I Put A Spell On You - best version?

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I was listening to random things on YouTube and got to a video with 12 versions of I Put A Spell On You. Now there's an amazing song if there ever was one, and contrarily to other amazing songs, kind of easy to cover without making a fool of yourself (well, some still do - in fact, they did a pretty bad job choosing these 12, there's quite a few versions out there that are better than most of what's here)...



I was wondering if the Nina Simone version was a consensus favorite. So what's yours?

I think Simone's version is amazing, and my favorite of those (The Animals and CCR would have to fight for second place), but the studio version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins is still better than all of these "12".



Lots of other great covers too: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds had a nice one, Audience, Natacha Atlas are both very unique and deserving of some praise, and well, so many other ok versions... Joe Cocker, IZA, Garou... Alan Price might have the nicest of the "smoother" versions...

As for me, I think I'd have to go with my girl Diamanda Galas as my favorite (she did a few versions, the one from La Serpenta Canta is IMO her best and captures some sense of bewitchment the song should be about) - but I'd certainly wouldn't blame anybody for not buying into her act. Second place to the original Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Nina Simone would have to compete with Mojo Juju for third place.

Click to read more...

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Couldn't include more than three videos.... Mojo Juju's version:



Edit:

working link:



This one grew on me a lot and is now part of my regular rotation.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Ccr

 

[ACC1224]

CCR

 

[kihei]

Definitive version: Screamin' Jay Hawkins--it's one of those "in for a penny, in for a pound" songs, and he spends freely.

Favourite version: Bryan Ferry

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Definitive version: Screamin' Jay Hawkins--it's one of those "in for a penny, in for a pound" songs, and he spends freely.

Favourite version: Bryan Ferry

Great, I don't think I'd heard it before - the intro and outro are in tone with the kind of stuff I expect for this song, the more dancy song part makes for an interesting contrast.

 

[peate]

CCR and Natasha Atlas.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Screamin Jay Hawkins

Everyone else is playing for 2nd place

 

[montreal]

I would usually lean towards Nina Simone as she's got some great stuff including If he changed my name, or Lilac wine, the other woman, the 12th of never, etc... But I have to go with CCR on this one followed by Screamin' Jay Hawkins.


While not as good as those I do like the studio version that She and Him did (Zooey Deschanel's band) as their live version I don't like how she stops and screams no.

studio,


live,

 

[Mescaleroman]

 

[Kshahdoo]

To me it's either SJH or CCR - I equally love them both.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Heard two versions I didn't know about in one week (thx to HF), it's a coincidence big enough for me to bump this thread.

One very bad (Broken Peach):



And one very good (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown):

 

[VMBM]

Have to go with Creedence.

BTW, I've always felt that their debut album is very underrated; it also has the best version of "Susie Q" ever, "Walk on the Water", "Gloomy", "Porterville", a good cover of Wilson Pickett's "Ninety Nine and a Half"... Brilliant stuff.

 

[93gilmour93]

Marilyn Manson

 

[Mike C]

Marilyn Manson

I'd rather listen to CHARLIE Manson

 

[93gilmour93]

I'd rather listen to CHARLIE Manson

You go right ahead

 

[Hivemind]

Screamin' Jay. AINEC

 

[Hivemind]

And here's the worst version:

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I love the CCR version but you cannot go wrong with Screamin Jay

 

[kihei]

There have been 137 covers of this song, including ones by the likes of Celine Dion, Annie Lennox, The Animals, Bryan Ferry, Pete Townsend, MC5, Jools Holland, Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy, Nina Simone, Florence K, and Seal. But I'm going to be boring and go with Screamin' Jay Hawkins. I don't think his version has ever been bettered.

 

[VMBM]

There have been 137 covers of this song,

That's almost as many as Screamin' Jay Hawkins had kids.

Seriously, how many were there? 30? 60? I guess nobody knows.

 

[Ozz]

I haven't heard more than about half a dozen, but Marilyn Manson's is really cool. His screams are more maniacal than Hawkins himself.