"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #313 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of 'The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time'.
It was performed twice in the 1993 Disney fantasy comedy film Hocus Pocus, once by a band-singer with the same lyrics and again by the Sanderson Sisters with different lyrics. Additionally, the song was featured in the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari and performed by Nina Simone along with other classic 1950's songs.
Lyrics[]
Winifred: I put a spell on you
And now you're mine
You can't stop the things I do
I ain't lying
It's been three hundred years
Right down to the day
Now the witch is back
And there's hell to pay
I put a spell on you
And now you're mine!
Hello, Salem!
My name's Winifred. What's yours?
I put a spell on you
And now you're gone
Mary and Sarah: Gone, gone, gone so long
Winifred: My whammy fell on you
And it was strong
Mary and Sarah: So strong, so strong, so strong!
Winifred: Your wretched little lives
Have all been cursed
'Cause of all the witches working
I'm the worst
I put a spell on you
And now you're mine
Mary and Sarah: Watch out, watch out, watch out, watch out!
She ain't lying
Winifred: If you don't believe
You'd better get superstitious
Ask my sisters
Mary and Sarah: She's vicious!
Winifred: I put a spell on you
A wicked spell
I put a spell on you
Sisters!
Sanderson Sisters: Ah-say-into-pie
Oppa-maybe-uppen-die
Party Guests: Ah-say-into-pie
Oppa-maybe-uppen-die
Winifred: In-kama-koray-ah-ma
Party Guests: In-kama-koray-ah-ma
Sanderson Sisters: Hey, high
Say, bye-bye!
Bye, bye, bye
Trivia[]
- During Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom, a pop version of the song can be heard during exit of the HalloWishes fireworks show. The song is also sung by the Sanderson Sisters and various Disney Villains during the finale of the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular.
- Due to the more family-friendly nature of the show, the line "there's hell to pay" is changed to "there's heck to pay".
- During "Haul-O-Ween" at Cars Land, the sunset neon lighting ceremonies that normally recreate the "Sh-Boom" scene from the Cars film are instead interrupted by technical glitches that cause the original recording of "I Put a Spell on You" to play instead.
- At one point, Winnifred says, "Hello, Salem! My name is Winifred! What's yours?" This is a reference to the musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable, where the vaudeville act Mama Rose put on had a character (June, Louise, and finally Rose herself) say something similar. Midler played Mama Rose in the 1993 made-for-TV production.
