"Jezebel" is a 1951

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song written by American songwriter

Wayne Shanklin Wayne Shanklin (June 6, 1917 – June 16, 1970) was an American singer, songwriter and producer. His best known compositions were "Jezebel", " Chanson D'Amour (Song of Love)", and " The Big Hurt". Personal life Shanklin was born June 6, 1916, i ...

. It was recorded by

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

with the

Norman Luboff Norman Luboff (May 14, 1917 – September 22, 1987) 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 s ...

Choir and

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

and his orchestra on April 4, 1951 and released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as catalog number 39367. The record reached number 2 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' chart and was a million seller. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, "

Rose, Rose, I Love You "Rose, Rose, I Love You" () is a 1940 Mandarin popular song composed by Chen Gexin and first recorded by Yao Lee. An English-language version whose lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin was first recorded by Frankie Laine i ...

", was a hit too and reached number 3.

Background

The title refers to the biblical woman

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

, a wicked, Baal-worshipping Phoenician princess who ruled Israel as queen to King Ahab. Jezebel's story is recounted in I Kings 16-20 and II Kings 9, books of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Covers

* In November 1951

Edith Piaf Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...

recorded the French-language version, with lyrics by

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

. In 1951

Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...

charted in the UK with an instrumental version. * In 1956

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

and his Blue Caps performed their version of the song on their debut album. *In 1962,

Marty Wilde Marty Wilde, (born Reginald Leonard Smith; 15 April 1939) is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, scoring several 1950s hit singles including " Endless Sl ...

had a UK Top 20 hit with his version of the song. *In 1963, Rob E. G. (Australian steel slide guitarist), took his instrumental version into the Australian top 5. * In 1965, Johnny Kendall & the Heralds released a version which reached No. 29 on the Dutch chart. *In 1967,

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...

included their version on the LP ''

There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World ''There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World'' is the fifth album released by MGM Records in the US and Canada for the band Herman's Hermits. It was released in March 1967. In the UK, ''There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World'' is the band's ...

''. *In 1994,

The Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ''Prick'' magazine reviewer called Heath ...

included his version on the LP ''

Liquor in the Front ''Liquor in the Front'' is the third album by Reverend Horton Heat. It was jointly released by Sub Pop and Interscope Records in July 1994. Al Jourgensen of Ministry fame produced the album. The album continues the band's guitar-heavy rockabill ...

''. *In 1995,

Dave Vanian David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have ...

of The Damned included his version on the LP ''

Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords (a.k.a. (the) Phantom Chords) were a 1990s Music of the United Kingdom, British rock band, featuring The Damned (band), The Damned's Dave Vanian on vocals. The band's style is a fusion of rockabilly and gothic ...

''. *The French language version by

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

, had lyrics by

, and was recorded by Piaf the same year as the Frankie Laine version. The Aznavour version was released in 1963. *In 2011, English singer-songwriter

Anna Calvi Anna Margaret Michelle Calvi (born 24 September 1980) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her accolades include three Mercury Prize nominations, one Brit Award nomination, and a European Border Breakers Award. She has been noted by ...

recorded a cover which blends both Laine's English and Piaf's French iterations, released as a single.

Popular culture

*In 1951,

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

performed the song as Ricky Ricardo in the first season of ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jezebel (Song) Songs written by Wayne Shanklin 1951 songs Frankie Laine songs Shakin' Stevens songs The Specials songs 1962 singles Columbia Records singles