I Put A Spell On You

Background

“I Put A Spell On You” was the second 45 rpm single John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford recorded as Creedence Clearwater Revival. It also opens their self-titled debut album. The song was originally written and put on vinyl by Screamin' Jay Hawkins in 1957. John, Tom, Stu and Doug hacd played it in clubs in 1964-1967 (Interview with Doug Clifford, Forbes, June 21st, 2018.)

The new beginning of the band of John, Tom, Stu and Doug started in October 1967 when Saul Zaentz became the head of Fantasy Records. They recorded “Suzie Q” in January 1967 and “I Put A Spell On You” the next month at Coast Recorders in San Francisco. The sessions were engineered by Walt Payne.

Interestingly, “I Put A Spell On” you appeared on the album first, the single being launched later. After completing the album in late May 1968, the band brought the tapes of the album to 50 Green Street to radio KSAN in San Francisco (successor to KMPX) which started to fill the airwaves with constant plays of the song.

“I Put A Spell On You” entered the US chart on November 11th 1968 and peaked at #58.

Equipment

John Fogerty used three-quarter-size Rickenbacker 325 guitars in the sessions for the first album. They had a Bigsby tremolo arm and a humbucker in each, the tremoloes being switched out. One “Rick” was black, and the other sported a Fireglo finish. As for the amplifiers, his choice was the 100-watt Kustom K200. In recent years John has used “I Put A Spell On You” and another song from the same album, “Susie Q” as a great excuse to roll out a trusty Kustom amp and cab on stage at concerts, and it also provided him with a crowd-pleasing link back to the band’s performance at Woodstock. 

Production notes

In his autobiography (2015) John Fogerty recalls how the sounds at the beginning were made: "Those are my son Josh’s baby toys. We had a jack-in-the-box, some pull toys, and one of those tops that hummed once it started spinning—whoosh whoosh whoosh hummmm. We recorded them, and then played them back at different speeds. The song fades out with that. It sounds like a spaceship—it’s supposed to be the other dimension. On my five-cent budget, I was trying to come up with things that were cool, and it worked."

"Gloomy" is the other song on the debut album that features noises made by Josh's toys. 

Overdubs of "I Put a Spell on You" includes maracas and tambourines. They were made at Sierra Sound Laboratories in Berkeley (John Fogerty, Fortunate Son, 2015). 

Promo film

A promo film of “I Put a Spell On You” was released in 1968. The psychedelic colour film featured all band members in moustaches except Tom Fogerty playing the song as playback. The film was released commercially on a bonus DVD of the Creedence Clearwater Singles Collection in November 2009 together with four other promo films the band launched.

Collector's notes

The "I Put A Spell on You" b/w "Walk on the Water" single was released with a similar cover sleeve in Germany, France and Italy. It was different from the one launched in Spain. The US version didn't have a cover photo (Peter Koers, Green River, 1999).   

Live versions

Creedence Clearwater played the song at Deno & Carlo's (later Keystone Korner) in San Francisco each week as per February 2nd until April 28th 1968. The album opener remained in their set-list until January 1970 when they performed it in a jam session together with Booker T & the MGs.

The band also played the song live in Woodstock 1969. The audio was released on Woodstock - Three Days of Peace and Music, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Collection Boxed Set in 1994. 15 years later, the video version was launched as a part of the 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD of the festival.  

On Blue Moon Swamp Tour in 1997, John Fogerty performed the song as a medley together with “Suzie Q”. A live version was also included in the Premonition collection released in June 1998 but the song failed to enter the set-list on the subsequent tour.

“I Put A Spell On You” returned to Fogerty's song line-up on the Deja Vu Tour in Europe in the cold winter 2005. In 2006-2012, he played the Screamin' Jay Hawkins original occasionally in such concerts as Peer Festival in Belgium 2009 and Oulu, Finland, in 2012. After the hiatus of a couple year, the spell was put on the audience again during his residency in Las Vegas in January 2016. 

Fogerty also delighted TV viewers by performing “I Put A Spell On You” in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 1997 in a concert that was broadcast partially by the local ZTV channel. Other live versions on TV include VH1 Hard Rock Live (1997) and Farm Aid (1997).

In the movies and TV series

"I Put a Spell on You" by Creedence Clearwater appears in a couple of films:

• I Love You to Death (2012)

• Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)

• The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

It also appears in a couple of TV series:

• Crossing Jordan, episode Blue Moon (2004)

• Fresh Meat, episode #1.3 (2011)

• My Name Is Earl, episode Stole a Badge (2006)

Critical reception

"'I Put A Spell On You' bears only a cursory resemblance to Alan Price's version, but maybe it's unfair to compare them with someone so polished and well-established. Even Eric Burdon casts a heavier 'Spell.'" -Barry Gifford, The Rolling Stone, 1968.

"The very first cut, the cover of the classic soul number 'I Put A Spell On You', tells you more about the band than you should really know. The terrific instrumental passages in the lengthy solo break were apparently very carefully constructed - I don't feel any elements of improvisation here - but that's only for the better: John really shows himself master of the guitar, brilliantly transforming one riff into another and finally bringing the solo section to a terrific rising climax. That's the style he'd been using ever since: dedicating himself to a careful analysis of the possible instrumental sections on his songs and making them as memorable and 'accessible' as possible." -George Starostin. 

"Another stellar interpretative translation is given to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ "I Put a Spell on You," highlighted by bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford’s vibrant, loose rhythmic drive and Fogerty’s catchy guitar riffs." - Doug Simpson, The Audiophile Audition, November 9th, 2009.  

"CCR's self-titled debut record can be cited for many things, but originality is not one of these. Opening your debut album with a cover song cannot be thought as a good idea. However, the passionate way that Fogerty and co. deliver ''I Put a Spell on You'', surely has made the soul/R&B legend Screamin' Jay Hawkins feel proud for composing it." -Sputnik Music, May 3rd, 2013.

Fans' views

"Walks the fine line between control and madness ... the feeling that he's just not telling you all."

"The voice, and the whining guitar in the middle... brilliant!"

"A swirling mass of controlled violence .."

previous | next