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.
Person to Person
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't write no letter,
Don't even telephone
I want you person to person,
Bring your own fine self on home
Don't sent me no message,
You know that I'm all alone
Bring your own fine foxy self home
Ain't no use to telephonin' me
I can't love no telephone
All the time you're telephonin' me
You could be coming home, ooh baby
Ain't no use to sent no letter,
I can't hold no paper tight
Ain't no use to sent no message,
it can't talk to me all night
Now it no use send your brother
I ain't gonna talk to no one else
Ain't no use send your mother
You've just got to come home yourself
Little girl I have someone since you been gone
I want you person to person,
Bring your fine foxy self on home
The lyrics to Screamin' Jay Hawkins's song "Person to Person" boil down to a simple plea for his lover to return home. The singer eschews modern communication methods, demanding that the woman come back to him in person. He doesn't want her to write or call, and he doesn't want anyone else to come in her place. He misses her so much that he can't stand the thought of communicating through a device such as a telephone or letter. There is an urgency in his voice as he implores her to come back to him.
This song can be seen as a declaration of love that is timeless. Despite it being from an era before social media and texting, the sentiment still resonates with people today. The idea of wanting to see and hold someone you love in person instead of communicating through devices strikes a chord with many people who prefer a more old-fashioned approach to relationships. Additionally, the raw vocal delivery and the bluesy musical backing add an emotional resonance to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on home
Please return home to me.
Don't write no letter,
Do not attempt to communicate through written correspondence.
Don't even telephone
Do not attempt to communicate through the telephone.
I want you person to person,
I desire for us to communicate with each other face-to-face.
Bring your own fine self on home
Come home and be present with me.
Don't sent me no message,
Do not attempt to communicate through any type of message or written communication.
You know that I'm all alone
I am lonely without you being here with me.
Bring your own fine foxy self home
Come home and bring your attractive self with you.
Ain't no use to telephonin' me
There is no reason to try to communicate through the telephone.
I can't love no telephone
It is impossible for me to feel love or connection through the telephone.
All the time you're telephonin' me
Spending time communicating through the telephone is a waste of time.
You could be coming home, ooh baby
Instead of using the telephone, come home to me and be with me.
Ain't no use to sent no letter,
Sending any type of written correspondence is useless.
I can't hold no paper tight
I cannot feel any type of connection or strength from holding a letter or note.
Ain't no use to sent no message,
Sending any type of message or communication is ineffective.
it can't talk to me all night
Written communication cannot provide the emotional connection I desire.
Now it no use send your brother
Sending another person on your behalf is useless and unnecessary.
I ain't gonna talk to no one else
I only want to speak with you directly and no one else.
Ain't no use send your mother
Sending another family member to communicate is ineffective.
You've just got to come home yourself
You need to return home yourself in order for us to have an emotional connection.
Little girl I have someone since you been gone
I have found someone new since you left.
Bring your fine foxy self on home
Despite the fact that I have found someone new, I still want you to come home and be with me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, GULF COAST MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELMORE JAMES, MARSHALL SEHORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind