![]() ![]() Skifs howls over all of it with Tom Jones levels of brio, making B. Everything about their arrangement seems scientifically calibrated to stick with you: the blaring horn riff, the high-cheese guitar line, the perfectly timed drum hits during the “IIIIIIII’m” of the chorus. Blue Swede’s version of “Hooked On A Feeling” cranks up the catchiness of the original further than it should be allowed to go. (In any case, Blue Swede took out even the most harmless drug references, turning “I’ll just stay addicted and hope I can endure” into the even-more-meaningless “I just stay a victim, if I can for sure.”) And yet that chant just bulldozes its way into your skull and stays there forever.Īnd it’s not just the ooga-chakas. The ooga-chakas mean nothing, and they don’t have anything to do with the whole love-as-drug metaphor. With their version of “Hooked On A Feeling,” Blue Swede took that dinky fake war chant from the Jonathan King version and weaponized it, transforming it into a loud-as-hell brain-destroyer. (“Blue Suede.” I know.)Ĭredit the ooga-chakas - or, if you prefer, blame the ooga-chakas. So it got an American release, and Blåblus got an English-language stupid-pun name. (Blue Swede’s arrangement was supposedly based on “ Do You Like Worms?,” an unfinished and widely bootlegged Beach Boys song, but the only real similarity I hear is in the deeper chanting.) Blue Swede recorded their version, and it became a big Scandinavian hit. ![]() Skifs, who’d started out in the excellently named Swedish rock band Slam Creepers, started Blue Swede as a cover band called Blåblus, which is some kind of Swedish pun involving the word “blues.” That same year, they recorded their big, ridiculous version of “Hooked On A Feeling.” Blåblus had started covering the Jonathan King version of “Hooked On A Feeling” live. ![]() Blue Swede started in 1974, as a vehicle for the Swedish pop singer Björn Skifs. You can listen to “Hooked On A Feeling” by BJ Thomas in the video below.Blue Swede weren’t even a band when the Jonathan King version of “Hooked On A Feeling” came out. They also tweaked the lyrics to steer clear of the drug references. They included the famous jungle chant “ooga chaka” in the introduction – which was inspired by Twinkle Brothers’ Jamaican Reggae version recorded in 1971. 1 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1974.īlue Swede added some twists to the song. This includes the Swedish pop group Blue Swede, whose version went on to No. It Is One of The Most Covered SongsĬonsidered to be one of the best BJ Thomas songs, “Hooked on A Feeling” has been recorded by several other artists. In addition to that, the song also featured the sound of Reggie Young’s electric sitar, who was a prolific studio guitarist that has appeared on well over 100 chart hits in his career spanning six decades. The man in the ballad is “high on believin'” and will “just stay addicted” to the woman who can “turn me on.” He got inspiration from his feelings for his childhood sweetheart in writing the song.ĭrug references were also massive in the 1960s that you will find plenty of it in this song, with James comparing love to a drug. Written by Mark James, “Hooked On A Feeling” tells the tale of a man who’s enjoying the euphoria and excitement of falling in love – unable to resist the feelings deep inside him. RELATED: Here Is Everything You Need To Know About B.J. 5 in 1969 on the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100. When the Grammy-winning singer came back to achieve mainstream success again in 1968, he took it to another level with a much bigger track that would soon turn into his second million-selling record.īJ Thomas‘ “Hooked On A Feeling” was released on his fourth studio album, On My Way. ![]()
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