I Put A Spell On You May 2026

Originally written by as a standard blues ballad to lament a breakup, the track took a wild turn during a recording session for OKeh Records. Legend holds that producer Arnold Maxin brought in a feast of ribs, chicken, and ample alcohol, turning the session into a drunken party.

Hawkins famously claimed he didn’t even remember the recording session. When he woke up, he found he had created a version filled with guttural moans, animalistic grunts, and raw screams. This "cannibalistic" style led many radio stations to ban the song, but it nonetheless sold over a million copies and earned him the lifelong moniker "Screamin' Jay Hawkins". A Legacy of Reinvention I Put a Spell on You

I Put a Spell on You: From Drunken Ballad to Cinematic Anthem Originally written by as a standard blues ballad