Spooky (Classics IV song)

"Spooky"
"Spooky"
Single by Atlanta Rhythm Section
from the album Underdog
B-side	"It's Only Music"
Released	August 1979
Genre	Soft rock
Length	4:57
Label	Polydor
Composers	Mike Shapiro, Harry Middlebrooks Jr., James Cobb, Buddy Buie
Producer	Buddy Buie
Atlanta Rhythm Section singles chronology

"Spooky"
"Spooky"
Single by Classics IV
from the album Spooky
B-side	"Poor People"
Released	October 1967
Recorded	late summer/early fall 1967
Genre	Blue-eyed soul; psychedelic soul; psychedelic rock; pop;
Length	2:50
Label	Imperial
Songwriters	Mike Shapiro; Harry Middlebrooks Jr.; James Cobb; Buddy Buie;
Producer	Buddy Buie
Classics IV singles chronology

"Spooky" is an instrumental song, originally performed by saxophonist Mike Sharpe (Shapiro) and written by Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks Jr, which first charted in 1967 hitting No. 57 on the US pop charts and No. 55 on the Canadian charts.^[4]^[5] Its best-known version was created by songwriter James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie for the group Classics IV when they added lyrics about a "spooky little girl". The vocalist was Dennis Yost.^[6] The song is noted for its eerie whistling sound effect depicting the spooky woman. It has become a Halloween favorite.^[7]^{[unreliable source?]} In 1968, the vocal version reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,^[8] No. 1 in Canada,^[9] and No. 46 in the UK.^[10]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1967–68)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles ^[11]	1
New Zealand^[12]	19
UK (OCC)^[10]	46
US Billboard Hot 100^[8]	3
US Cash Box Top 100^[13]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1968)	Rank
Canada^[14]	84
US Billboard Hot 100^[15]	26

Atlanta Rhythm Section version

James Cobb and bandmate Dean Daughtry later became part of Atlanta Rhythm Section and re-recorded "Spooky" in 1979, also produced by Buie. It was the second of two singles released from their Underdog LP.

ARS's version hit No. 17 in the US on Billboard and No. 15 on Cash Box.^[16] It also charted minorly internationally.^[17]

Charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australia	96
Canada RPM Top Singles^[18]	37
New Zealand (RIANZ)^[19]	47
UK Singles Chart^[17]	48
US Billboard Hot 100^[8]	17
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	23
US Cash Box Top 100^[16]	15

Other versions

A version of "Spooky" was recorded by UK singer Dusty Springfield in 1968 and was released as a single worldwide except in the US. This gender-flipped version was featured prominently in the Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as in Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother. Springfield's version was certified gold by BPI in 2024.^[20] The song has gone on to become probably the most recognisable recording of the song, having gained over 10 million views on YouTube^[21] over 280 million streams on Spotify, and regular use on TikTok.^{[citation needed]}

Lydia Lunch released a version of the song on her 1980 album Queen of Siam. The lyrics are addressed to "a spooky little boy".^{[citation needed]}

Another gender-flipped version was recorded by Martha Reeves and released on the album In the Midnight Hour in 1986. In this version, the line "spooky little girl like you" is changed to "spooky old lady like me".^{[citation needed]}

A big band Latin Jazz version of the song appears on the 2024 Grammy-nominated double CD Vox Humana, recorded live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in NYC by the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band. It features Janis Siegel on vocals highlighting the genre switch, along with Peter Brainin on tenor saxophone over authentic Cuban cha-cha, son montuno rhythm, with a jazz-oriented arrangement by Jeremy Fletcher.^{[citation needed]}

References

↑ Mason, Stewart. Classics IV - The Very Best of Classics IV (1988) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
1 2 3 Zivkovic, Ljubinko (January 6, 2025). "12 obscure psych-rock songs from the 1960s that deserve a revival". Audio Phix. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
↑ Eder, Bruce. Classics IV - The Very Best of Dennis Yost & the Classics IV (2002) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
↑ "Sony/ATV". Sony/ATV. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 25, 1967" (PDF).
↑ Martin, Douglas (December 10, 2008). "Dennis Yost, 65, Singer for the Classics IV, Is Dead". The New York Times.
↑ "The Classics IV". Classicbands.com. May 16, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
1 2 3 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1968" (PDF).
1 2 "Classics IV". Official Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1968" (PDF).
↑ http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1637#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, May 10, 1968
↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 24, 1968". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1968". Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
1 2 "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 13, 1979". Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
1 2 "Underdog". The Atlanta Rhythm Section. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. October 20, 1979. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
↑ Flavour of New Zealand, 9 December 1979
↑ "British certifications – Dusty Springfield – Spooky". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 29, 2024. Type Spooky Dusty Springfield in the "Search:" field.
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8bAbvk5Hs4

External links

[AllMusic_Mason-1] Mason, Stewart. Classics IV - The Very Best of Classics IV (1988) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.

[Zivkovic_2025-2] 1 2 3 Zivkovic, Ljubinko (January 6, 2025). "12 obscure psych-rock songs from the 1960s that deserve a revival". Audio Phix. Retrieved January 8, 2025.

[AllMusic_Eder-3] Eder, Bruce. Classics IV - The Very Best of Dennis Yost & the Classics IV (2002) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2024.

[4] "Sony/ATV". Sony/ATV. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2016.

[5] "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 25, 1967" (PDF).

[6] Martin, Douglas (December 10, 2008). "Dennis Yost, 65, Singer for the Classics IV, Is Dead". The New York Times.

[7] "The Classics IV". Classicbands.com. May 16, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2016.

[auto1-8] 1 2 3 Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[9] "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1968" (PDF).

[occ-10] 1 2 "Classics IV". Official Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2020.

[11] "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1968" (PDF).

[12] ttp://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1637#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, May 10, 1968

[13] "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 24, 1968". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

[14] "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.

[15] "Billboard Top 100 – 1968". Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2017.

[auto-16] 1 2 "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 13, 1979". Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

[disc8-17] 1 2 "Underdog". The Atlanta Rhythm Section. Retrieved October 1, 2016.

[18] "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. October 20, 1979. Retrieved April 4, 2017.

[19] Flavour of New Zealand, 9 December 1979

[20] "British certifications – Dusty Springfield – Spooky". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 29, 2024. Type Spooky Dusty Springfield in the "Search:" field.

[21] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8bAbvk5Hs4

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v t e Classics IV
Tom Garrett Kevin Lloyd James Yoder Paul Weddle John Kerner Shawn White Dennis Yost J. R. Cobb Walter Eaton Joe Wilson Kim Venable Auburn Burrell Michael Huey Dean Daughtry
Albums	Spooky (1967) Mamas and Papas/Soul Train (1968) Traces (1969) Song (1970) What Am I Crying For (1973)
Singles	"Spooky" "Stormy" "Traces" "Everyday with You Girl" "What Am I Crying For"
Related articles	Atlanta Rhythm Section

v t e Atlanta Rhythm Section
Dean Daughtry Rodney Justo Steve Stone Justin Senker David Anderson Rodger Stephan Robert Nix James B. Cobb, Jr. Roy Yeager
Studio albums	Atlanta Rhythm Section (1972) Back Up Against the Wall (1973) Third Annual Pipe Dream (1974) Dog Days (1975) Red Tape (1976) A Rock and Roll Alternative (1976) Champagne Jam (1978) Underdog (1979) The Boys from Doraville (1980) Quinella (1981) Truth in a Structured Form (1989) Atlanta Rhythm Section '96 (1996) Partly Plugged (1997) Eufaula (1999)
Live albums	Live at The Savoy, New York October 27, 1981 (2000)
Compilations	20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Atlanta Rhythm Section (2000)
Singles	"So in to You" (1977) "Imaginary Lover" (1978) "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight" (1978) "Do It or Die" (1979) "Spooky" (1979) "Alien" (1981)
Related articles	Discography Members