The Jezebel Spirit

David Byrne, Brian Eno

About The Jezebel Spirit

"The Jezebel Spirit" is the fourth song from the 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by David Byrne and Brian Eno. It was released as a single the same year.


Year:
1981
4:57
209 
#2

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Do you hear voices?
You do, so you are possessed.
You are a believer, born again
And yet you hear voices and you are possessed.
Ok, are you ready to give us a listen?
Put your hand over there.
We want this figured out.
Ok sister;
You have a Jezebel spirit within you
You have a spirit of grief
You have a spirit of destruction.
Jezebel,
Spirit of destruction,
Spirit of grief,
I bind you with chains of iron
I bind you out of that bounded heaven.
Loosen your hold and come out of her now.
(It's no good our sister.)
Out. Out Jezebel.
Come out now
(Go ahead)
Out in the name of Jesus
Come out destruction
Come out destruction
Come out grief
Jezebel you are going to listen to me Jezebel
(Go ahead sister; keep going.
Jezebel will abandon you)
She was intended by God to be a virtuous woman
You have no right to her
Her husband is the head of the house
Out Jezebel. Out. Out.. Let Jesus in.
That's right
I break your power Jezebel
Loosen your hold on her mind
Go ahead sister
Go ahead sister
Use your head
That was easy
You can sit down now.

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David Byrne

David Byrne (born May 14, 1952) is a United States-resident British musician and artist best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, and non-fiction. He has received Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe awards and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. more »

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Written by: DAVID BYRNE, BRIAN ENO

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Release Information
"The Jebel Spirit" is a music track from the album "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts". The album was released in February 1981.
Artist Collaboration
The song is a collaboration between Brian Eno, a British musician, and David Byrne, the Scottish-born lead vocalist of the band Talking Heads.
Unconventional Sampling
The song is known for its innovative use of samples, particularly the unedited exorcism recording of an alleged demon named "Jezebel".
Cultural Reference
The song's title, "The Jezebel Spirit," is a reference to the biblical character Jezebel, often interpreted as a symbol of rebelliousness and immorality.
Experimental Genre
The album in which "The Jezebel Spirit" features, employs a unique fusion of funk, world music, and musique concrete. This genre-blurring approach contributed to the track's experimental and atmospheric sound.
Reception and Influence
"The Jezebel Spirit" and the parent album have left a significant impact on music, influencing the development of genres like ambient, worldbeat, and electronica.
Innovative song creation
This song is one of the earliest recordings to use found sounds and random radio broadcasts, a technique that later became common in sample-based electronic music.
Critical Acclaim
The song and the album are critically acclaimed, often being listed among the best albums of the 1980s.
Controversial Subject Matter
The use of actual exorcism tapes in the song led to some controversy surrounding its release.
Authorship Dispute
Initially, the album credits were a source of contention. This was resolved when Eno and Byrne decided to categorize all the sampled voices on the album as instruments, thereby bypassing any claim of authorship.
Remixed Variation
In 1982, a remixed version of "The Jezebel Spirit" was released as a 12" single. This version was subsequently included on several compilations.
Live Performances
Although this song and others from the album were extremely influential, they were rarely performed live, mainly due to the technical challenges involved in recreating such complex layers of sound on stage.

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