Love Potion No. 9 (song)
Encyclopedia
"Love Potion No. 9" is a song written in 1959 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
. It was originally performed by The Clovers
.
In an alternate version of the ending of the Clover's song, they recorded the alternate lyrics:
"I had so much fun, that I'm going back again,
I wonder what happens with Love Potion Number Ten?"
That version was used on the soundtrack to "American Graffiti".
Some radio stations banned the song, due to the lyrics involving "Kissing a cop".
The lyrics mention being "a flop with chicks" since 1956; this is often changed to a later year such as 1996 or 2006 when performed by singers who weren't even born in that year.
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
. It was originally performed by The Clovers
The Clovers
-History:The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead...
.
Story
The song describes a man seeking help finding love, so he talks to a Gypsy, who determines through palm reading that he needs "love potion number 9". The potion causes him to fall in love with everything he sees, kissing whatever is in front of him, eventually kissing a cop on the corner, who breaks his bottle of love potion.In an alternate version of the ending of the Clover's song, they recorded the alternate lyrics:
"I had so much fun, that I'm going back again,
I wonder what happens with Love Potion Number Ten?"
That version was used on the soundtrack to "American Graffiti".
Some radio stations banned the song, due to the lyrics involving "Kissing a cop".
The lyrics mention being "a flop with chicks" since 1956; this is often changed to a later year such as 1996 or 2006 when performed by singers who weren't even born in that year.
Covers
- Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (1963)
- The SearchersThe Searchers (band)The Searchers are an English beat group, who emerged as part of the 1960s Merseybeat scene along with The Beatles, The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Gerry & The Pacemakers....
(1964), a U.S. No. 3 hit in 1965 - Ronnie Dio and the Prophets (1964)
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana BrassHerb AlpertHerbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
(1965) - The VenturesThe VenturesThe Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
(February 1965) - Paolo Bracci (in Italian, as "Non Ho Dormito Mai") (1965)
- Nancy SitNancy SitNancy Sit Ka Yin is a Hong Kong actress on the TVB network. Her acting career dated back to the 1960s, when she was a popular teen idol alongside Connie Chan Po-chu, and Josephine Siao...
(1967) - The CoastersThe CoastersThe Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
(1959, 1971) - Elkie BrooksElkie BrooksElkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
(1976) - HurriganesHurriganesHurriganes is a Finnish rock band that was formed in the early 1970s. They were very popular in Finland in the 1970s and early '80s; they were also a popular live act in Sweden during this time. Their classic line-up consisted of Remu Aaltonen, Albert Järvinen and Cisse Häkkinen. What seems like...
(1978) - The NylonsThe NylonsThe Nylons are an a cappella group founded in 1978 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Best known for their covers of The Turtles' "Happy Together", Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", and The Tokens' version of the traditional "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"....
(1982) - Tygers of Pan TangTygers Of Pan TangTygers of Pan Tang are a heavy metal band, formed in 1978 and originating from Whitley Bay, England. They are a notable band of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement...
(1982) - Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
(1988) - Southern All StarsSouthern All Stars, also known by the abbreviations or SAS, is a Japanese pop/rock band that formed in the mid 1970s.The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata , Yuko Hara , Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Hiroshi Matsuda and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa...
(1990) - Carole DavisCarole DavisCarole Raphaelle Davis is an actress, singer/songwriter, and writer.-Life and career:Davis was born in London to a French mother and American Father. She grew up in England, Scotland, France, Italy and Thailand and moved to New York City as a teenager. Carole attended New York City University and...
(End Titles of the film Love Potion No. 9 arranged by James Wilson and J. Rodgers) (1992) - Neil DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
(1993) - RockapellaRockapellaRockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. Their name is derived from the words "rock" and "a cappella". They sing original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music...
- AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
- The Alley Cats
- The White StripesThe White StripesThe White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
- Flotsam and JetsamFlotsam and Jetsam (band)Flotsam and Jetsam is a thrash metal band that formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1982.-1981-1986: The beginning:The band's original name was "Paradox" founded by Drummer Kelly David-Smith and two other guitarists, until 1982 when bassist Jason Newsted joined. Jason had come to Phoenix with his band...
- MDCMDC (band)MDC is an American hardcore punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979. The band were subsequently based in San Francisco, California, and are currently based in Portland, Oregon. MDC originally formed as The Stains before changing their name...
- Gary Lewis & The PlayboysGary Lewis & the PlayboysGary Lewis & the Playboys were a 1960s rock group fronted by Gary Lewis, son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "This Diamond Ring."-Original members:* Gary Lewis - Drums and vocals...
- Art Murphy and Hard Road (1976)(Canada)
- The Dead Billies (1996)(Brazil)
- Beau Nasty (1989)
- Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
(2008) - Giuliano Palma & the BluebeatersGiuliano Palma & the BluebeatersGiuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters are a rising cover band in Italy and perform a mix of reggae, ska and rocksteady. Formed in 1994, the Bluebeaters comprises musicians of the Italian groups Casino Royale , of Africa Unite and of the Fratelli di Soledad .-Members as of 2005:* Giuliano...
(2009)(Italy) - Thaddeus Quince and the New Originals
In popular culture
- The recording by the CloversThe Clovers-History:The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead...
features in the film American GraffitiAmerican GraffitiAmerican Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
(1973).
- It was featured in the movie of the same name.
- It also appeared in the musical Smokey Joe's CafeSmokey Joe's CafeSmokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller...
.
- As a pop-culture reference, it is found in the animated film, Shrek 2. The bottle of love potion that the Fairy Godmother gives to the King of Far Far Away has IX (the number nine in Roman numerals) on the side of it.
- The SimsThe SimsThe Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
game series features a "Love Potion 8.5", that is probably a reference to both this song and the movie.
- One of the books in Dav PilkeyDav PilkeyDavid "Dav" Pilkey was born on March 4, 1966, is a popular author and illustrator of children's literature. Dav Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He also uses the pen names, George Beard and Harold Hutchins...
's Ricky Ricotta's Mighty RobotRicky Ricotta's Mighty RobotRicky Ricotta's Mighty Robot is a children's novel written by Dav Pilkey and illustrated by Martin Ontiveros, the first in the series of books.-Plot:...
series features a reference to "Hate Potion #9".
- The 8th edition rules of the live action role playing game NERO features a "Love Potion #9" that can be created with the game skill Alchemy.
- In a season 1 episode of Fraggle RockFraggle RockFraggle Rock is a children's live action puppet television program series created by Jim Henson. The central characters were a set of "Muppet" creatures called Fraggles. The show ran from January 10, 1983, to March 30, 1987, on CBC Television in Canada, ITV in the UK, HBO in the United States,...
The Trash Heap gives Wembley a bottle of Love Potion #9, which causes everyone to smells it to fall in love with him.
- The Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
song "I'll Kiss You" mentions love potion number 8 being a failure, but number 9 succeeds.
- It was performed by American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant James DurbinJames Durbin (singer)James Durbin is an American rock singer and guitar player from Santa Cruz, California, who finished in fourth place on the tenth season of American Idol.-Early life:...
during Season 10 of the reality show.
Parodies
- The Capitol Steps did a parody called "Polonium-209", which referred to the alleged murder of Alexander LitvinenkoAlexander LitvinenkoAlexander Valterovich Litvinenko was an officer who served in the Soviet KGB and its Russian successor, the Federal Security Service ....
using the aforementioned element.
- Xhol CaravanXhol CaravanXhol Caravan, known first as Soul Caravan and later as simply Xhol, was one of the first bands participating in the launch of the Krautrock movement in Germany in the late 1960s. Their music draws from varied influences and fuses rhythm and blues and free jazz with a psychedelic rock sensibility...
recorded a version in 1970 retitled "Love Potion 25" with the lyrics now referring to LSDLSDLysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
.
- Paul ShanklinPaul ShanklinPaul Shanklin is an American conservative political satirist, impressionist, comedian, and conservative speaker...
did a parody called "Love Client No. 9" about the former Democrat governor of New York Eliot SpitzerEliot SpitzerEliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
and his alias in the prostitution scandal that led to Spitzer's removal from office.