Jezebel (song)
Encyclopedia
"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 title refers to the biblical woman Jezebel
of the Old Testament.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song written by Wayne Shanklin
Wayne Shanklin
Wayne Shanklin was an American music performer, composer, arranger, and producer....
. It was recorded by Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
with the Norman Luboff
Norman Luboff
Norman Luboff was an American music arranger, music publisher, and choir director.-Early years:Norman Luboff was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. He studied piano as a child and participated in his high school chorus. Luboff studied at the University of Chicago and Central College in Chicago...
Choir and Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
and his orchestra on April 4, 1951 and released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 39367. The record reached #2 on the Billboard chart and was a million seller.
The title refers to the biblical woman Jezebel
Jezebel (Bible)
Jezebel was a princess, identified in the Hebrew Book of Kings as the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Tyre and the wife of Ahab, king of north Israel. According to genealogies given in Josephus and other classical sources, she was the great-aunt of Dido, Queen of Carthage.The Hebrew text portrays...
of the Old Testament.
Influence
- Edith PiafÉdith PiafÉdith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
and Charles AznavourCharles AznavourCharles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
recorded a French version of the song. - Brazilian singer Leny Eversong recorded another popular version in the early 1950s.
- Alexander VeljanovAlexander VeljanovAlexander Veljanov became famous through singing in the darkwave band Deine Lakaien which he founded with Ernst Horn in 1985.- Biography :...
recorded a cover of the song. - Czechoslovak singer Waldemar MatuškaWaldemar MatuškaWaldemar Matuška was a Czech singer who became popular in his homeland during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1986, he emigrated to the United States.-Early career:...
performed a Czech version of this song.
- In 1952 the only Dutch Navy helicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
at that time, Sikorsky S-51 H-1, was named "Jezebel" after this song.. - Desi ArnazDesi ArnazDesi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
sings the song in an episode of I Love LucyI Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
(1950s). - Gene VincentGene VincentVincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
recorded this song with his group The Blue Caps for his first LP record Blue-Jean Bop (1956), Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. - The Illusions, a surf musicSurf musicSurf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
band, recorded an instrumental version in 1963. - Herman's HermitsHerman's HermitsHerman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
recorded the song in the mid-1960s, and it became a regular feature of their live performances afterward. - The Rumbles, Ltd, a band from Lincoln, NebraskaLincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, recorded a pop-psychedelic version of the song in 1967, but it did not make the national record charts. - Frankie Laine and the song "Jezebel" are referred to in the lyrics of Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
's song "Memories", from the album Death of a Ladies' ManDeath of a Ladies' ManDeath of a Ladies' Man is the fifth of Leonard Cohen's albums. Produced and co-written by the storied Phil Spector, it was a surprise to some fans when the voice of typically minimalist Cohen was surrounded, some critics said submerged completely, by Spector's Wall of Sound, which included multiple...
. - The ControllersThe Controllers (band)The Controllers were formed in July 1977 by Kidd Spike, Johnny Stingray, and Gaye Austin. The band continues with Kidd Spike and Johnny Stingray as principal members and songwriters. They were joined later that summer by D.O.A...
, a band from Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, recorded a punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
version of this song in 1978. - Reverend Horton Heat covered this song on his album Liquor in the Front in 1994.
- Anna CalviAnna CalviAnna Calvi is an English musician who plays in the band of the same name. On 6 December 2010, Calvi was announced as a nominee for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. Her self-titled debut album was released in the UK on 17 January 2011, where it debuted at number 40 on 23 January...
covered this song in 2010.