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.
Strange
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many hairs in a head
How many waves in the ocean
How many crumbs in bed
But last but not least, but baby most of all
Why do I mmmumble every time you call
Because you're strange to me baby
Oh, you're good to me mama
But baby please don't change
I know I belong with you
How many bubbles in soap
How many chewings in gum
How many rolls in a wheel
Where did eyeballs come from
But last but not least
But baby most of all
Why do I mmmumble every time you call
Because you're strange to me baby
Oh, you're good to me mama
Well, I admit you are strange
But baby please don't change
I know I belong with you
How many blanks in a blanket
How many cuts in a knife
How strong is a bedbug
And how deep is his bite
But last but not least
But baby most of all
Why do I mmmumble every time you call
Because you're strange to me baby
Oh, you're good to me mama
Well, I admit you are strange
But baby please don't change
I know I belong with you
Strange you got a big double head and one bloodshot eye
Strange you got five double chins?
Strange your knees look like the knees on a billy goat
Strange you got two left legs?
Strange there's something wrong with you I don't know what it is
Strange I'm gonna leave you alone, gonna leave you like this
The lyrics to Screamin' Jay Hawkins's song "Strange" are a playful exploration of the mysteries of the world. The singer poses a series of seemingly nonsensical questions about the number of wrinkles in a pickle, the waves in the ocean, and the bubbles in soap. But despite the absurdity of these queries, the singer's tone is one of wonder and curiosity. The chorus affirms that the subject of the song -- the person to whom the singer is addressing these questions -- is strange, but also good to him or her. The singer acknowledges the subject's quirks and differences, but ultimately affirms that he or she belongs with them.
In many ways, the song is a celebration of the strange and unusual. The singer marvels at the oddities of the world around him, and finds comfort and joy in the peculiarities of his or her partner. The final lines of the song, however, suggest a hint of frustration or disappointment. Despite the singer's affection for the subject, he or she acknowledges that there is "something wrong" with them, and ultimately decides to "leave you alone" because of it.
Overall, "Strange" is a whimsical and lighthearted song that celebrates the beauty of the unusual and unexpected. It invites the listener to join in the singer's sense of wonder and delight, while also acknowledging the challenges and complexities of loving someone who is not quite like anyone else.
Line by Line Meaning
How many wrinkles in a pickle
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
How many hairs in a head
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
How many waves in the ocean
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
How many crumbs in bed
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
But last but not least, but baby most of all
Highlighting that despite the strange behavior of the person he is addressing, he still cares for them deeply.
Why do I mmmumble every time you call
Showing that the person he is addressing has an effect on him that he doesn't understand, making him question their strange behavior.
Because you're strange to me baby
The reason for his confusion and questioning of their behavior.
Oh, you're good to me mama
Despite their strangeness, the person he is addressing is good to him and he values their relationship.
Well, I admit you are strange
Acknowledging that the person he is addressing is indeed strange.
But baby please don't change
Despite their strangeness, he does not want the person he is addressing to change because he cares for them as they are.
I know I belong with you
Expressing that he feels a deep connection to the person he is addressing and does not want to lose them.
How many bubbles in soap
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
How many chewings in gum
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
How many rolls in a wheel
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
Where did eyeballs come from
Asking an absurd question to make a point that the person he is addressing is strange.
Strange you got a big double head and one bloodshot eye
Pointing out some of the physical attributes that make the person he is addressing strange.
Strange you got five double chins?
Pointing out some of the physical attributes that make the person he is addressing strange.
Strange your knees look like the knees on a billy goat
Pointing out some of the physical attributes that make the person he is addressing strange.
Strange you got two left legs?
Pointing out some of the physical attributes that make the person he is addressing strange.
Strange there's something wrong with you I don't know what it is
Admitting that he doesn't understand why the person he is addressing is strange, but still cares for them.
Strange I'm gonna leave you alone, gonna leave you like this
Despite his care for the person he is addressing, he realizes that their strangeness may be too much for him to handle and he needs to step away.
Writer(s): Jalacy Jay Hawkins
Contributed by Kennedy J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
I'm- SQUIRREL
Excellent lyrics. Who does that? True talent.
aligrandi13
OOOMG!!! Soooo wonderful!!! Looove it!!! ♥
J321
He’s the crazy we need 😆😂
MrMartininuk
One OF his best ....often overlooked....did he play the piano break ?
joseph roache
Jay was under appreciated . Some folk just don’t get it do they. Henry understood him though.
Dodo Haricot
I love!!!! jadors c trop beau
WILD WUNZ Machine Productions
Holy shit!.... This reminds me of the New York Dolls...
Stranded In The Jungle.....
....but the genius was first!...
Screamin Jay Hawkins.....! A legends legend!.... Pioneer. Innovator
Joel McCune
Stranded in the Jungle by the Cadets is before and better than the Dolls!
X Res
He - all by himself - could have won the Korean and Vietnam wars
--If Washington had just called him to! "Scary to the max!"as a former Vietcong friend says.dorph
X Res Former VC friend? How old is he, jesus