Music & the Fictive Dream - "I Put a Spell on You"

 Music
&
The Fictive Dream

- - - - - - - - - Hocus Pocus - - - - - - - - -

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As a kid I remember going to my aunt’s house to watch movies – The Wizard of Oz, The Labyrinth, The Cure, and my all-time favorite, Hocus Pocus. Fast-forward 25 years later and it is still my favorite movie; so much so, that my son has hidden the DVD from me a few times. Yikes! I used this assignment as an excuse to watch the movie this week, though - Whoop! Whoop!

"I smell children."

                                            -Mary Sanderson

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Background

In July of 1993, Walt Disney Pictures released an American fantasy comedy that would eventually become a cult classic and have lasting impacts on pop culture. The success of the movie, however, was not immediate, and some associate that with the release of competing films the same summer, Free Willy and Jurassic Park. Further reasoning would include Disney focusing their marketing efforts on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A family-fun Halloween-themed film, Hocus Pocus was written by Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris, and directed by Kenny Ortega; and based on the Roald Dahl book, The Witches. An interesting detail about that is, Roald Dahl was my favorite author as a kid – Coincidence? 

    

This film portrays the hilarious, witty, and dramatic adventure between three unique witches; The Sanderson Sisters, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary - and their quest to live for eternity by "sucking the lives out of innocent children." The trio had been hanged in 'typical 17th-century fashion' 300 years prior and brought back when a curious, skeptical city boy named Max lights the 'Black Flaming Candle.' Max's mistake soon takes him - along with his little sister, Dani, and highschool crush, Allison - on a Halloween night to remember.

The Sanderson Sisters

Winifred Sanderson: Bette Midler

Sarah Sanderson: Sarah Jessica Parker

Mary Sanderson: Kathy Najimy

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“Thank you Max, for that maaarvelous introduction.” 

                                                                                -Winifred Sanderson

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Song

"I Put a Spell on You"

The Hocus Pocus soundtrack includes over 20 songs, but without-a-doubt the most recognizable song is, "I Put a Spell on You." I had always thought the song was produced and written for the movie specifically, but after doing some research, I was shocked to find that this piece was in fact written in 1956 by American Singer/Songwriter Jalacy "Screamin’ Jay" Hawkins.” The song certainly didn't go unrecognized; it was #313 on The Rolling Stones magazine list, “500 Greatest Songs of All-Time,” and was also selected as one of the songs that shaped Rock & Roll on The Rock Hall of Fame’s 500. Not too bad! To clarify - The movie version altered the lyrics to better fit the film; that version was written by Marc Shaiman. 

Screamin’ Jay intended for this song to be a Blues ballad, yet that all changed when it came time to record it. Producer, Arnold Maxin, brought ribs, chicken, and alcohol, and everyone ended up drunk prior to recording. Hawkins recalls, “I don't even remember making the record. Before, I was just a normal blues singer. I was just Jay Hawkins. It all sort of just fell in place. I found out I could do more destroying a song and screaming it to death.” Due to its ‘cannibalistic nature,’ the song was originally banned from being released – a less intense version was later released.

The message behind the song was related to a revenge-seeking break-up Hawkins' had gone through. As we all know, breakups are difficult and evoke all sorts of emotions. "Screamin' Jay" expressed how he was feeling about a failed relationship in a rather interesting fashion through his lyrics. Additionally, the version that was written for Hocus Pocus, had the same idea message; three witches seeking revenge after being hanged 300 years-ago over accusations of performing witchcraft.

Chorus:

"I put a spell on you
and now you're mine."

Verse 1:

"It's been 300 years

Right down to the day,

Now the witch is back

And there's hell to pay."

The lyrics also do a great job of portraying Winifred as the noticeable leader of the three witches, as she clearly wants you to know who she is and what she's about.

Verse 2:
"Hello, Salem!
My name's Winifred,
What's yours?"

Verse 4:
"Your wretched little lives
Have all been cursed,
'Cause of all the witches working
I'm the worst!"

The song is performed twice in the movie, both in the same scene. As the witches are after Max, Dani, and Allison, they find themselves at a Halloween party with a live band. The band can be heard singing in the background; however, they are singing the original version by "Screamin' Jay." As the scene progresses, Winifred and her sisters take the stage to perform their version of the song. The Multifaceted, Bettle Midler, plays Winifred Sanderson's character, and she absolutely nailed it - She makes this movie! Midler also makes the song, "I Put a Spell on You" - Her added emphasis on certain words and facial expressions are excellent. Her articulation also helps denotes the spooky and suspenseful side of this song. She slowly and carefully sings, I-put-a-spell-on-you, and in other parts of the song, she adds a slight vibrato that gives her character that 'witch-like quality.  

As the song starts off, there is also little to accompany her. The piano and what sounds like chimes are played strategically to give the song an added sense of magical danger, or uncertainty. The meter of this version is 4/4. Marc Shaiman wrote the song especially for Midler, and around her 'real-life' back-up singers, The Harlettes. Her sisters, Sarah and Mary, are her backup singers in the movie and accompany her many times throughout the song - mainly emphasizing certain words or ideas, such as "gone," "strong," and "She's vicious." Shaiman once said. "it was natural to give Kathy and SJP the 'Harlette' style back-up parts that they sing (and dance to) in the movie." I think creating this song specifically around Midler added to her success in pulling off this role, it allowed to her be comfortable and in her element. 

"Amok! Amok! Amok! Amok! Amok!"

                    -Sarah Sanderson

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Thoughts

The social commentary with both versions of "I Put a Spell on You" is the same; seeking revenge and winning someone over who essentially got the best of you. In this film, the Sanderson Sisters are after sweet revenge on the town of Salem where they created a potion that gives up a child's spirit and allows them to live forever. I think as a defense mechanism, our natural instinct is to 'get somebody back.' If we get hit, we want to hit back. If someone says something mean to us, we say something back that was meaner. In the article, Why getting even may make you feel worse in the long run, Author Jennifer Wallace states, "People are motivated to seek revenge — to harm someone who has harmed them — when they feel attacked, mistreated or socially rejected. Getting an eye for an eye, Old Testament-style, is thought to bring a sense of catharsis and closure." Long story short, "It is human nature to want revenge." 

Additionally, I think it is important to point out that revenge can be broad. It may be towards the actual person who hurt you, their family, the town/state they live in, their race, etc. - And that is demonstrated in this film as we see the witches are after children in Salem, not the people who put them to death.  

Click HERE to watch the cover of "I Put a Spell on You" by Annie Lenox.

*My final thought - I dated a guy for 10 years whose last name was 'Sanderson,' and I use to joke that I couldn't wait to marry him just so I could say I was a "Sanderson Sister!" (Insert crying-laughing emoji here)

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|Sources|

Carlin, Shannon. “A 'Hocus Pocus' Oral History Of The Movie's Most Famous Scene, As Told By Cast & Crew.” Bustle, Bustle, 16 July 2018, www.bustle.com/p/a-hocus-pocus-oral-history-of-the-movies-most-famous-scene-as-told-by-cast-crew-9724620.

“Hocus Pocus (1993 Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hocus_Pocus_(1993_film).

“I Put a Spell on You.” Disney Wiki, disney.fandom.com/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You.

“I Put a Spell on You.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You.

Carlin, Shannon. “A 'Hocus Pocus' Oral History Of The Movie's Most Famous Scene, As Told By Cast & Crew.” Bustle, Bustle, 16 July 2018, www.bustle.com/p/a-hocus-pocus-oral-history-of-the-movies-most-famous-scene-as-told-by-cast-crew-9724620. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

“Hocus Pocus (1993 Film).”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hocus_Pocus_(1993_film) Retrieved 29 March 2021.

Carlin, Shannon. “A 'Hocus Pocus' Oral History Of The Movie's Most Famous Scene, As Told By Cast & Crew.” Bustle, Bustle, 16 July 2018, www.bustle.com/p/a-hocus-pocus-oral-history-of-the-movies-most-famous-scene-as-told-by-cast-crew-9724620.

“Hocus Pocus (1993 Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hocus_Pocus_(1993_film).

“I Put a Spell on You.” Disney Wiki, disney.fandom.com/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You.

“I Put a Spell on You.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You.

“I Put a Spell on You.” https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You Retrieved 30 March 2021

“I Put a Spell on You.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Feb. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Put_a_Spell_on_You Retrieved 30 March 2021