Long before generations of viewers came to associate “I Put a Spell on You” with Halloween playlists, Tim Curry delivered one of the song’s wonderfully overlooked interpretations. His 1981 recording appeared as the closing track on Simplicity, Curry’s third and final solo studio album.
Originally recorded by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in 1956, “I Put a Spell on You” has been interpreted by countless artists, including Nina Simone and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Curry, however, didn’t simply attempt to recreate Hawkins’ famously wild performance. His version begins with a far more restrained, almost hypnotic quality, allowing that unmistakable voice to carry the menace before the arrangement gradually builds around him.
It was also a song almost tailor-made for Curry. By 1981, audiences already knew him as the deliciously theatrical Dr. Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Curry could make a lyric sound seductive, sinister and mischievous all at once. Yet his solo music career was very real: Simplicity, released by A&M Records and produced by Michael Kamen, mixed Curry originals with covers including “She’s Not There,” “Take Me, I’m Yours,” “Summer in the City” and “Dancing in the Streets.”
“I Put a Spell on You” may not be the recording most people immediately associate with Tim Curry, but more than four decades later it feels remarkably suited to the performer we came to love. Dark, theatrical and just a little dangerous, it gave Curry the perfect opportunity to remind listeners that he didn’t merely play unforgettable characters—that voice was an unforgettable character all by itself.
