Devil's Jump

Album: The Best Of John Lee Hooker (1949)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lyric-wise there is nothing special about this John Lee Hooker composition, but as Pete Townshend said in the November 2014 BBC documentary Play It Loud: The Story Of The Marshall Amp, Hooker had the idea of putting the microphone inside the guitar, restringing the instrument and singing into it which gave "this incredible distorted noise." Townshend said it blew him away the first time he heard it, adding that "[Rock musicians] can't claim to have invented distortion."
  • "Devil's Jump" was released in 1949, and was also credited to Texas Slim (a Hooker pseudonym). Like other obscure releases such as "Mockin' Bird Hill" (1951) and "Space Guitar" (1954), it shows the debt later generations of musicians owe to their predecessors, or as Sir Isaac Newton put it, standing on the shoulders of giants. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Carol Kaye

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.