I’m In The Mood – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Hooker only needed a guitar and that voice to make any song interesting. If you ever needed proof that less really is more, play this song.

There’s a reason John Lee Hooker didn’t need a band on this song. He was the band. A one-man rhythm machine with a foot that kept better time than some drummers I’ve seen on stage. In a way, this song is blues stripped to its bones. No solos. No pyrotechnics. Just mood, repetition, and that unmistakable voice. He doesn’t shout to get your attention; he commands, and you come running.

The song was recorded in Detroit, Michigan, where Hooker had relocated in the late 1940s. It was released in 1951 on Modern Records. It features Hooker on guitar and vocals, accompanied by minimalistic instrumentation.

He was fresh off the success of Boogie Chillen, and while that earlier hit was electric blues, this song was something different; smokier and more intimate.

This 1951 song was his first R&B #1 since Boogie Chillen in 1948. It also peaked at #30 on the US Hot 100 that year. It was a hit in the juke joints and on jukeboxes. It made people lean in, not turn up. And it cemented Hooker’s place as something far more than a bluesman.

I’m In The Mood

I’m in the mood, babyI’m in the mood for loveI’m in the mood, babyI’m in the mood for loveI’m in the mood, in the moodBabe, I’m in the mood for love

I say, nighttime is the right time, to be with the one you loveYou know when the night come, baby got no use so far away

I’m in the moodI’m in the mood, babeI’m in the mood for loveI’m in the mood, in the mood, babyIn the mood for love

I said, yes my mama told me, “Don’t leave that girl alone”But my mama didn’t know, God know, yeah, I wouldn’t put it down

I’m the moodI’m in the mood, baby, mood for loveI’m in the mood, I’m in the moodBabe, in the mood for love

…

Songs can mark certain times in your life. When this one plays I remember my first car. It was a 1966 Mustang…not a good idea to give a classic car to a teenager.

I remember hearing this for the first time driving and thinking that this was not the same Robert Plant that a few years before was in Led Zeppelin. He was more subdued and you could tell he was changing his image a bit. The guitar is what stands out to me in this repetitive song. It had an elastic sound to it.

The song peaked at #39 in the Billboard 100 in 1984. I’m In The Mood was on The Principle fo Moments album which peaked at #8 in the Billboard album charts in 1983. I’m In The Mood was written by Robert Plant, Robbie Blunt, and Paul Martinez.

In The Mood

I’m in the mood for a melody
I’m in the mood for a melody I’m in the mood

I can make you dance I can make you sing
I can make you dance I can make you sing
If you want me to

Oh I can make you dance I can make you sing
I can make you dance I can make you sing
If you want me to

Oh I can make you dance I can make you sing
I can make you dance I can make you sing if you want me to

And your little song that you want to sing
A little song that you want to sing sung in lieu

Here’s a little song that you want to sing
A little song that you want to sing some of you

A little song that you want to sing
A little song that you want to sing happy or blue

I’m in the mood, I’m in the mood, I’m in the mood

Why’d I end up doing it doin’ it doing it
Do anything that you want me for if you want me to

Do it right gonna do it right
Cause a matter of fact it’ll turn out to be strong
If you want me to if you want me to
Oh if you want me to if you want me to if you want me to

Tag: I’m In The Mood

John Lee Hooker – I’m In The Mood

Robert Plant – In The Mood