Description
3rd track from Energy (1978). Paranormal galore! The weirdness is on display in this remake of the 1973 Fleetwood Mac classic written by Bob Welch. "'Hypnotized' is a wonderfully slow, bluesy groove —different, but outstanding in its treatment and probably the best song on the album," according to AllMusic reviewer Amy Hanson.
"The Pointer Sisters album was a major breakthrough for the group," says Amazon customer reviewer Alex Litvak. "Sister Bonnie [had] recently departed for a solo career and the group signed on to Planet label and picked uber hot producer hit maker Richard Perry to produce their first effort for Planet. Perry, a production genius, steered the sisters towards a new sound. At a time when black artists were expected to do R&B music, the Pointer Sisters tool[ed] a bold risky step towards rock."
The record spawned a number two pop smash (and gold-certified single) with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire." "Happiness" also scored on the pop Top 40. Energy became the group's first gold-certified release since 1974's That's a Plenty. The album was remastered and issued on CD with bonus tracks in 2009 by Wounded Bird Records.
AS FOR THE WEIRD STUFF...
Bob Welch, who was a guitarist and vocalist in Fleetwood Mac from 1971-1974, wrote: "I was (and still am) interested in the paranormal - UFO's, the Carlos Castaneda books about the Yaqui Indian 'sorcerer' Don Juan - so I incorporated a lot of these themes and references into the song. The 'place down in Mexico' refers to Castaneda's Yaqui sorcerer, Don Juan, who is presumably doing 'astral' travel ;-). The 'strange, strange pond' with 'sides like glass' refers to a strange anomalous depression in the North Carolina woods near Winston-Salem, North Carolina which a friend told me about, which, at the time, freaked him (and his dirt-biking buddies) out."
Welch explained that the song started out as a "shuffle-time blues rocker" for singer Dave Walker. But when Walker left the group, Welch "hurriedly re-wrote the lyrics in Christine McVie's upstairs living room at 'Benifolds,' the 'mansion' south of London where we all lived and recorded at the time - it was a 20 room house. The 'playing field' mentioned in one of the verses made a reference to the large grass tennis court which was part of the property... and kind of spooky at night."
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It's the same kinda story
That seems to come down from long ago
Two friends having coffee together
When something flies by their window
It might be out on that lawn
Which is wide, at least half of a playing field
Because there's no explaining what your imagination
Can make you see and feel
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
Now, it's not a meaningless question
To ask if they've been and gone
I remember a talk about North
Carolina and a strange, strange pond
You see, the sides were like glass
In the thick of a forest without a road
And if any man's hand ever made that land
I think it woulda showed
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
Ooooo-ooo, Ooooo-ooo
Ooooo-ooo, Ooooo-ooo
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
They say there's a place down in Mexico
Where a man can fly over mountains and hills
And he don't need no airplane or some kinda engine
And he never will
Now, you know it's a meaningless question
To ask if these stories are right
'Cause what matters most is the feeling
You get when you're hypnotized
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
Seems like a dream
Got me hypnotized
Got me hypnotized
Got me hypnotized
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Song written by Bob Welch
Lead Vocals – All three Pointer Sisters in the group at the time—Anita, Ruth, and June—take turns singing lead on this song
Drums – Jeff Porcaro
Bass – Eddie Watkins Jr
Slide Guitar – Waddy Wachtel
Danny Kortchmar – electric guitar
Acoustic Guitar – Randy Bachman
Electric Piano – David Paich
Clavinet, Synthesizer – James Newton Howard
Richard Perry – producer
Dennis Kirk – recording engineer
Bill Schnee – remix engineer
Gabe Veltri – assistant engineer
Doug Sax – mastering engineer at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
Robin Rinehart – production coordinator
Kathleen Carey – song coordinator
Marylin Vance – fashion coordinator
Kosh – design, art direction
James M. Shea – photography