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.
I Put a Spell on You
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because you're mine
Stop the things you do
Watch out
I ain't lyin'
Yeah, I can't stand
No runnin' around
No put me down
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine, ohh yeah
Stop the things you do
Watch out
I ain't lyin'
Ohh, oh
I love you
I love you
I love you, anyhow
I don't care if you don't want me
I'm yours right now
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
Ohh, oh, whoa, ooh, ah
The lyrics of Screamin' Jay Hawkins's song "I Put a Spell on You" depict a possessive and desperate lover who has resorted to using magic to keep their love interest by their side. The repetition of the phrase "because you're mine" emphasizes the lover's possessive nature and desire to control the other person's actions. The line "stop the things you do" suggests that the lover is dissatisfied with their partner's behavior and wants to put a stop to it. The warning of "watch out, I ain't lyin'" further implies that there are consequences for not complying with the spell.
The lyrics also reveal a romantic side of the lover, as they express their unconditional love for the other person by singing, "I love you, anyhow / I don't care if you don't want me / I'm yours right now." However, it's clear that this love is not reciprocated, and the lover has resorted to desperate measures to make their love interest stay.
Overall, "I Put a Spell on You" portrays a complex and problematic relationship, reflecting the darker and more obsessive side of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I put a spell on you
I cast a magical enchantment upon you
Because you're mine
Because you belong to me and I desire you
Stop the things you do
Cease the negative behaviors and actions that bother me
Watch out
Be cautious and aware of my power over you
I ain't lyin'
I'm not telling a falsehood, you can believe me
Yeah, I can't stand
I can't tolerate or endure
No runnin' around
Your infidelity and wandering ways upset me
No put me down
Don't disrespect or belittle me
Because you're mine, ohh yeah
Again, because you belong to me and I desire you
Ohh, oh
A vocalization expressing emotion or emphasis
I love you
I have romantic feelings for you
I don't care if you don't want me
Regardless of your feelings towards me, I remain devoted
I'm yours right now
I am committed to you in this moment
Ohh, oh, whoa, ooh, ah
Additional vocalizations expressing emotion or emphasis
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jay Hawkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kaliyuga1476
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
Stop the things you do
Watch out
I ain't lyin'
Yeah, I can't stand
No runnin' around
I can't stand
No put me down
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine, ohh yeah
Stop the things you do
Watch out
I ain't lyin'
I love you
I love you
I love you, anyhow
I don't care if you don't want me
I'm yours right now
I put a spell on you
Because you're mine
Mine, mine, au wuh yeah, uh, oh, you're mine
@perryjimenez5629
FUN FACT: Not only is this the ORIGINAL recording of the song, but it was meant to be more sentimental and soft, but everyone at set that day including Jay and his band gotten extremely drunk, this lead to the recording becoming more loud and spooky, this gave birth to Jay's "Voodoo Personality" and allowed him to be the father of "Shock Rock"
@PoM-MoM
That's an awesome story they did an excellent job drunk and all ♥️
@dawhoda1
@@mariavictoriasalita5273 why would you say that??
@angel-loves-jazz
One of the most important songs of the 50s only came to be because a bunch of bros trashed themselves on alcohol, beautiful 😆
@mariavictoriasalita5273
@@dawhoda1 there was an anecdote behind this. While they were practising the song, their producer brought ribs and fried chicken in the studio and they had a couple of drinks with these. Long story short, they've recorded the song while they were drunk and this is the result and the rest is history.
@shieskaclow4872
@@dawhoda1 They were actually eating chicken and ribs.
@teebs4149
Idk what I expected from a man named Screamin’ Jay Hawkins but this is it
@mosescamacho5964
🤣🤣 can't expect nothing less
@cuivre2004
Check out Angelina Jordan's version- this was obviously her model and inspiration.
@Havok91
You should give his song Frenzy a listen.