‘Hocus Pocus’ Music Producer on Why ‘I Put a Spell on You’ Still Enchants, Almost 30 Halloweens Later

On the latest Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve got a Halloween treat for you! We find out the story behind one of modern film’s most iconic music sequences: Hocus Pocus’ “I Put a Spell on You,” as performed by Bette Midler.

Marc Shaiman, who produced and arranged the song for the movie, joins the Pop Shop to discuss how the song came together — and why the performance and film continues to enchant viewers so many years later.

“I Put a Spell on You” was first released in 1956 by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who also wrote the track. It has since been covered by many artists, including Nina Simone, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Annie Lennox and, of course, by Midler and her onscreen Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus, played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the 1993 film.

“The original recording… is a classic,” Shaiman tells the Pop Shop (listen below), “but it really only has like three lines of lyrics in it. So we just sat at the piano and we were like, ‘Well, there has to be lyrics that fit the story.’”

“My memory is that we just [came up with additional lyrics] right there on the spot,” Shaiman says. “Basically me and Bette. I’m sure everyone else threw in ideas … and it works. And it’s so good in the movie. And it was fun to arrange in the style of Bette Midler so that Kathy and SJP sing parts like The Harlettes would sing, Bette Midler’s backup group.”

Why has the movie, which has become a seasonal favorite, and its “I Put a Spell On You” performance endured all these years?

“Well, Bette Midler, Bette Midler, Bette Midler,” Shaiman explains simply, “And then, Bette Midler, as far as the number. And then you know, the ladies are just having so much fun. I mean, Bette still to this day says it was the most fun she ever had on a movie. I mean, I do remember it was kinda disappointing that when it came out, it didn’t do so well. I think it did OK, but, it was not unlike The Wizard of Oz — I’m not saying Hocus Pocus is like The Wizard of Oz — but it was through the television showings that it became what it is now.”

Shaiman also laments the lack of commercial or streaming availability of Midler’s “I Put a Spell on You.”

“What’s heartbreaking is the fact that it doesn’t exist on a record anywhere… I guess it must be about Bette’s record [label] affiliation. She was with Atlantic [Records] then and I bet they couldn’t make a deal to borrow her [for a soundtrack release]. It’s crazy. … It’s gotta sit somewhere in the vaults at Disney.” (Walt Disney Records could not be reached for comment. Midler’s rendition of “Spell” has never been released commercially or via streaming services, while the movie’s score has only seen a limited release on CD many years ago.)

Shaiman says “hopefully maybe” they’ll release the song — “well, now that they’re making a sequel…”

Speaking of that sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, coming to Disney+ in 2022: Is Shaiman involved? “I don’t think I’m allowed to say anything,” he says, “but maybe the fact that I’m telling you that I’m not allowed to say anything says something.”

Also in his chat with the Pop Shop, Shaiman — a Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winner — discusses his long working relationship with Midler that dates back to the late 1970s. ( “Every dream of mine came true… I’ve been working with her, and great friends with her, ever since.”) Outside of his work with Midler, Shaiman has been an in-demand composer, lyricist, producer and music supervisor for film, television and musical theater. He received his sixth and seventh Academy Award nominations for the 2018 film Mary Poppins Returns (for best original score and best original song: “The Place Where Lost Things Go”).

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard’s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard’s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and senior director of Billboard charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

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JoJo Siwa Is Scary-Good as Pennywise For ‘DWTS’ Halloween Special: Watch

For her rivals on Dancing With The Stars, JoJo Siwa is pretty scary. When DWTS took a trip into Halloween world on Monday night (Oct. 25), she was utterly terrifying.

Siwa and her dance partner Jenna Johnson performed a jazz routine to “Anything Goes” by District 78 featuring Patrice Covington, for DWTS’ Horror Night.

As usual, viewers couldn’t look away as the pair impressed with their every move. On this occasion, Siwa was decked out as an evil clown, channeling Pennywise from Stephen King’s “It.”

Horror night was extra scary. It doubled as an elimination round. The axe didn’t fall anywhere near Siwa, who, for the second week straight, scored perfect 10s from the judges.

“That was scary,” noted Len Goodman, as the dancers nabbed 40 out of a possible 40 to stay top of the leaderboard. “If ever a dance captured the flavor of a book, that was it.”

It was an especially terrifying night for Kenya and Brandon, as the contestants finished in the bottom two and were ultimately eliminated.

Watch Siwa’s performance below.

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Here’s Where Justin Bieber’s ‘Peaches’ & More Top 10 Hits Are Competing for 2022 Grammy Noms

Justin Bieber is probably feeling good about this year’s Grammy Awards process. His smash hit “Peaches” (featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon) is vying for a nomination as best R&B performance. Last year, you may recall, Bieber lodged a public complaint with the Recording Academy when his album Changes and two singles from the album were nominated in pop categories.

It was a politely worded complaint — Bieber is Canadian, after all — but his disappointment was evident.

“To the Grammys I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry. I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album,” he started. “It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me. I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound.”

Bieber’s 2021 album, Justice, is also vying for a nod as best pop vocal album, but the victory for Bieber is that his pop/soul jam “Peaches,” which could have gone either way, is competing in R&B — along with such other hits as Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” and SZA’s “Good Days.” If “Peaches” is nominated, it would be Bieber’s first Grammy nod in an R&B category.

But how about the other songs that were released in this eligibility year (Sept. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021) and became top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100? Let’s see where they wound up in the 64th annual Grammy Awards process.

Note: Not all top 10 hits are listed here. Artists and their representatives are savvy enough not to flood the zone with multiple entries that could divide their support. So “Drivers License” is Olivia Rodrigo’s only entry for best pop vocal performance. Her other top 10 hits, “Déjà Vu,” “Good 4 U” and “Traitor,” are not listed.

And some artists simply decided not to play the Grammy game. The Weeknd, whose “Blinding Lights” was infamously passed over for a nod last year, didn’t enter his 2021 hit “Take My Breath.”

Some hip-hop hits are slotted in pop rather than rap categories, a sign of hip-hop’s penetration into the pop mainstream. These include Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and Lizzo featuring Cardi B’s “Rumors.”

“Mood” by 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior was released in the previous Grammy eligibility year. It vied for a best pop duo/group performance nomination last year, but it failed to register (probably because it was released too late in the year to be competitive). A live version is vying for a nod in that same category this year. Live versions of such past hits as Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” have won Grammys, so a nod is a possibility. Voters aren’t put off by the designation “(Live)” after a title.

First-round Grammy voting is underway. It began Oct. 22 and runs through Nov. 5. The Grammy nominations will be announced Nov. 23.

Here are the performance categories in which top 10 hits on the Hot 100 are competing. They’re listed in chronological order. Relive the Grammy eligibility year in all its splendor and see what the Grammy screening committee decided was the most suitable category for each of these entries.

24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior, “Mood,” best pop duo/group performance (a live version is entered).

Travis Scott featuring Young Thug and M.I.A., “Franchise,” best melodic rap performance.

Ariana Grande, “Positions,” best pop solo performance (where it is vying for a nod with her “Still Hurting”).

Luke Combs, “Forever After All,” best country solo performance.

Taylor Swift, “Willow,” best pop solo performance.

Justin Bieber, “Anyone,” best pop solo performance.

Olivia Rodrigo, “Drivers License,” best pop solo performance.

SZA, “Good Days,” best R&B performance.

CJ, “Whoopty,” best rap performance.

Cardi B, “Up,” best rap performance.

Lil Tjay featuring 6lack, “Calling My Phone,” best melodic rap performance.

Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak), “Leave the Door Open,” best R&B performance.

Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, “Peaches,” best R&B performance.

Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” best pop solo performance.

Masked Wolf, “Astronaut in the Ocean,” best melodic rap performance.

Polo G, “Rapstar,” best rap performance.

Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Kiss Me More,” best pop duo/group performance.

The Kid LAROI and Miley Cyrus, “Without You,” best pop duo/group performance.

J. Cole, 21 Savage and Morray, “My Life,” best rap performance.

J. Cole and Lil Baby, “Pride Is the Devil,” best melodic rap performance.

BTS, “Butter,” best pop duo/group performance.

Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits,” best pop solo performance.

Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby,” best melodic rap performance.

Lizzo featuring Cardi B, “Rumors,” best pop duo/group performance.

Kanye West, “Hurricane,” best melodic rap performance (the Grammy entry credits featured performers The Weeknd and Lil Baby).

Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like,” best country performance.

Drake featuring Future and Young Thug, “Way 2 Sexy,” best rap performance.

Drake featuring Lil Baby, “Girls Want Girls,” best melodic rap performance.

Wizkid featuring Justin Bieber and Tems, “Essence,” best global music performance (the Grammy entry doesn’t credit Bieber).

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Sonny Osborne, Bluegrass Banjoist Behind ‘Rocky Top,’ Dies at 84

Bluegrass musician and singer Sonny Osborne, whose fast banjo licks turned “Rocky Top” into a hit with The Osborne Brothers, has died. He was 84.

Alison Brown, a Grammy-winning banjo player, told The Tennessean that Osborne died on Sunday. His death was first announced on the website Bluegrass Today, where Osborne was a columnist.

With his older brother Bobby, who sang and played the mandolin, the bluegrass legends were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, won a CMA Award and helped popularize and modernize the genre.

“Rocky Top,” written by songwriting couple Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, was released in 1967, but they had no idea how big the song would become. It became an anthem for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville football team and became one of the official state songs of Tennessee.

“At one time we would open the show with it and then play it again at the end,” Osborne told The Tennessean in 2017. “It was phenomenal, that song. We went to Japan, Sweden, Germany — you’d go anywhere and they’d know ‘Rocky Top.’ It put our name out in front. And it stayed there a long time.”

Osborne has also been credited as an innovator in the genre, using double banjos and six-string banjos onstage and in recordings. The Osborne Brothers also pushed boundaries, using electric guitars and drums, playing on college campuses and even the White House. They also changed up the normal harmony sound by having Bobby Osborne sing high lead in his tenor voice, with Sonny singing baritone and a third interchangeable singer on low tenor, creating a signature stacked vocal style.

Other songs they were known for include “Ruby Are You Mad” and “Tennessee Hound Dog.”

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J. Cole Celebrates His Beloved Catalog During Intimate L.A. SiriusXM & Pandora Show

“One time for my L.A. sisters, one time for my L.A. h–s,” J. Cole’s voice rumbled during his performance of “No Role Modelz” in the intimate 500-capacity Roxy Theater in West Hollywood, Calif., on Saturday night. But the Fayetteville, N.C., rapper did it two times for his L.A. fans last week, as Saturday’s performance, which was part of SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series, came two nights after his The Off-Season Tour stop at Inglewood’s Forum arena.

The coziness of Cole’s concert was all-too palpable for the artist himself, sweating through his orange tee but breezing through his decade-long discography and assuring concertgoers not to sweat it if they didn’t know his tracks bar-for-bar (while warning them not to fake it by mouthing his lyrics). The 36-year-old rhapsodist then broke down the significance of having a catalog before reliving his own, which includes six Billboard 200 No. 1 albums.

He powered through the highlights from his latest album The Off-Season during the hourlong set, such as “9 5 . s o u t h,” “m y . l i f e,” and “p r i d e . i s . t h e . d e v i l.” Then Cole amped up the crowd with fan favorites, including “Work Out” and “Nobody’s Perfect” from his 2011 debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story, “Power Trip” from 2013’s Born Sinner and “Wet Dreamz” and “G.O.M.D.” from 2014 Forest Hills Drive. 

While his Dreamville labelmates Bas, Ari Lennox, Earthgang, J.I.D, Cozz and Lute & Omen reunited for the first time since the 2019 inaugural Dreamville Festival at Colorado’s Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, their label boss brought the house down on his own, proving that even without his home team, his pen game would carry him to victory.

For Cole fans unable to attend his exclusive SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stages set, they can catch the action on SiriusXM’s Hip Hop Nation (channel 44) and on the SXM app Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. ET.

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