West gained fame the world over during his long career as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is most noted for his role as leader of the explosive hard rock trio, Mountain, which was named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard Rock Groups of all time. With Mountain, he climbed the heights of rock stardom on the strength of a unique, signature guitar sound and classic songs such as âMississippi Queenâ, âNever In My Lifeâ and âTheme From An Imaginary Westernâ,and Nantucket Sleighride which are still staples of rock radio to this day. West earned the admiration of a long list of famous peers. During his career, he recorded or played with a litany of rock icons including Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. In fact, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Richie Sambora have all cited West as an important influence on their own music.
West's bold, expressive and unique guitar style is really a mirror of his own personality. Spend a little time talking with this larger-than-life figure, and youâll realize that he is as charismatic without a guitar in his hands as he is with one. Possessing a sharp sense of humor, he was at once gregarious and gruff while recounting stories from his legendary past. When discussing his music projects, he exuded an infectious enthusiasm and excitement. Such projects could take him outside his traditional roles of guitarist, singer and songwriter.
In 1986, he acted alongside Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the hit comedy film, The Money Pit and has lent his distinctive voice to the popular animated series, Beast Wars Transformers which ran for three seasons on the WB network beginning in 1996 before going into syndication. He has also contributed the theme music to the new WB show, Mutant X.
West was a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show and was Musical Director for the shock jockâs FOX series, as well as for the late comedian Sam Kinison. Most recently, he lent his production and songwriting skills to an album by Atlantic Recordsâ modern rock group, Clutch, and has just released his own instructional guitar DVD, Big Phat Ass Guitar.
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Leslie West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You better stop the things that you do
I ain't lyin', no, I ain't lyin'
I just can't stand it babe
The way you're always runnin' 'round
I just can't stand it, the way you always put me down
I put a spell on you because you're mine
You better stop the things that you do
I ain't lyin', no, I ain't lyin'
I just can't stand it babe
The way you're always runnin' 'round
I just can't stand it, the way you always put me down
I put a spell on you because you're mine
I put a spell on you. I put a spell on you
I put a spell on you. I put a spell on you
The lyrics to Leslie West's "I Put A Spell On You" suggest a possessive and jealous lover who has resorted to using witchcraft to keep their partner under their control. The repetition of the opening line emphasizes the singer's ownership of their significant other, as they use a spell to ensure they remain "mine". The following lines implore the partner to change their ways and stop "runnin' 'round" and "put[ting] me down", indicating that their actions are causing the singer frustration and pain. The repetition of the closing line serves as a reminder of the singer's power over their partner by using the spell.
The song is a cover of the 1956 blues song by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who originally recorded it as a ballad about lost love. The lyrics were later changed by Hawkins to reflect a darker, more possessive theme, which is reflected in West's version. West's intense and emotional guitar playing adds to the sense of desperation and control in the song, as he uses varying dynamics and timbres to convey different emotions throughout the track.
Overall, "I Put A Spell On You" serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of possessiveness and control in relationships, and how it can lead to harmful and potentially dangerous behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
I put a spell on you because you're mine
I casted a magical charm on you because you belong to me
You better stop the things that you do
You need to cease your actions immediately
I ain't lyin', no, I ain't lyin'
I am not lying, not even a little bit
I just can't stand it babe
I cannot tolerate it any longer, my dear
The way you're always runnin' 'round
Your constant running around is highly bothersome
I just can't stand it, the way you always put me down
I am fed up with the way you always belittle me
I put a spell on you because you're mine
I casted a magical charm on you because you belong to me
I put a spell on you. I put a spell on you
I casted a magical charm on you multiple times
I put a spell on you. I put a spell on you
I casted a magical charm on you multiple times
Lyrics Š DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jay Hawkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@garcemac
Something you will never ever see on any talk show ever, ever again - the full power of two Marshall stacks. RIP you effing legend.
@skeletonmakesgood
Indeed! Well said!
@andymullarx6365
I do wish it was a Les Paul Jr. though.
@sethstopcallingmeryandickh9067
Motorhead
@nobodiesbusinessstillnobod4811
the marshals are not turned on, probably playing through a Blues Jr behind the stacks
@joeblough261
@@nobodiesbusinessstillnobod4811 Haha. So true. If they had two Marshall stacks in those studios (all those talk show studios are small beyond belief once you really see them in person) the entire audience would be at the ENT doc the next day, deaf as hell. This rocks nonetheless.
@lanceross3633
Amazing guitar tone from one of the legendary guitarists. RIP Leslie.
@jamestriarsi7405
great @ Woodstock 69
@chairmankaga101
The fact heâs getting that tone from a Steinberger? I mean, tone is in the speakers, but geez. Leslie was a beast. So under-appreciated (although EVH talked him up at any opportunity, and here you can definitely hear a lot of Leslie in Eddieâs rhythm playing).
@ericanderson2987
According to an Interview, West was GIVEN Jimi Hendrix's Sunn Equipment, Leslie Used a Mixer Preamplifer to Feed the,Guitar Amplifiers for that early Sound