When the Grammy-winning singer came back to achieve mainstream success again in 1968, he took it to another level with a much bigger track that would soon turn into his second million-selling record.
BJ Thomas‘ “Hooked On A Feeling” was released on his fourth studio album, On My Way. It peaked at No. 5 in 1969 on the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100.
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The Story Behind The Song
Written by Mark James, “Hooked On A Feeling” tells the tale of a man who’s enjoying the euphoria and excitement of falling in love – unable to resist the feelings deep inside him. He got inspiration from his feelings for his childhood sweetheart in writing the song.
Drug references were also massive in the 1960s that you will find plenty of it in this song, with James comparing love to a drug. The man in the ballad is “high on believin'” and will “just stay addicted” to the woman who can “turn me on.”
In addition to that, the song also featured the sound of Reggie Young’s electric sitar, who was a prolific studio guitarist that has appeared on well over 100 chart hits in his career spanning six decades.
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It Is One of The Most Covered Songs
Considered to be one of the best BJ Thomas songs, “Hooked on A Feeling” has been recorded by several other artists. This includes the Swedish pop group Blue Swede, whose version went on to No. 1 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1974.
Blue Swede added some twists to the song. They included the famous jungle chant “ooga chaka” in the introduction – which was inspired by Twinkle Brothers’ Jamaican Reggae version recorded in 1971. They also tweaked the lyrics to steer clear of the drug references.
You can listen to “Hooked On A Feeling” by BJ Thomas in the video below.
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