"Hooked on a Feeling" is a 1968 pop song, written by Mark James and originally performed by B. J. Thomas. Thomas's version featured the sound of the electric sitar (played by Reggie Young) and reached No. 5 in 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3]
"Hooked on a Feeling" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by B. J. Thomas | ||||
from the album On My Way | ||||
B-side | "I've Been Down This Road Before" | |||
Released | October 29, 1968 | |||
Recorded | 1968 | |||
Studio | American Sound Studio, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label | Scepter | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mark James | |||
Producer(s) | Chips Moman | |||
B. J. Thomas singles chronology | ||||
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It has been recorded by many other artists, including Blue Swede, whose version reached No. 1 in the United States in 1974.[4]
The song was written by Mark James, who was introduced to producer Chips Moman around 1967 by Moman's mutual friend Steve Tyrell, a singer and James' manager.[5]: 81–82 James was hired by early 1968[6] to write for Moman's publishing company, which led to him writing songs for many artists, including his childhood friend B.J. Thomas.[5]: 81–82 One of these songs was "Hooked on a Feeling", which James wrote about the thrills of being in love, inspired by his feelings for his childhood sweetheart.[5]: 169 [7] It was recorded at the American Sound Studio in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968,[8] and first released on October 29 of that year. Country artists Louise Mandrell and RC Bannon also recorded and released this song in 1979.
Chart (1968–1969) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Go-Set) [9] | 35 |
Canada RPM Top Singles | 3 |
New Zealand (Listener)[10] | 10 |
US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 5 |
US Cash Box Top 100 | 5 |
Chart (1969) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada[12] | 31 |
US Billboard Hot 100[13] | 99 |
"Hooked on a Feeling" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Blue Swede | ||||
from the album Hooked on a Feeling | ||||
B-side | "Gotta Have Your Love" | |||
Released | 1973[14] | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label | EMI Svenska | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mark James | |||
Producer(s) | Bengt Palmers | |||
Blue Swede singles chronology | ||||
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In 1973, the Swedish pop rock group Blue Swede did a cover version, which included the ooga chaka introduction from a 1971 cover by Jonathan King. King had heard Johnny Preston's Running Bear, which was the inspiration for the ooga chaka chant.[15] The Blue Swede version of the song also tweaked the lyrics to avoid a drug reference.[16] This version reached No. 1 in the United States.[4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 20 song for 1974. On 25 July 2012, the 1974 live performance by Blåblus video was officially uploaded to YouTube; it has generated nearly 6 million views as of October 2022.[17]
Record World said that "the opening hook will have buyers crying for the 'oogah chugga' record."[18]
In 1992, Blue Swede's recording was featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's debut feature Reservoir Dogs.
In 1998, during an episode of the legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal, "Cro-Magnon", the main character's neurosis about being able to conceive a child before her biological clock runs out is illustrated by her imagining a computer generated baby dancing into her bedroom to Blue Swede's recording of "Hooked on a Feeling". A website featuring the dancing baby and the Blue Swede recording became an internet meme, further cementing the scene in pop culture history.[19]
The 2014 feature film Guardians of the Galaxy,[20] which featured the brass fanfare and title lyrics of the Blue Swede cover version prominently in its trailers and theatrical release, resulted in a significant spike in sales for the recording;[21] the film's soundtrack reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart in August 2014.[22] The song was also featured in the teaser trailer for the 2017 sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.[23]
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] | 4 |
Canada RPM Top Singles[25] | 2 |
New Zealand (Listener)[26] | 7 |
US Billboard Hot 100[27] | 1 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[28] | 31 |
US Cash Box Top 100[29] | 1 |
Chart (1974) | Rank |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[30][31] | 29 |
Canada [32] | 27 |
US Billboard Hot 100[33] | 20 |
US Cash Box [34] | 34 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[35] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[36] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Blue Swede version |
Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[38] B.J. Thomas version |
Gold | 1,000,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[39] Blue Swede version |
Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The ooga-chaka-ing cover of B.J. Thomas' '60s top 5 hit that takes a good pop song and makes it immediately unforgettable.
In Thomas' hands, it's a Vegas version of psychedelia...