Gene Ween sings the lead vocal. Claude Coleman plays the bongos on the album version. The noise interlude was created by cranking knobs on the guitar amps to create various noise effects. Dean Ween has appeared to explain that Andrew Weiss took that solo on the Chocolate and Cheese version, based on a 4-track demo version played by Deaner. However, it is unclear whether Weiss played the actual guitar for that solo, or only created the noise effects. The idea for the song was conceived by Ween in New Orleans while on the Pure Guava tour, inspired by voodoo culture.
"Voodoo Lady" was introduced with the live band in the fall of 1993, nearly a year before the release of Chocolate and Cheese. Starting with the tour for that album, it has consistently been one of the most common live songs in every era of Ween (with the notable exception of the 1996 country tour). The song is often extended as a lead guitar vehicle for Dean Ween.
The song has an official music video, directed by Roman Coppola. He incorporated some visual tricks he had learned while working with his father, Francis Ford Coppola, on the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula, including inverting colors using negatives, and a photographic process called Schlieren photography which was used to create the effect of heat waves coming out of Gene and Dean's mouths. The underwater scenes were shot in a swimming pool.
"Voodoo Lady" was used in the 2000 film Road Trip, as well as the 2000 film Dude, Where's My Car?
Voodoo Lady
Ween Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shakin' that stick and drivin' me crazy
Your eyes look red and hazy
Doin' that stuff that you do
Messin' me up with your voodoo
You drive me crazy with that
Boogie oogie oogie oogie oogie oogie oogie oogie
Boogie boogie boogie
Your lips are hot and spicy
Servin' up red beans and rice
At midnite she's a-howlin' and stompin'
Makin' love to the gators in the swampin'
[Chorus]
I feel you now inside me
Never once did you deny me
Doin' that stuff that you do
Knockin' me out with your voodoo
[Chorus]
Voodoo lady, shakin' that stick, drivin' me crazy
Voodoo lady, oh yeah
Boogie boogie boogie boogie
[Repeat first verse]
[Chorus]
The song "Voodoo Lady" by Ween portrays an infatuation with a woman who practices voodoo. The first two verses describe how the woman is driving the singer crazy with her voodoo. The use of the words "red and hazy" to describe her eyes suggests a sense of danger or the idea of being under the spell of voodoo. The repetition of the phrase "Doin' that stuff that you do" emphasizes her power over the singer.
The third verse paints a picture of the woman as a mystical and exotic creature, with her spicy lips and serving of red beans and rice. The use of "midnite" and the "gators in the swampin'" adds to the otherworldly and mysterious feeling surrounding her. The chorus consists of repeating the same lines from the verses, emphasizing how the voodoo lady is knocking the singer out with her powers.
Overall, "Voodoo Lady" creates a mood of a mysterious and dangerous woman who has complete control over the singer. The repetition of certain phrases and the use of mystical imagery adds to the song's overall feeling of being under a spell.
Line by Line Meaning
Voodoo Lady
The woman who practices voodoo
Shakin' that stick and drivin' me crazy
Using her magical stick and causing me to lose control
Your eyes look red and hazy
Her eyes express a state of intoxication
Doin' that stuff that you do
Using her voodoo magic to affect my behavior and thoughts
Messin' me up with your voodoo
Causing confusion and chaos in my life using her voodoo powers
You drive me crazy with that Boogie oogie oogie oogie oogie oogie oogie oogie
Your magical powers are so strong they are driving me crazy and making me lose control of myself
Your lips are hot and spicy
Her lips are desirable and have a passionate energy
Servin' up red beans and rice
Cooking a traditional Creole dish with a magical meaning
At midnite she's a-howlin' and stompin'
Practicing voodoo rituals late at night
Makin' love to the gators in the swampin'
Using her voodoo powers to communicate and control animals in the swamp
I feel you now inside me
I am under the influence of her magical power
Never once did you deny me
She does not refuse to use her magical powers on me
Knockin' me out with your voodoo
Her voodoo powers have affected me to the point of losing consciousness or control
Voodoo lady, shakin' that stick, drivin' me crazy
Repetition of the idea that the voodoo lady is causing the singer to lose control
Boogie boogie boogie boogie
A rhythmic chant that symbolizes the power of her magic
Chorus
Repetition of the main theme of the song
Repeat first verse
Repetition of the first verse to reinforce the main message of the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWARD JOEL KOWALCZYK, CHAD DAVID TAYLOR, PATRICK DAHLHEIMER, CHAD ALAN GRACEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheRealForrestGeorge
Voodoo Lady
Shakin' that stick and drivin' me crazy
Your eyes look red and hazy
Doin' that stuff that you do
Messin' me up with your voodoo
You drive me crazy with that
Boogie oogie oogie oogie oogie
You drive me crazy with that
Boogie boogie boogie
Your lips are hot and spicy
Servin' up red beans and rice
At midnite she's a' howlin' and stompin'
Makin' love to the gators in the swampin'
[Repeat Chorus]
I feel you now inside me
Never once did you deny me
Doin' that stuff that you do
Knockin' me out with your voodoo
[Repeat Chorus]
[Repeat first verse]
[Repeat Chorus]
@10duders
I was raised on this song and it made me falsely think that everyday people know this song. It's so catchy, why dont they.
@audiofunkdialect
They rock the shit out of this song live and really all of their stuff I’m actually super unfamiliar with their whole catalog of songs but I’ve seen them three times live and they’re absolutely fabulous.
@10duders
@@knockitoff what a strange thing to say
@marygeoghegan3994
My kids are raised on this song
@sleeveho7577
Fantastic to see these guys play live
@davidpearce1583
hehehehehehehh 😄that's pretty funny man.
@impliedkappa8009
Everyone's talking about Road Trip and Dude Where's My Car? but I remembered this song from a skit from MTV's "The State" called "In the Bathroom" that cut all the lyrics but left in the intro and the guitar solo, and my god, it was a journey tracking the song back to Ween.
Well worth it.
@lkjhb1
Heard this at my local taco bell a few days ago
@pigglesy
liar
@MusicFun-gd1cm
That’s pretty brown