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.
Yellow Coat
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And some polka-dot shoes.
Tomato pickin' onion juice
To drive away my blues.
A bright red leather suit,
A trip in a motorboat,
And the strike I caused on the waterfront
When I fell outta my yellow coat.
Hey now, stick with it.
Aw baby don't quit it.
You know you're bound to git it.
Yes sir, made outta goat skin, foreskin
And layin' out in milk and gin.
The people quit the scene
Like the devil was loose.
The clouds turned green
And let down lemon juice.
What walks on two feet
And looks like a goat?
That crazy Screamin' Jay
In a bright yellow coat.
Hey now, stick with it.
Baby, baby don'tcha quit it.
Aw you're bound to git it.
Yes sir, made outta goat skin, foreskin
And layin' out in milk and gin.
I took a plane out midwest
To see my Uncle Joe.
We ran into some real bad weather,
Ice, rain and snow.
Fifty million bulldogs
Twenty mountain goats,
All gathered 'round at sundown
To see my yellow coat.
Hey now, stick with it.
No, no, no, no don'tcha dare quit it.
Hey, you're bound to git it.
Made outta goat skin, foreskin
And layin' out in milk and gin.
The lyrics to Screamin' Jay Hawkins's song "Yellow Coat" are a testament to the eccentricities and confidence of the artist. The song opens with the description of a forty-gallon hat, polka dot shoes, and tomato juice, which he claims drives away his blues. He goes on to describe a bright red leather suit, a motorboat trip, and causing a strike on the waterfront by falling out of his yellow coat. The chorus invites the listener to "stick with it" and promises that they will "git it," highlighting the perseverance and determination that the artist possesses. The lyrics also make reference to the composition of the coat, made of goat skin and foreskin, as well as laying out in milk and gin, further emphasizing the eccentricities of the artist.
As the song progresses, the artist's confidence causes people to leave the scene, and the clouds turn green, letting down lemon juice. The chorus repeats the invitation to "stick with it" and promises success eventually. The artist then describes taking a plane to see his Uncle Joe in the midwest, encountering bad weather and an assembly of fifty million bulldogs and twenty mountain goats at sundown, all there to see his yellow coat.
Line by Line Meaning
A forty gallon hat
I wear a big cowboy hat
And some polka-dot shoes.
I wear spotted shoes
Tomato pickin' onion juice
I drink onion juice to cure my sadness
To drive away my blues.
I use onion juice to feel better
A bright red leather suit,
I wear a shiny red leather outfit
A trip in a motorboat,
I went for a ride in a boat
And the strike I caused on the waterfront
I caused a commotion when I fell in the water
When I fell outta my yellow coat.
I lost my yellow coat in the water
Hey now, stick with it.
Hang on, don't give up
Aw baby don't quit it.
Don't you give up
You know you're bound to git it.
You'll get there eventually
Yes sir, made outta goat skin, foreskin
My coat is made of goat and human skin
And layin' out in milk and gin.
I soaked my coat in a mixture of milk and gin
The people quit the scene
People left the area
Like the devil was loose.
They left quickly, as if frightened
The clouds turned green
The sky became a green color
And let down lemon juice.
It rained lemon juice from the sky
What walks on two feet
Who looks like a person
And looks like a goat?
But resembles a goat?
That crazy Screamin' Jay
It is me, the eccentric Screamin' Jay
In a bright yellow coat.
Wearing a bright yellow coat
Hey now, stick with it.
Hold on, don't give up
Baby, baby don'tcha quit it.
Don't give up
Aw you're bound to git it.
You'll get it eventually
Yes sir, made outta goat skin, foreskin
My coat is made of goat and human skin
And layin' out in milk and gin.
I soaked my coat in a mixture of milk and gin
I took a plane out midwest
I flew to the Midwest
To see my Uncle Joe.
To visit my relative Uncle Joe
We ran into some real bad weather,
We encountered harsh weather
Ice, rain and snow.
Which included ice, rain, and snow
Fifty million bulldogs
A large number of bulldogs
Twenty mountain goats,
As well as many mountain goats
All gathered 'round at sundown
They gathered together in the evening
To see my yellow coat.
To see my bright yellow coat
Contributed by Peyton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@countrychess
Amazing tune ! 👍 Le guitariste s ' y distingue par sa virtuosité ; et Screamin' Jay par son génie. 🤠
@VelSparko
fun fact: this song is where the band the Mountain Goats got their name from
@rouseville
@Christopher Bingham Two years later, that is why I'M here.
@ImSquiggs
Same reason I’m here… love that this guys lyrical style seems to be as carefree and fun as John’s from The Mountain Goats.
@davidanthony4845
An American Original if ever there was one !
@keileymynk1890
this REALLY hits home, cause, I went with JAY to his tailors in Hollywood to check up on one of his outstanding outfits while I was there working with HIM. (YES) HIM (YES ME ,little old ME HA HA HA HA out there to all you other @$#^%ers!!!!
@oldschoolguy2775
Respect to you Keiley! I can't even BEGIN to imagine what it would be like working with that guy! But I love this song, and I remember hearing it in the 60's.
@MackMcDonaldOfficial
I LOVE IT! Laid out in milk and gin
@tednugent8501
Made outta goat skin!!! Frog skin!! Laid out, in milk and gin!!!!!
@anon359
Yes sir, made outta goat skin, FORESKIN. And layin' out in milk and gin.