"Love Potion No. 9" is a song written in 1959 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by

the Clovers The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s.The Guinness Who's Who of Fifties Music. General Editor: Colin Larkin. First published 1993 (UK). . The Clovers p77. They had ...

, who took it to number 23 on the US as well as R&B charts that year. The song was recorded by

the Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

in 1964. Their version reached number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on ''Cash Box'' during the winter of 1965. Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass did an instrumental version (side 2, track 1) on his 1965 album '' Whipped Cream and Other Delights''. The Coasters released a version in December 1971 with "

D. W. Washburn "D.W. Washburn" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, recorded by both the Coasters and the Monkees. It was also included in the musical ''Smokey Joe's Cafe (revue)''. The Monkees' version was a non-album single and a double-sided ...

" on the B-side. It reached No. 76 on the ''Billboard'' Pop chart and No. 96 on the ''Cash Box'' chart.

History

The song describes a man seeking help to find love. He enlists the help of a

gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

who determines, by means of palmistry, that he needs "love potion number nine." The potion, an aphrodisiac, causes him to fall in love with everything he sees, kissing whatever is in front of him, eventually kissing a policeman on the street corner, who breaks his bottle of love potion. In LP release, at the ending of the song the Clovers used the alternative lyrics: :I had so much fun that I'm going back again, :I wonder what'll happen with Love Potion Number Ten? This version was used in the film '' American Graffiti'' and released on the LP version of the soundtrack, but replaced by the single version on the CD release. The song was the basic premise of the 1992 film of the same name starring

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...

and Tate Donovan.

Charts

Later versions

The heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang recorded "Love Potion No. 9" in 1982. Their version charted in the UK, reaching No. 45 in 1982. The White Stripes covered the song live at the

Gold Dollar The gold dollar or gold one-dollar piece is a gold coin that was struck as a regular issue by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1849 to 1889. The coin had three types over its lifetime, all designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longa ...

in Detroit, Michigan on the 14th of July 1997, this version was released in 2012 on the EP "Live On Bastille Day". In 2016 the song was performed by John Cooper Clarke and Hugh Cornwell for BBC 6 Music Live. The song was released as a single by indie rock band The Wallies in November 2019; it has also been covered by punk rock group The Queers on their 2021 album ''Reverberation''.{{cite web, url=https://officialthequeers.bandcamp.com/ Rockapella also covered the song.

References

External links

{{The Searchers {{The Clovers {{The Coasters {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Love Potion No. 9 (Song) 1959 singles 1963 singles Songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller The Clovers songs The Coasters songs The Searchers (band) songs Herb Alpert songs The Ventures songs Neil Diamond songs The White Stripes songs Gary Lewis & the Playboys songs United Artists Records singles Pye Records singles 1959 songs