Hooked on a Feeling

"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	November 1968
Genre	Pop
Length	2:48
Label	Scepter Records
Songwriter(s)	Mark James
Producer(s)	Chips Moman
B. J. Thomas singles chronology
"The Eyes of a New York Woman" (1968) "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968) "It's Only Love" (1969)
"The Eyes of a New York Woman" (1968) “Hooked on a Feeling” (1968) "It's Only Love" (1969)

"Hooked on a Feeling"
Single by Blue Swede
from the album Hooked on a Feeling
B-side	"Gotta Have Your Love"
Released	February 1974
Format	7"
Recorded	1973
Genre	Pop rock
Length	2:48
Label	EMI Svenska
Songwriter(s)	Mark James
Producer(s)	Bengt Palmers
Blue Swede singles chronology
"Hooked on a Feeling" (1974) "Silly Milly" (1974)
"Hooked on a Feeling" (1974) "Silly Milly" (1974)

“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, and reached number five in 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1] It has been recorded by many other artists, including Blue Swede, whose version reached number one in the United States in 1974.^[2] The Blue Swede version made singer Björn Skifs' "Ooga-Chaka-Ooga-Ooga" intro well known (and famous in Sweden at the time), although it had been used originally by British musician Jonathan King in his 1971 version of the song.^[3]

Chart performance

Blue Swede cover

• In 1974, the Swedish pop group Blue Swede did a cover version, which included the "ooga chaka" introduction from Jonathan King's 1971 cover. Their arrangement was inspired by a bootleg recording of Do You Like Worms? from the unfinished album Smile by the Beach Boys.^[8] The Blue Swede version of the song also tweaked the lyrics to avoid a drug reference.^[9] This version reached number one in the United States.^[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 20 song for 1974.

Original lyrics	Blue Swede lyrics
"I got it bad for you, girl, but I don't need a cure. I'll just stay addicted and hope I can endure all the good love…"	"Got a bug from you, girl, but I don't need no cure. I just stay a victim, if I can for sure All the good love…"

Different versions

• In 1971, English musician Jonathan King recorded a cover version of the song, adding ooga chaka jungle chants. King described it as "a reggae rhythm by male voices". His version reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1971^[10] and downloads of his original version increased both when Guardians of the Galaxy was released and again when it was shown on TV as well as when the chant was used in trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy II in 2017.^[11]
• In 1978, a cover version by Canadian country music artist Carroll Baker peaked at number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart^[12] and number 15 Adult Contemporary.^[13]
• David Hasselhoff covered the song on his album Hooked on a Feeling in 1997.^[14]
• The band The Offspring sample the "ooga chaka" chorus in their song "Special Delivery", from the album, Conspiracy of One (2000).^[15]
• In 2013, B. J. Thomas included "Hooked on a Feeling" in duet with Sara Niemietz, on The Living Room Sessions. The album includes new interpretations of many of Thomas' greatest hits, with production and instrumental arrangements by Kyle Lehning, and was released on the Wrinkled Records label.^[16][17]

In popular culture

• Wilson Bryan Key, author of Subliminal Seduction, claimed in 1976 that the "ooga-chaka" chant was actually communicating the phrase "who got sucked off?" He credits the song's success to this embedded phrase, though he offers no evidence for any of these claims.^[18]
• The song has been revived from time to time as a cultural touchstone of the 1970s, such as on the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack in 1992,^[19] and as the "dancing baby" song in the Ally McBeal TV show.^[20]
• The chorus from the song was sung by Captain Hook on "Far, Far Away Idol" on the Shrek 2 DVD.
• The 2014 feature film Guardians of the Galaxy,^[21] 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;^[22] the film's soundtrack reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart in August 2014.^[23] The song was also featured heavily in the teaser trailer for the 2017 sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.^[24] despite not using the song in the actual film.^[25]
• In 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays began using the Blue Swede rendition in a commercial featuring newly acquired David Price and Troy Tulowitzki.^[26] The song is played at the Rogers Centre before the bottom of the 8th inning, similar to the usage of "Sweet Caroline" at games in Fenway Park in Boston.
• The song is also the anthem for the Northwestern University Sailing Team
• The song is additionally the anthem for Zahm House at the University of Notre Dame
• In 2016, the song's cover, by Blue Swede, was featured in the documentary Holy Hell. The documentary is about the '80s West Hollywood cult Buddhafield and its manipulative and abusive leader. The song plays at the beginning as footage of members of the cult are shown outdoors reaching for the Sun in a euphoric and trance like state as the song's refrain "I'm hooked on a feeling, I'm high on believing" plays on.^[27]
• In the spring of 2017, this song titled as Feelin' Hooked is featured on the Telus Mobility television commercial in Canada.^[28]

References

External links

• Song Facts