Screamin' Jay Hawkins (Jalacy Hawkins, July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) … Read Full Bio ↴Screamin' Jay Hawkins (Jalacy Hawkins, July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American musician, singer, and actor, famed for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You" and "Frenzy".

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hawkins studied classical piano as a child and learned guitar in his twenties. His initial goal was to become an opera singer (Hawkins has cited Paul Robeson as his musical idol in interviews), but when his initial ambitions failed he began his career as a conventional blues singer and pianist.
Hawkins was an avid and formidable boxer. In 1949, he was the middleweight boxing champion of Alaska.
In 1951, Hawkins joined guitarist Tiny Grimes's band, and was subsequently featured on some of Grimes's recordings. When Hawkins became a solo performer, he often performed in a stylish wardrobe of leopard skins, red leather and wild hats.

His most successful recording, "I Put a Spell on You" (1956), was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. According to the AllMusic Guide to the Blues, "Hawkins originally envisioned the tune as a refined ballad." The entire band was intoxicated during a recording session where "Hawkins screamed, grunted, and gurgled his way through the tune with utter drunken abandon." The resulting performance was no ballad but instead a "raw, guttural track" that became his greatest commercial success and reportedly surpassed a million copies in sales, although it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts.
The performance was mesmerizing, although Hawkins himself blacked out and was unable to remember the session. Afterward he had to relearn the song from the recorded version. Meanwhile the record label released a second version of the single, removing most of the grunts that had embellished the original performance; this was in response to complaints about the recording's overt sexuality. Nonetheless it was banned from radio in some areas.
Soon after the release of "I Put a Spell on You", radio disc jockey Alan Freed offered Hawkins $300 to emerge from a coffin onstage. Hawkins accepted and soon created an outlandish stage persona in which performances began with the coffin and included "gold and leopard skin costumes and notable voodoo stage props, such as his smoking skull on a stick – named Henry – and rubber snakes." These props were suggestive of voodoo, but also presented with comic overtones that invited comparison to "a black Vincent Price."

He continued to tour and record through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in Europe, where he was very popular. He appeared in performance (as himself) in the Alan Freed bio-pic American Hot Wax in 1978. Subsequently, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch featured "I Put a Spell on You" on the soundtrack – and deep in the plot – of his film Stranger Than Paradise (1983) and then Hawkins himself as a hotel night clerk in his Mystery Train and in roles in Álex de la Iglesia's Perdita Durango and Bill Duke's adaptation of Chester Himes' A Rage in Harlem.
His 1957 single "Frenzy" (found on the early 1980s compilation of the same name) was included in the compilation CD, Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files, in 1996. This song was featured in the show's Season 2 episode "Humbug". It was also covered by the band Batmobile. "I Put a Spell on You" was featured during the show and over the credits of Episode 303 of The Simpsons.
In 1983, Hawkins relocated to the New York area. In 1984 and 1985, Hawkins collaborated with garage rockers The Fuzztones, resulting in "Screamin' Jay Hawkins and The Fuzztones Live" album recorded at Irving Plaza in December 1984. They perform in the 1986 movie Joey.
In July 1991, Hawkins released his album Black Music for White People. The record features covers of two Tom Waits compositions: "Heart Attack and Vine" (which, later that year, was used in a European Levi's advertisement without Waits' permission, resulting in a lawsuit), and "Ice Cream Man" (which, contrary to popular belief, is a Waits original, and not a cover of the John Brim classic). Hawkins also covered the Waits song, "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard", for his album Somethin' Funny Goin' On. In 1993, his version of "Heart Attack and Vine" became his only UK hit, reaching #42 on the UK singles chart.
When Dread Zeppelin recorded their "disco" album, It's Not Unusual in 1992, producer Jah Paul Jo asked Hawkins to guest. He performed the songs "Jungle Boogie" and "Disco Inferno".
Hawkins also toured with The Clash and Nick Cave during this period, and not only became a fixture of blues festivals, but appeared at many film festivals as well, including the Telluride Film Festival premier of Mystery Train.
Hawkins died on February 12, 2000 after surgery to treat an aneurysm. He left behind many children by many women; an estimated 55 at the time of his death, and upon investigation, that number "soon became perhaps 75 offspring".

Although Hawkins was not a major success as a recording artist, his highly theatrical performances from "I Put a Spell On You" onward earned him a steady career as a live performer for decades afterward, and influenced subsequent acts. He opened for Fats Domino, Tiny Grimes and the Rolling Stones. This exposure in turn influenced rock groups such as The Cramps, Screaming Lord Sutch, Black Sabbath, Arthur Brown, Dread Zeppelin, The Horrors, Marilyn Manson, Tom Waits, Alice Cooper and Glenn Danzig.

Ain't that a Shame
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

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

Overall Meaning

In "I Put a Spell on You," Screamin' Jay Hawkins uses the metaphor of "putting a spell" on his lover to express his intense possessiveness and jealousy. He believes that his lover belongs to him, and he cannot stand the thought of her being with anyone else. When he says "You better stop the things that you do," he is warning her against any behavior that could cause him to lose her affection.

The repetition of the phrase "I put a spell on you" throughout the song emphasizes the power that Hawkins believes he has over his lover. By using the language of magic and witchcraft, he suggests that his love is so strong that he can control her actions to ensure that she stays with him.

The song also reveals Hawkins' anguish at his lover's mistreatment of him, with lines such as "the way you always put me down." He is desperate to change her behavior and keep her by his side, even if it means resorting to supernatural means.

Overall, "I Put a Spell on You" is a powerful and haunting portrayal of possessive, jealous love that borders on obsession. It captures the intense emotional turmoil and desperation that can result from a consuming infatuation.

Line by Line Meaning

I put a spell on you because you're mine
I bewitched you as a way of marking my territory and letting everyone know that you belong to me.

You better stop the things that you do
You must desist from any behavior that I deem inappropriate or disloyal to our relationship.

I ain't lyin', no, I ain't lyin'
I am telling the truth and I expect you to believe me because I am not lying.

I just can't stand it babe
Your actions and attitude towards me are causing me immense discomfort and unease.

The way you're always runnin' 'round
Your constant, restless activity and lack of focus suggest that you are not fully committed to our relationship.

I just can't stand it, the way you always put me down
Your critical remarks and negative feedback are causing me to feel constantly belittled and unappreciated in this relationship.

I put a spell on you because you're mine
Once again, I have cast a spell on you to maintain your loyalty and make sure that you stay mine.

I put a spell on you. I put a spell on you
As a repetition of my earlier statement, I want to emphasize that my spell is an effective and binding way of securing your love and devotion to me.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAY HAWKINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS