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AltSounds > Features | Tune of the (yester)Day: Nina Simone - I Put a Spell on You // Issue #102

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Tune of the (yester)Day: Nina Simone - I Put a Spell on You // Issue #102

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Tune of the (yester)Day: Nina Simone - I Put a Spell on You // Issue #102

"A spellbinding display of vocals and ominous string ensemble, making this an absolute classic"

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Last Edited by: Ffion Davies October 23rd, 2012.

With Hallowe’en right around the corner, what better to take a listen to a enchanting classic from the wonderful Nina Simone? ‘I Put a Spell on You’ is a sultry ballad, yet it’s bursting with heartache and desperation. Although we’re instantly led to believe that she’s singing about her power as a woman over her lover, which can seem like a playful concept, although still rather sinister. However, when dissecting the lyrics, it’s a plea of utter despair as the protagonist is at her wits end, with no idea how to control her desires for the subject of the song.

The lyrics:
I love you anyhow..
And I don't care.
if you don't want me,
I'm yours right now...

You hear me,
I put a spell on you..
Because you're mine...
showcases her struggle to deal with rejection, leaving her no option that to take to witchcraft, as evidently the object of her passion isn’t reciprocating adequately.

‘I Put a Spell on You’ was originally sung by Screaming Jay Hawkins, but Nina Simone charted it first with her cover, a spellbinding display of vocals and ominous string ensemble, making this an absolute classic.

Is there anything more terrifying than being in love with someone who doesn't feel the same?

LISTEN // 'I Put a Spell on You'


The Story

The song first aired in 1956, by Screaming Jay Hawkins, but didn’t chart, until Nina Simone covered the track and it went to number 23 in the US.

Since it’s inception, ‘I Put a Spell on You’ has been covered numerous times, more famously by Nina Simone and Bette Middler in 1993 for the film Hocus Pocus.

Also, it has been sampled on tracks by The Notorious B.I.G. ('Kick in the Door'), The Beatnuts ('Se Acabo'), LL Cool J and The Heavy ('Sixteen').

More recently, Shane MacGowan and friends covered the song to raise money for the Haiti disaster back in 2010 at Concert’s Worldwide work in Haiti. One of the members of the crew was a guitar wielding Johnny Depp, who joined forces with along with Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones, Nick Cave and more.

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