Boom Boom (song)
Encyclopedia
English rock band the Animals recorded "Boom Boom" for their 1964 UK debut album The Animals. Their rendition generally follows John Lee Hooker's version, except it conforms to a twelve-bar blues structure.
They also added "shake it baby" as a response to the "come on and shake..." refrain in the middle section. (Hooker recorded "Shake It Baby" during the 1962 American Folk Blues Festival
tour in Europe and for his 1965 album It Serves You Right to Suffer
.)
The Animals version was released as a single only in North America and peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the RPM
Top 40&5 singles chart. The song was also included on their second American album The Animals on Tour
as well as various compilation albums (sometimes with the twelve-bar guitar solo edited out).
Over the years, several versions of "Boom Boom" have been recorded by various Animals reunion lineups as well as by former members Eric Burdon
and Alan Price
.
recorded a demo of the song which was released in 1966 as a single in the Netherlands and Germany and later included on their compilation album Ultimate!
. 1966 albums by Mae West
(Way Out West
) and Shadows of Knight
(Gloria
) both included the song. It also appears on the 1970 album C.C.S.
by the CCS and on Dr. Feelgood
's 1974 album Down by the Jetty
. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band frequently covered the song, in a fashion similar to the Animals' version, on their 1988 Tunnel of Love Express Tour
. In 1997, Big Head Todd & the Monsters recorded it for their Beautiful World
album, releasing it as a single the following year. The Oak Ridge Boys
recorded it in 2009 featuring bass singer Richard Sterban
on lead vocals from The Boys Are Back
. Their rendition is closer to The Animals' version in that they include the "shake it baby" refrain.
's list of "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". It was inducted into the Blues Foundation
Hall of Fame in 2009 in the "Classics of Blues Recording" category.
They also added "shake it baby" as a response to the "come on and shake..." refrain in the middle section. (Hooker recorded "Shake It Baby" during the 1962 American Folk Blues Festival
American Folk Blues Festival
The American Folk Blues Festival was a music festival that toured Europe beginning in 1962.German jazz publicist Joachim-Ernst Berendt first had the idea of bringing original African-American blues performers to Europe. Jazz had become very popular, and rock and roll was just gaining a foothold,...
tour in Europe and for his 1965 album It Serves You Right to Suffer
It Serves You Right to Suffer
It Serves You Right to Suffer is an album by blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Lee Hooker, released on the Impulse Records label in early 1966...
.)
The Animals version was released as a single only in North America and peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Top 40&5 singles chart. The song was also included on their second American album The Animals on Tour
The Animals on Tour
The Animals on Tour was the second American studio album by British rock band The Animals. It was released by MGM Records in February 1965 . The album included two previously released singles, "I'm Crying" and "Boom Boom"....
as well as various compilation albums (sometimes with the twelve-bar guitar solo edited out).
Over the years, several versions of "Boom Boom" have been recorded by various Animals reunion lineups as well as by former members Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
and Alan Price
Alan Price
Alan Price is an English musician, best known as the original keyboardist for the English band The Animals, and for his subsequent solo work....
.
Other versions
As one of Hooker's best-known songs, "Boom Boom" has been recorded by a variety of artists. In 1963, The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
recorded a demo of the song which was released in 1966 as a single in the Netherlands and Germany and later included on their compilation album Ultimate!
Ultimate!
Ultimate! is a two-disc compilation album by English blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in 2001 on Rhino Records, catalogue R2-79825. This is the first official "complete" compilation to feature the group throughout its entire recording era.-Content:...
. 1966 albums by Mae West
Mae West
Mae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
(Way Out West
Way Out West (Mae West album)
-Charts:...
) and Shadows of Knight
Shadows of Knight
The Shadows of Knight are an American rock band from the Chicago suburbs, formed in the 1960s, who play a form of British blues mixed with influences from their native city. At the time they first started recording, the band's self-description was as follows: "The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds...
(Gloria
Gloria (Shadows of Knight album)
Gloria is the first album by The Shadows of Knight, released in 1966. The Shadows of Knight are primarily known for their hit version of the Van Morrison penned Them band's "Gloria". At the same time, the band today is regarded as one of the original punk bands.The band's association with...
) both included the song. It also appears on the 1970 album C.C.S.
C.C.S. (album)
C.C.S. was the first studio album of the British blues outfit Collective Consciousness Society, led by guitarist Alexis Korner. To avoid confusion with the group's second album with the same name, the album is often called "Whole Lotta Love", due to the inclusion of the Led Zeppelin song.-Track...
by the CCS and on Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood
Dr. Feelgood may refer to:In music:*Dr. Feelgood , an album by American band Mötley Crüe**"Dr. Feelgood" , a single and the title track from that album*"Dr. Feel Good", a song by Travie McCoy on the album Lazarus...
's 1974 album Down by the Jetty
Down by the Jetty
Down by the Jetty is the debut album by Dr. Feelgood, released in January 1975.The band's Johnny Kidd & The Pirates influenced originals appear alongside covers material like "Bonie Maronie" and "Tequila"....
. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band frequently covered the song, in a fashion similar to the Animals' version, on their 1988 Tunnel of Love Express Tour
Tunnel of Love Express Tour
The Tunnel of Love Express was a concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place in 1988. It followed by four and a half months the release of Springsteen's 1987 album, Tunnel of Love.-Itinerary:...
. In 1997, Big Head Todd & the Monsters recorded it for their Beautiful World
Beautiful World (Big Head Todd album)
Beautiful World is the fifth album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters and their third with Giant Records. Released in 1997, the album produced two hit singles— "Resignation Superman" and their cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom"—as well as the fan favorites "Tower" and "Please...
album, releasing it as a single the following year. The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet.The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel during the 1950s...
recorded it in 2009 featuring bass singer Richard Sterban
Richard Sterban
Richard Anthony Sterban is an American bass singer born in Camden, New Jersey, who joined the country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys in 1972. Prior to joining The Oak Ridge Boys, Sterban toured with J. D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, who were singing backup for Elvis Presley at that time...
on lead vocals from The Boys Are Back
The Boys Are Back (The Oak Ridge Boys album)
-Chart:-Singles:...
. Their rendition is closer to The Animals' version in that they include the "shake it baby" refrain.
Accolades
In 1995, John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
's list of "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". It was inducted into the Blues Foundation
Blues Foundation
The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 Blues organizations from various parts of the world....
Hall of Fame in 2009 in the "Classics of Blues Recording" category.