Creedence Clearwater Revival – I Put A Spell On You

Happy Halloween Everyone!

John’s voice is on display in this song. This was on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s debut album. It was a cover written by Screaming Jay Hawkins. John Fogerty forgot the swamp rock and just plugged into the psychedelic sound with this cut. It’s a slightly creepy song to listen to on a long car ride in the dark. Fogerty draws on every bit of soul he has in this vocal.

This was the second single they ever released as CCR…the singles they released before this was from The Goliwogs. They rightly decided that a name change would be in order. A question for the readers…if they would have remained The Golliwogs…would they have made it? What’s in a name right? Well, it can probably be argued.

This song did rather well! I didn’t know it did this much in the charts. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100 and #10 in Canada in 1968 and went Platinum.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - Zappa Wiki Jawaka

The original version by Screaming Jay Hawkins was released in 1956. The song was banned from most radio stations because of groans and moans. He played it up to the hilt on appearances that he made.

Be Safe tonight and I hope all of you have a great time!

Happy Halloween

I Put A Spell On You

I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine
You better stop
The things that you’re doin’
I said “Watch out!”
I ain’t lyin’, yeah!

I ain’t gonna take none of your
Foolin’ around
I ain’t gonna take none of your
Puttin’ me down
I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine

All right!

I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine
You better stop
The things that you’re doin’
I said “Watch out!”
I ain’t lyin’, yeah!

I ain’t gonna take none of your
Foolin’ around
I ain’t gonna take none of your
Puttin’ me down
I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine

All right and I took it down!

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

31 thoughts on “Creedence Clearwater Revival – I Put A Spell On You”

  3. A local band here is fronted by a guitarist and singer who is normally a quiet and shy guy. When he gets on stage he is more like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. The transformation is kinda scary and he does a great cover of this song. Their former drummer is now our County Executive. I’m not a big fan of CCR but I think they do a good job on this.

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  4. “The Golliwog Convention” might’ve survived, lol, but who knows — how dumb might other bands’ names have initially seemed (The Beatles, The Animals, The Cranberries, U2, etc.) By any other name, CCR would’ve still been CCR!

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  8. I loved, and still love, crr. great version of this that I’ve never heard. I see you have Annie Lenox here, who does a wonderful version, but have you ever seen her live version with hozier at the grammies? a bit hard to find but worth it. he starts out with ‘take me to church’ and then Annie comes out and commands the stage with ‘I put a spell on you.’ very powerful

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  9. The CCR version is just incredible. John Fogerty killed it! I agree the Golliwogs was an odd name, but so was Creedence Clearwater Revival, if you think about it. However, it could easily be abbreviated to CCR and that’s a fairly easy name to remember.

    I knew the original was by Screamin Jay Hawkins, who demonstrates impressively demonstrates his name was justified, but this was the first time I saw this clip. Slightly creepy! 🙂

    While I don’t celebrate the occasion, I don’t have any problem with it, so Happy Halloween!

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    1. Do you think they would have been as big with The Golliwogs? They probably would have been…probably.
      Yes Hawkin’s was creepy! We don’t either…we live in the middle of the woods anyway…so no one comes to our door lol.

      Have you seen the top 250 guitarists in Rolling Stone? Somehow Eric Clapton dropped from 2 to 35 and Joni MItchell is in at number 9?????????????
      I hate Rolling Stone.

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      1. Golliwogs sounds like a bunch of small fury animals to me! 🙂 That said, at the end of the day, it’s about the music.

        I took a casual look at the Rolling Stone list before. If I recall it correctly, they listed Duane Allman at no. 10 or, i.e., behind Joni Mitchell.

        I mean Mitchell came up with all kinds of interesting guitar tunings, so she certainly deserves to be on the list, but ahead of Duane Allman? Also, Clapton dropping from 2 to 35 sounds harsh. Did they think he turned from slow hand into sleeping hand?

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      2. Yea Golliwogs I think of a swamp monster or somthing lol.
        Read the review of him on the list and you will find out why. Nothing to do with his guitar playing. Think Van Morrison…
        Yea is Joni a great songwriter and singer? YES…and yes she does have odd tunings and is good at what she does…but she is better than SRV?

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      3. I agree, some of these Rolling Stones rankings are odd. In addition to Duane Allman, who in my book is one of the best guitarists who ever walked the planet, as is SVR, you also have Carlos Santana (11), Prince (14) and Keith Richards (15) behind Joni. I think it’s fine for her to be included in a list of 250, but not ahead of the aforementioned guitarists. And Eric Clapton, for that matter, who should also be way higher!

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    1. You know what? In all honesty I never knew what that meant! I just googled it…I’m surprised they got by with it then.
      In the post I just thought it was a silly name. Damn…I feel stupid!

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