Home > Encyclopedia > SongBase
Witchcraft
Words & Music:
Dave Bartholomew/ P. KingDon't do that, please stop it
Please stop it now
You know I can't take it
Please stop it now
My head is spinning a spell on me now
My head is spinning around and around
My head is spinning around and around
Your witchcraft has got me
Keep going down and down
Let me forget her, don't mention her name
You know it brings back that old burning flame
It hurts to know that she doesn't feel the same
I can't go on since she left me alone
My one desire now is to cry, now to cry
She might come back one day by and by and by Recorded:
1963/05/26, first released on
singleReactions
Great rocker with a superb Boots. Maybe we can judge the Sinatra song here also, because he outsang Frank at his own turf. Poor Frank.
Love this song and love the GR4-album too. Another of the many songs one could play for people who thinks that only the Elvis songs that get airplay on the radio are great.
When I was 12, I bought my OWN first Elvis LP (my mom had me listening to Elvis while I was in the womb) and it was Gold Records V4. Even though I bought it mosly for Devil In Disguise, Witchcraft was one of the other standouts. I love this song. Bossa Nova Baby is good, (and one of his best music scenes in a 60's movie) but Witchcraft is a better song.
As much as I like it, I am not as enthused as others here but really dig the sax solo so give it 4 stars. Thought the A side was much better and totally out of the ordinary for releases at that time.
I agree with everyone here, this is a solid (great) performance and a fun song.
This is such a tremendous, electrifying, energetic, groovy, fun and catchy song and it should definitely be way better known than it actually is. This is such an exciting song to dance to as well. This song should've definitely been a massive hit for Elvis here in the United States, but it wasn't.
A good song probably A side material C/W a good ballad. I think Bossa Nova Baby was probably more commercial at the time of release though.
Great track! I agree with those who see the 60' singles somehow mishandled. Elvis could have had even more top 5 singles if coupled differently. This one is mentioned. Take His Latest Flame/Little Sister, knocking eachother off the top slot, maybe? But, at the time one saw the movies as today's videos for promoting the singles. As such history cannot be rewritten. This one has always been a favourite of mine. I held it above Bossa Nova Baby for my own pleasure as the A side of that record. I was pleased to find it included in Golden Records volume 4 back then!
"The King" in top form while "Boots"Randolph in my opinion is the greatest sax player of all-time. I also like the piano on this song.
I LOVE THIS SONG!! One of the greatest and lesser known tracks that Elvis ever recorded. I can't believe this song was not released as an A-side single-it could have easily reached #1. Those people at RCA and the colonel were such a travesty! But this song was a shining example of what E could've been in the 60's had he not had bullies managing his career at the time. ROCK ON ELVIS!!
Good track and single choice. A blaring sax solo from Boots gives it an extra boost. In fact, the last great double sided single from Elvis until Guitar Man/Hi-Heel Sneakers.
Invisible because there was a reaction to someone else
There is no doubt this song deserved to be an A-side. This is Elvis at his rockin' best and while coupled with "Bossa Nova Baby" it made a great single, it could have been a top 5 hit had it been the A-side of a ballad (maybe "Never Ending" or "Echoes Of Love"). The mishandling of his '63 recordings were a travesty; but even worse was the next single when the splendid "It Hurts Me" was hidden away as the B-side of the inferior "Kissin' Cousins". "Witchcraft", "It Hurts Me" and "I Met Her Today" were three recordings that if they had been properly released when have given Elvis three more top 5 hits.
Great rocker. When I bought this in 1963, I thought it was the Sinatra song. Im so glad it wasnt. Super sax solo. One of the best studio tracks from the early 60's. I remember this getting as much airplay as Bossa Nova Baby at the time. It prob could have been an A side for a 1963 single. Perhaps a follow up to Devil. The mismanagement of Elvis' 1963 studio recordings are perhaps one of the worse missteps of his career. The Colonel was out of touch at this time and should have been canned.
Available Alternate Versions