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.
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.
Heart Attack & Vine
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Screamin' Jay Hawkins:
07-I Put a Spell on You I put a spell on you Because you're mine Stop the…
Ain't That a Shame I put a spell on you because you're mine You better…
Alligator Wine Ah ah Take the blood out of an alligator Take the…
Constipation Blues Ladies and gentlemen, most people record songs about love, h…
Deep Purple Woo, Wo-o-oo-wo-wo, Wo-o-oo-wo-wo, Wo-o-oo-wo-wo When the…
Do You Really Love Me Who do you love? Who do you love? You! You! Nobody…
Do You Really Love Me? Who do you love? Who do you love? You! You! Nobody…
Don't Deceive Me Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh…
Ebb Tide First the tide rushes in, plants a kiss on the…
Frenzy Frenzy!!! Dig this crazy mood I'm in, listen to my heart as…
Goodnight sweetheart Good night sweetheart, till we meet tomorrow Good night swe…
Heart Attack and Vine Liar liar with your pants on fire White spades hangin′ on…
Hong Kong Standin' on the corneeeeeeeeer in Hong Koooonnnnnnnnnnnnng..…
I Am the Cool I'm the one your mama warned you about When you see…
I Hear Voices You went away and left me long time ago And now…
I Love Paris Every time I look down on this timeless town Whether blue…
I Love You I put a spell on you Because you're mine Stop the…
I Put A Spell On You / I put a spell on you because you're mine You better…
I've Got You Under My Skin I've got you under my skin. I've got you deep in…
Ice Cream Man Clickin' by your house about two forty-five Sidewalk sundae …
Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby I've got a gal that's always late Every time we have…
It's Only Make Believe People see us everywhere They think you really care, But mys…
Itty Bitty Pretty One Mm-mm-mm-hm-mm-mm Mm-mm-mm-hm-mm-mm Mm-mm-mm-hm-mm-mm Mm-mm-…
Just Don't Care You're gonna hurt me baby When I put my trust in…
Litte Demon own in the valley on a foggy little rock Stood a…
Little Demon Down in the valley on a foggy [...] rock Stood a…
Mafia 2: I Put A Spell On You I put a spell on you Because you're mine Stop the…
Monkberry Moon Delight So I sat in the attic A piano up my nose And…
Night It's been a hard day's night, and I been working…
Ol' Man River Ol' man river. That ol' man river. He don't say nothin' he d…
Old Man River Ol' man river. That ol' man river. He don't say nothin' h…
Orange Colored Sky I was walkin' along Minding my business, When out of the ora…
Person to Person Come on home Don't write no letter, Don't even telephone I…
Please Don't Leave Me Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh…
Portrait of a Man I am painting in oil, a portrait of a man Who…
Shut your mouth when you sneeze Shut your mouth when you sneeze Don't put them funky things…
Sing Low Sweet Chariot I looked over Jordan and what did I see? Comin' for…
Strange How many wrinkles in a pickle How many hairs in a…
Swing Low Sweet Chariot I looked over Jordan and what did I see? Comin' for…
Temptation You came, I was alone I should have known you were…
The Rose Ah ah ah Sexier rosey my chérie coco baby i see something…
The Whammy I met a big woman With eyes of fury And…
There's Something Wrong With You There's something wrong with you Something's missing some pl…
Voodoo I met this chick at a come-through flick and she really…
Whammy I met a big woman With eyes of fury And…
What That Is What I see Must be Now! To was or not to happen Eating…
Whistlin' Past the Graveyard Coming on the night train With an arm full of box…
Yellow Coat A forty gallon hat And some polka-dot shoes. Tomato pickin' …
You Put a Spell on Me I put a spell on you Because you're mine Stop the…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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sclogse1
Screamin Jay blew my mind with his early stuff. A classic dude, and visually, has no equal. His appearance in Jim Jarmusch's film was wonderful. He should be on more films. I'd like this more if I could watch him sing it. Good band here, tho. Tom's version is perfection, and the black and white youtube video of him singing it in europe is one of the best things on youtube.
CrystalTears234
i wanna taste the madness! massive credit to tom for writing this song and to screamy for doing such a great cover
Free Information
This is so awesome. One of Screaming J's better works. Rock'n Roll remembering its bluesy roots.
sfincione2000
Magnificent version. I love Tom Waits one too but this is special
Menicus
Screamin'Jay a good singer but certainly one of the best "artists" from his time! Timeless.
AllBobsAllTheTime
Well, Screamin' Jay is one of the few guys who can cover this one!!!
Ania bees & drawings
both versions are just fantastic!
kolonel Franz
Quit my addiction 18 year ago, but "this stuff will probably kill me, lets do another line was back in the days my ultimate line to powder my nose. But I do still love this song! Even sober, Jay is a legend...
Jon Talbot
One of the great covers. If you like this you will probably also like John Cales cover of Heartbreak Hotel
Cellar Door
About 2 years ago, I got a digital radio to use at work (plasterer/joiner/painter etc) everyday to listen to 6music. There are hundreds of individual reasons I love 6 music beyond the obvious one of the non-stop amazing music they play. Two main ones being the semi-guilty pleasure I get from getting on a building site/house renovation before anyone then else and setting up 6music before the plumbers and other workers can get Capital FM or other pop/RnB shitty station on and watching them sulk...