Witchcraft

Today's edition of Retro Friday (in honor of Halloween being on Monday) features the band Book of Love, and the song Witchcraft.

The band Book of Love formed in 1984, and was a popular synth pop and dance music band, alongside Sire Records labelmates Depeche Mode and Erasure. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also included Ted Ottaviano (no relation to Susan), Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee.

The band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later based out of New York City. The band gained its first exposure as the opening act on Depeche Mode's Black Celebration tour.

Book of Love's biggest success came on the US dance charts. Seven of their singles placed in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart between 1985 and 1993. The group's largest exposure on pop radio was with the song "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls." The song, which appeared on the Lullaby album, was originally the second half of a medley with the group's house-music version of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," a 1973 instrumental that served as the eerie theme music of the classic horror film The Exorcist. Edited down to single length, "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls" became Book of Love's only Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 90 in 1988.

I completely adore all of the songs on the album Lullaby, but one of my favorite ones is this fun little ditty, Witchcraft, which I thought was perfect for today, the Friday before Halloween. My college friends and I had a lot of fun with this silly little song! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! (Video below lyrics!)

Witchcraft

I've tried and tried
to capture you
what more can one
mere mortal do?

My love potion
boils and bubbles
poison darts
red poison apples
kafe' kasita
non kafela
Gutrune takes Siegfried
from Brunhilde
enula compana
on St. James' eve
a dash of orange
and ambergis
incantate:
Miss Mary Mack
Mack Mack
all dressed in black

My love philtre
will entrance you
it will pomp and
circumstance you
anusin, atelin
amulet
Angelique takes Barnabas
from Josette
with spiders ten
frae lockens blue
eye of newt
will stew and brew
incantate
this magic spell
Miss Lucy's in heaven
and the steamboat's in hell

Enchantra Endora Tabitha
Esmerelda Clara Hagatha

My love potion
boils and bubbles
poof! goes all my
toil and troubles
blueberry wine
and gladiola
Circe takes Glaucus
away from Sylla
coriander, vervain
and ginger root
damiana, henbane
and badger's foot
incantation
with magic black
and silver buttons
all down her back

Enchantra Endora Tabitha
Esmerelda Clara Hagatha



Cheers!