'Boom Boom' became the Hooker song that is 'the most memorable, the most instantly appealing, and the one which has proved the most adaptable to the needs of other performers'. Boom, boom, boom, boom I'm gonna shoot you right down Right off your feet Take you home with me Put you in my house Boom, boom, boom, boomĪlso included are several wordless phrases, 'how-how-how-how' and 'hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm'. I got it together, the lyrics, rehearsed it, and I played it at the place, and the people went wild'. Every night: 'Boom, boom – you late again'. And she kept saying, 'Boom boom – you late again'. I would never be on time I always would be late comin' in. Īccording to Hooker, he wrote the song during an extended engagement at the Apex Bar in Detroit. The song uses 'a stop-time hook that opens up for one of the genre's most memorable guitar riffs' and incorporates a middle instrumental section Hooker-style boogie. It has been described as 'about the tightest musical structure of any Hooker composition: its verses sedulously adhere to the twelve-bar format over which Hooker generally rides so roughshod'. The original 'Boom Boom' is an uptempo (168 beats per minute) blues song, which has been notated in 2/2 time in the key of F. They have been described as 'just the right band' for 'Boom Boom' Hooker had a unique sense of timing, which demanded 'big-eared sidemen'. Hunter brought with him 'the cream of the Motown label's session men, later known as the Funk Brothers': bassist James Jamerson, drummer Benny Benjamin, plus guitarist Larry Veeder, tenor saxophonist Hank Cosby, and baritone saxophonist Andrew 'Mike' Terry. Detroit pianist Joe Hunter, who had previously worked with Hooker, was again enlisted for the recording session.

However, with Vee-Jay, he usually recorded with a small backing band, as heard on the singles ' Dimples', 'I Love You Honey', and 'No Shoes'. Prior to recording for Vee-Jay Records, John Lee Hooker was primarily a solo performer or accompanied by a second guitarist, such as early collaborators Eddie Burns or Eddie Kirkland.

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