executive producer for the film, supervised a soundtrack of new Pussycats recordings, done in a modern pop rock style. Kay Hanley, from the band Letters to Cleo, provides the singing voice of Josie and sings lead on all ten Pussycats songs. Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson, who appear in the film as Josie, Melody, and Valerie respectively, provide some of the background vocals on the soundtrack recordings. Unlike the 1970 album, the 2001 soundtrack charted on the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at number 16.
Voodoo
Josie and the Pussycats Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On you baby.
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
You can run, it doesn't matter anyhow.
I'm bound to get you now.
'Cause I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
The first time that I saw you boy
I wanted you so bad.
But I guess you hadn't heard the news.
Well, I've been tryin' to make you mine,
But it's takin' too much time.
So I guess I'm gonna have to put my magic powers to use.
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you baby.
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
You can run, it doesn't matter anyhow.
I'm bound to get you now. (yeah)
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
I'll mix me up a bottle of love potion number nine,
Then I'll say a magic word or two.
And once you look into my eyes,
you'll be completely hypnotized.
Then I'll make you want me just as much as I want you.
(yeah, yeah)
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you baby.
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
You can run, it doesn't matter anyhow.
I'm bound to get you now.
'Cause I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you baby.
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you. (yeah)
You' can't run, it don't matter anyhow.
I'm bound to catch you now.
I'm gona do some a-voodoo on you baby.
I'm gonna do some a voodoo on you.
*fade*
The lyrics of "Voodoo" by Josie and the Pussycats are so straightforward that they hardly require an explanation. The song talks about the singer's desire for a man who is not responding to her advances. Frustrated by his lack of attention, the singer decides to resort to magic spells to make him fall in love with her. She believes that voodoo will do the trick and decides to work her magic on him, no matter what. The lyrics suggest that the object of her affection can try to run away, but it is pointless since he will eventually fall under her spell and be hers forever.
The song is a catchy pop tune that plays with the idea of magic and love. It has a playful and flirty tone that is typical of the girl groups of the 1960s. The lyrics are simple but catchy, and the upbeat tempo makes it an enjoyable song to listen to. However, it can also be interpreted as a cautionary tale, cautioning people against using voodoo or any other form of black magic to manipulate others' feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna do some voodoo
I am going to perform some mystical rituals
On you baby.
On you, my target, whom I desire romantically
I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
I am going to put a spell on you to make you mine
You can run, it doesn't matter anyhow.
Even if you try to run away from me, it will not affect the spell I am going to cast
I'm bound to get you now.
I am certain that I will win you over now
'Cause I'm gonna do some voodoo on you.
Because I am going to use magic to make you mine
The first time that I saw you boy
The very first moment I laid my eyes on you
I wanted you so bad.
I had an intense desire to be with you
But I guess you hadn't heard the news.
However, you were not aware of my feelings
Well, I've been tryin' to make you mine,
I have been attempting to win your affection
But it's takin' too much time.
But it is not happening fast enough for my liking
So I guess I'm gonna have to put my magic powers to use.
Therefore, I am going to use my supernatural abilities to speed things up
I'll mix me up a bottle of love potion number nine,
I will create a concoction that will cause you to fall in love with me
Then I'll say a magic word or two.
I will perform a spell using mystical incantations
And once you look into my eyes,
After you make eye contact with me
you'll be completely hypnotized.
You will become deeply entranced and under my influence
Then I'll make you want me just as much as I want you.
At that point, I will cause you to desire me in the same way that I desire you
(yeah, yeah)
An expression of affirmation or agreement
You' can't run, it don't matter anyhow.
You cannot escape my spell, and trying to do so is pointless
I'm bound to catch you now.
I am certain that I will win you over now
I'm gona do some a-voodoo on you baby.
I am going to perform some mystical rituals on you, my romantic target
I'm gonna do some a voodoo on you.
I am going to put a spell on you to make you mine
Contributed by Madelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rodney Walker
This song is always in my Halloween playlist every year.
Sean Cunningham
Mine too
Tee Simmons
I really love this song..
shmuli9
I had this 45...
Braylon Speights
Me too
Luuk S. Arce
Josie ROCKS!
Jeff Clark
Awesome song! The giant plants Dr. Greenthumb controlled were scary, but after hearing the Pussycats' music they "moved to the groove," especially when "dancing" with Alexandra "Stop it, you overgrown cactus Casanova!"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
Jessica McNeill
Melody- WAKE UP! WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!
Uh oh, now she's done it.
J Rice
At least it wasn’t Alexandra this time!
Sean Cunningham
Listen to this song every Halloween.