Hocus Pocus (Song)
| "Hocus Pocus" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Focus | |
| from the album Focus II | |
| Released | 1971 (Europe) February 1973 (US, Canada) |
| Format | 45 single |
| Recorded | 1971 |
| Genre | Progressive rock, hard rock |
| Length |
6:42 (album version) 3:18 (single edit) 3:25 (re-recording: "Hocus Pocus 2″ "Hocus Pocus II") |
| Label |
Imperial Records (NL) Polydor (DE, UK) Blue Horizon (UK) Sire Records (US, CA) |
| Songwriter(s) | Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman |
| Producer(s) | Mike Vernon |
| Audio sample | |
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"Hocus Pocus" is a 1971 song from Moving Waves, the second album by Dutch rock group Focus. It was written by guitarist Jan Akkerman and flautist-keyboardist Thijs van Leer.
An edited version was released as a single (with "Janis" as the B-side) on the Imperial Records, Polydor and Blue Horizon labels in Europe in 1971, but it did not chart in the UK until 1973. A faster re-recording, "Hocus Pocus 2", was released as a single (with "House of the King" as the B-side) in Europe in 1972. "Hocus Pocus" c/w "Hocus Pocus II" [sic] was released as a single on the Sire Records label in the United States and Canada in 1973.
It reached No. 20 in the UK, No. 18 in Canada, and No. 9 in the US during the spring and summer of 1973. It re-entered the UK charts at No. 57 on 6 June 2010 after being featured heavily on The Chris Moyles Show and in a Nike TV advert shown during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The song has been covered by the Vandals, and was recorded on their debut LP, When in Rome Do as The Vandals in 1984.
"Hocus Pocus" takes the form of a rondo, consisting of alternation between a powerful rock chord riff with short drum solos and then varied solo "verses" (in the original all performed by Thijs van Leer) which include yodeling, organ playing, accordion, scat singing, flute riffs, and whistling. The single version is significantly edited from the album version.
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