Wikipedia

Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker song)

"Boom Boom"is a song written by Americanbluessinger and guitaristJohn Lee Hookerand recorded October 26, 1961. Although it became ablues standard,[3]music criticCharles Shaar Murraycalls it "the greatestpopsong he ever wrote ".[4]"Boom Boom" was both an American R&B and pop chart success in 1962 and a UK top-twenty hit in 1992.

"Boom Boom"
SinglebyJohn Lee Hooker
from the albumBurnin'
B-side"Drug Store Woman"
ReleasedApril[1]or May 1962(1962-05)[2]
RecordedChicago, October, 26, 1961
StudioUniversal
GenreBlues
Length2:29
LabelVee-Jay
Songwriter(s)John Lee Hooker
Producer(s)Calvin Carter

The song is one of Hooker's most identifiable and enduring songs[5]and "among the tunes that every band on the [early 1960s UK] R&B circuit simplyhadto play ".[6]It has been recorded by numerous blues and other artists, including a 1965 North American hit bythe Animals.

Recording and composition

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Prior to recording forVee-Jay Records,John Lee Hooker was primarily a solo performer or accompanied by a second guitarist, such as early collaboratorsEddie BurnsorEddie Kirkland.[7]However, with Vee-Jay, he usually recorded with a small backing band, as heard on the singles "Dimples","I Love You Honey ", and" No Shoes ". Detroit keyboardistJoe Hunter,who had previously worked with Hooker, was again enlisted for the recording session.[4]Hunter brought with him "the cream of theMotownlabel's session men, later known asthe Funk Brothers":[7]bassistJames Jamerson,drummerBenny Benjamin,plus guitaristLarry Veeder,tenor saxophonistHank Cosby,and baritone saxophonistAndrew "Mike" Terry.[4]They have been described as "just the right band" for "Boom Boom".[4]Hooker had a unique sense of timing, which demanded "big-eared sidemen".[8]

The original "Boom Boom" is an uptempo (168beats per minute) blues song, which has been notated in 2/2 time in the key of F.[9]It has been described as "about the tightest musical structure of any Hooker composition: its verses sedulously adhere to thetwelve-barformat over which Hooker generally rides so roughshod ".[4]The song uses "astop-timehook that opens up for one of the genre's most memorable guitar riffs "[10]and incorporates a middle instrumental section Hooker-style boogie.[4]

According to Hooker, he wrote the song during an extended engagement at the Apex Bar in Detroit.

I would never be on time [for the gig]; I always would be late comin' in. And she [the bartender Willa] kept saying, "Boom boom – you late again". Every night: "Boom, boom – you late again". I said "Hmm, that's a song!"... I got it together, the lyrics, rehearsed it, and I played it at the place, and the people went wild.[11]

Also included are several wordless phrases, "how-how-how-how" and "hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm". "Boom Boom" became the Hooker song that is "the most memorable, the most instantly appealing, and the one which has proved the most adaptable to the needs of other performers".[4]ZZ Toplater used similar lines ( "how-how-how-how" ) for their popular"La Grange".[10]

Releases and charts

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When "Boom Boom" was released as a single in April[1]or May 1962,[2]the song became a hit. It entered theBillboardHot R&B Sideschart on June 16, 1962, where it spent eight weeks and reached number 16.[12]The song also appeared on theBillboardHot 100,where it peaked at number 60, making it one of only two Hooker singles to enter the broader chart.[13]It was included on the 1962 Vee-Jay albumBurnin'as well as many Hooker compilations, includingJohn Lee Hooker: The Ultimate Collection.

Two years later, in 1964, the song made a brief appearance on the chart inWalloon Belgium,which at the time did not rank positions.[14]In 1992, after being featured in aLee Jeanscommercial, the "Boom Boom" reached number 16 on theUK Singles Chart.[15]It also appeared on charts in New Zealand (number 24 in 1992)[16]and France (numbers 45 in 1993 and 87 in 2013).[17]

Hooker recorded several later versions. Following the success of the Animals' version, Hooker re-recorded the song in 1968 forStateside Recordsas the B-side of "Cry Before I Go" under the longer title "Boom Boom Boom". He reworked the song as "Bang Bang Bang Bang" for hisLive at Soledad Prisonalbum, as aSouth Side Chicagostreet musician in the filmThe Blues Brothers(but the song itself is not included in thefilm soundtrack), and as the title track for his 1992 albumBoom BoomwithJimmie Vaughan.[18]

The Animals version

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"Boom Boom"
Singlebythe Animals
from the albumThe Animals
B-side"Blue Feeling"
ReleasedNovember 1964(1964-11)
RecordedJanuary 1964
GenreBlues rock
Length2:57
LabelMGM
Songwriter(s)John Lee Hooker
Producer(s)Mickie Most
The Animalssingles chronology
"I'm Crying"
(1964) 		"Boom Boom"
(1964) 		"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
(1965)

English rock bandthe Animalsrecorded "Boom Boom" for their 1964 UK debut albumThe Animals.Theirblues-rock[19]rendition generally follows John Lee Hooker's original, although they add "shake it baby" as a response to the "come on and shake" refrain in the middle section,[20]taken from Hooker's "Shake It Baby" (recorded during the 1962American Folk Blues Festivaltour in Europe, where it became a hit in 1963).[21]

The Animals' version was released as a single in North America in November 1964[22]and is included on the Animals' second American album,The Animals on Tour.It reached number 43 on theBillboardHot 100[23]and number 14 on the CanadianRPMTop 40&5 singles chart.[24]The song also appeared on the unranked chart in Wallonia.[25]

Cash Boxdescribed it as "a rousing salute to the apple of a guy's eye" that's "exciting, funky-styled" and "a great swinger."[26]

Over the years, several versions of "Boom Boom" have been recorded by various Animals reunion lineups as well as by former membersEric BurdonandAlan Price.In 2012, the original 1964 version was used in the filmSkyfall.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters version

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American rock groupBig Head Todd and the Monstersrecorded "Boom Boom" for their albumBeautiful World(1997).[27]Group bassist Rob Squires described the recording session: "Hooker has just this incredible presence. He walked into the room and literally everyone was intimidated including our producer and the people who work in the studio."[28]Beginning with the television series debut ofNCIS: New Orleansin 2014, a portion of Big Head Todd's version has been used as the opening theme.[29]

Recognition and legacy

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In 1995, John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" was included in theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[30]It was inducted into theBlues FoundationHall of Fame in 2009 in the "Classics of Blues Recording" category.[7]ADetroit Free Presspoll in 2016 ranked the song at number 37 in "Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs".[31]Rolling Stonemagazine ranked Hooker's version at number 463 on its 2021 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time",[32]down from number 220 on its 2004 list.[33]

References

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  1. ^ab Whiskey & Wimmen: John Lee Hooker's Finest(CD compilation notes).John Lee Hooker.Beverly Hills, California:Vee Jay Records.2017.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ab The Very Best of John Lee Hooker(CD compilation notes).John Lee Hooker.Los Angeles:Rhino Records.1995. R2 71915.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Edmondson, Jacqueline, ed. (2013). "Hooker, John Lee".Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped our Culture.Santa Barbara, California:ABC-CLIO.p. 564.ISBN978-0-313-39348-8.
  4. ^abcdefg Murray, Charles Shaar(2002).Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American Twentieth Century.New York City:St. Martin's Griffin.pp. 237–240.ISBN978-0-312-27006-3.
  5. ^John Lee Hookerinterviewed on thePop Chronicles(1969)
  6. ^ Koda, Cub;Russo, Gregg (2001).Ultimate!(Boxed set booklet).The Yardbirds.Los Angeles:Rhino Records.OCLC781357622.R2 79825.
  7. ^abc "2009 Hall of Fame Inductees: Boom Boom – John Lee Hooker (Vee-Jay, 1961)".TheBlues Foundation.November 10, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 7,2017.
  8. ^ Dahl, Bill (1996). "John Lee Hooker". InErlewine, Michael(ed.).All Music Guide to the Blues.San Francisco:Miller Freeman Books.p.116.ISBN0-87930-424-3.
  9. ^ "Boom, Boom".Musicnotes.com.28 May 2012.RetrievedDecember 8,2013.
  10. ^ab Janovitz, Bill."John Lee Hooker: Boom Boom – Song Review".AllMusic.RetrievedDecember 8,2013.
  11. ^ Obrecht, Jas (2000).Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists.San Francisco:Backbeat Books.p.426.ISBN978-0-87930-613-7.
  12. ^ "Chart history: John Lee Hooker – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs".Billboard.com.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  13. ^ "Chart history: John Lee Hooker – Hot 100".Billboard.com.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  14. ^ "John Lee Hooker – 'Boom Boom'".Ultratop.be.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  15. ^ "John Lee Hooker: Singles".Official Charts.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  16. ^ "John Lee Hooker – 'Boom Boom'".Charts.org.nz.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  17. ^ "John Lee Hooker – 'Boom Boom'".Lescharts.com.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  18. ^Later re-recordings are often in different keys; a 1992 version featuringJimmie Vaughanis in the key of E.
  19. ^ Talevski, Nick (1998).The Unofficial Encyclopedia of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Greenwood Press.p. 179.ISBN978-0-313-30032-5.
  20. ^ "Boom Boom".The Blues.Milwaukee, Wisconsin:Hal Leonard.1995. pp. 36–37.ISBN0-7935-5259-1.
  21. ^ Dixon, Willie;Snowden, Don (1989).I Am the Blues.Da Capo Press.p.122.ISBN0-306-80415-8.
  22. ^"The Story of the Animals".The Singles+(CD liner notes).The Animals.the Netherlands: BR Music. 1999. p. 2. BS 8112-2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^"Chart history: The Animals – Hot 100".Billboard.com.Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2021.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  24. ^ "RPM Weekly: Top 40 & 5".RPM– via Bac-lac.gc.ca.
  25. ^ "The Animals – Boom Boom".Ultratop.be.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  26. ^"CashBox Record Reviews"(PDF).Cash Box.November 28, 1964. p. 26.Retrieved2022-01-12.
  27. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Big Head Todd & the Monsters:Beautiful World– Review ".AllMusic.RetrievedJanuary 10,2021.
  28. ^ Smith, Janet."Big Head Todd and the Monsters Biography".musicianguide.com.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
  29. ^ ""Boom Boom" – Theme Song for NCIS: New Orleans ".bigheadtodd.com.RetrievedMarch 14,2019.
  30. ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.1995. Archived fromthe originalon May 2, 2007.RetrievedMarch 4,2011.
  31. ^ McCollum, Brian."Detroit's 100 Greatest Songs".Detroit Free Press.RetrievedJune 21,2016.
  32. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021)".Rollingstone.com.September 15, 2021.RetrievedAugust 8,2022.
  33. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".Rolling Stone.No. 963. December 9, 2004.RetrievedAugust 8,2022.
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