Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Jezebel (song)

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Released
  
April 1951

Recorded
  
4 April 1951

Length
  
3:08

Format
  
10" 78

Genre
  
Pop

B-side
  
"Rose, Rose, I Love You" (Lin Mei, Wilfred Thomas)

For "Jezebel" by Jon Stevens, see Jezebel (Jon Stevens song)

"Jezebel" is a 1951 popular song written by Wayne Shanklin. It was recorded by Frankie Laine with the Norman Luboff Choir and Mitch Miller and his orchestra on April 4, 1951 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39367. The record reached #2 on the Billboard chart and was a million seller. The B-side, "Rose, Rose, I Love You", was a hit too and reached #3.

The title refers to the biblical woman Jezebel, a wicked, Baal-worshipping Phoenecian princess who ruled Israel as queen to King Ahab. Jezebel's story is recounted in I Kings, a book of the Old Testament.

Covers

  • Carla Boni recorded two Italian versions of the song. The first (1953) with Angelini's Orchestra, the second one (1961) with Complesso "I Mistici".
  • Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour recorded a French version of the song.
  • In the early 1950s, Brazilian singer Leny Eversong recorded another popular version.
  • Alexander Veljanov recorded a cover of the song.
  • Czechoslovakian singer Waldemar Matuška performed a Czech version of this song.
  • In 1951, Desi Arnaz sang this song in the I Love Lucy episode Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer.
  • In 1956, Gene Vincent recorded this song with his group The Blue Caps for his first LP record Blue-Jean Bop, Capitol Records.
  • In 1962, The Everly Brothers recorded the song for their album Instant Party!.
  • In 1962, Marty Wilde had a UK Top 20 hit with his version of the song.
  • In 1963, The Illusions, a surf music band, recorded an instrumental version.
  • In 1963, Rob E. G. (Australian steel slide guitarist), took his instrumental version into the Australian top 5.
  • In 1967, Herman's Hermits recorded the song for their LP There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World, and it became a regular feature of their live performances afterward.
  • In 1967, The Rumbles, Ltd, a band from Council Bluffs, Iowa, recorded a pop-psychedelic version of the song. It was a regional hit in the Midwest.
  • In 1967, The Witness Inc., a group from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, released a single of the song, the arrangement of which seems to have been based on the Herman's Hermits version.
  • In 1976, Suntones covered a barbershop quartet version of this song in their album Where Is Love.
  • In 1978, The Controllers, a band from Los Angeles, recorded a punk rock version of this song.
  • In 1988, Shakin' Stevens covered this song and released it as a single in remixed form in 1989.
  • In 1990, Pink Slip Daddy covered the song for their LP & CD Antidisestablishmentarianism.
  • In 1990, Luxuria covered the song for their 7", 12", and CD single.
  • In 1992, The Mummies covered the song on their album "Never Been Caught".
  • In 1994, Reverend Horton Heat covered this song on his album Liquor in the Front.
  • In 1995, Dave Vanian & the Phantom Chords covered the song on their self-titled album.
  • In 1995, The Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten recorded a Dutch-language version of the song.
  • In 1996, Mark Brodie & The Beaver Patrol, a surf music band, covered the song for their CD The Shores Of Hell.
  • In 1997, Susan and the Surftones covered the song for the comp CD Smells Like Surf Spirit.
  • In 2007, Belinda Carlisle covered the song on her 2007 French language album Voila.
  • In 2010, Anna Calvi covered this song and recorded it as a single in February 2012.
  • In 2012, Tom Jones released the song (produced by Jack White) as the b-side to his single "Evil". "Please note, Tom Jones did record a song called "Jezebel" but different from the Frankie Laine recording, I could not verify any recording anywhere of Tom Jones version of Composer Wayne Shanklin's, Jezebel!"

    • References

    Jezebel (song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA