Hooked on a Feeling


"Hooked on a Feeling" is a 1968 pop song written by Mark James and originally performed by B.J. Thomas. Thomas's version featured the sound of the electric sitar and reached No. 5 in 1969 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been recorded by many other artists, including Blue Swede, whose version reached No. 1 in the United States in 1974. The Blue Swede version made singer Björn Skifs' "Ooga-Chaka-Ooga-Ooga" intro well known, although it had been used originally by British musician Jonathan King in his 1971 version of the song.

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Jonathan King version

In 1971, English musician Jonathan King recorded a cover version of the song, adding ooga chaka jungle chants. King described it as "a reggae rhythm by male voices". His version reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1971.

Blue Swede cover

In 1974, the Swedish pop group Blue Swede did a cover version, which included the "ooga chaka" introduction from Jonathan King's 1971 cover. Their arrangement was inspired by a version recorded in 1971 by the Jamaican Reggae band the Twinkle Brothers. The Blue Swede version of the song also tweaked the lyrics to avoid a drug reference. This version reached number one in the United States. Billboard ranked it as the No. 20 song for 1974.

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