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.
Voodoo
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and she really was exciting.
She had a real doll face, asked me to her place,
I said, screaming, "Fast inviting!"
When we got there she said sit anywhere,
so I sat down on a couch.
She said close yor eyes, I got a big surprise,
and next thing I knew, whoohoohoo!
Voodoo! (Whoo-ooo!)
Gimme a boo-boo! (Whoo-hooo!)
Now I'm someone you can see through.
Who do you think you are?
Now, sticks and stones will break my bones,
but nails would never harm me,
but when she starts sticking in pins in me
I said "Meh!" – that alarm me.
Now I ain't that old fashioned
that I won't go for something new,
but baby, please, I ain't no cheese,
I'd like to [???]
Voodoo! (Whoo-ooo!)
Gimme a boo-boo! (Whoo-hooo!)
Now I'm someone you can see through.
Who do you think you are?
Now I must admit though it hurt a bit,
I got used to it and it thrill me!
we fell in love on a [???]
but our love, it almost killed me.
Now, it ain't that I'm religious
but I'm holy as [???]
When the Sun goes down and the Moon rose [???]
Come on, sweetie...
Voodoo! (Whoo-ooo!)
Gimme a boo-boo! (Whoo-hooo!)
Now I'm someone you can see through.
Who do you think you are?
In "Voodoo" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the singer meets a woman who seems very exciting and alluring. She invites him back to her place and when they get there, she asks him to close his eyes for a surprise. The surprise turns out to be a voodoo ritual that she performs on him, sticking pins in him and chanting. Although he admits that it hurt at first, he eventually got used to it and even fell in love with her. The song ends with the singer proclaiming that he is someone to be reckoned with and challenging the listener to question him.
The main theme of the song is the power that love can have over someone, even if it involves unconventional practices like voodoo. It speaks to the idea that love can be all-consuming and that people are willing to endure pain and discomfort in order to be with someone they are deeply attracted to. However, the song also hints at the danger that can come from becoming too involved with someone who may have ulterior motives.
Line by Line Meaning
I met this chick at a come-through flick and she really was exciting.
I encountered an attractive girl at a movie theatre, and was immediately intrigued.
She had a real doll face, asked me to her place, I said, screaming, "Fast inviting!"
Her looks were stunning, and she invited me over. I eagerly accepted.
When we got there she said sit anywhere, so I sat down on a couch. She said close your eyes, I got a big surprise, and next thing I knew, whoohoohoo!
Once we arrived, she instructed me to sit and close my eyes. Before I knew it, something unexpected happened.
Now, sticks and stones will break my bones, but nails would never harm me, but when she starts sticking in pins in me I said "Meh!" - that alarmed me.
I thought I could handle physical harm, but when she started sticking needles in me, I became alarmed.
Now I ain't that old fashioned that I won't go for something new, but baby, please, I ain't no cheese, I'd like to [???]
I'm open to trying new things, but I have my limits and would prefer to do something else.
Now I must admit, though it hurt a bit, I got used to it and it thrilled me! We fell in love on a [???], but our love, it almost killed me.
Although it was painful at first, I grew accustomed to the strange sensation and found it thrilling. We became deeply infatuated, but our obsession nearly led to my demise.
Now, it ain't that I'm religious but I'm holy as [???], When the sun goes down and the moon rose [???], Come on, sweetie...
Although I'm not particularly religious, I have a spiritual side. Come nightfall, I'm feeling extra mystical and romantic.
Voodoo! (Whoo-ooo!) Gimme a boo-boo! (Whoo-hooo!) Now I'm someone you can see through. Who do you think you are?
The song serves as a passionate shoutout to the mysterious and alluring realm of voodoo, with the singer stating that it has allowed him to become transformed and more transparent. He challenges others to question his newfound identity.
Contributed by Samuel Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.