| The Witch Queen of New Orleans | |
| Cover: | Witch Queen of New Orleans -Redbone.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Redbone |
| Album: | Message from a Drum |
| B-Side: | Chant: 13th Hour |
| Released: | 1971 |
| Genre: | Swamp rock |
| Length: | 2:45 |
| Label: | Epic |
| Prev Title: | Light as a Feather |
| Prev Year: | 1971 |
| Next Title: | Niji Trance |
| Next Year: | 1972 |
"The Witch Queen of New Orleans" is a 1971 song by Redbone. The single was released from Redbone's third album Message from a Drum,[1] which is also titled The Witch Queen of New Orleans in its European release.[2] The song peaked at No. 2 in the United Kingdom and No. 21 in the United States.
"The Witch Queen of New Orleans" is about a 19th-century practitioner of voodoo from New Orleans named Marie Laveau,[3] [4] referred to in the song lyrics as "Marie la Voodoo veau".[5] The song was written by the two Native American brothers of the group Redbone, Lolly Vegas and Pat Vegas. It shows influences from New Orleans R&B and swamp pop.[6]
The song was released in 1971 with "Chant: 13th Hour" as the B-side in the US. It debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1971 in the US where it reach a peak of No. 21 in 1972 (chart date February 19, 1972).[7] The song reached No. 2 in the UK single chart in October 1971 behind Rod Stewart's "Maggie May".
| Chart (1971–1972) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 17 | |
| Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[9] | 14 | |
| France (IFOP)[10] | 23 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 21 | |
| US Cash Box[12] | 19 |
| Chart (1971) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] | 37 | |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] | 41 | |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 34 |
| Chart (1972) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] | 95 | |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] | 96 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 81 |
| Witch Queen | |
| Cover: | Witch_Queen_by_Chantoozies.jpg |
| Caption: | 7" single cover |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Chantoozies |
| Album: | Chantoozies |
| B-Side: | The Chantoozie Shuffle |
| Released: | January 12, 1987[19] |
| Studio: | Platinum Studios, Melbourne |
| Length: | 4:09 |
| Label: | Mushroom Records |
| Producer: | David Courtney |
| Next Title: | He's Gonna Step on You Again |
| Next Year: | 1987 |
Australian group Chantoozies released a version of the song in 1987 as their debut single, retitled "Witch Queen". The song peaked at number 4 on the Australian Kent Music Report.[8]
7" single (K 208)
12" single (X 14459)
Artist Howard Arkley produced a series of sketches in the early 1970s referencing popular songs, one of which is titled "Which Queen" as a reference to this song.[22]
The song is commonly played during Halloween in the United States.[23]
. Dave Thompson (author) . 2010 . Bayou Underground: Tracing the Mythical Roots of American Popular Music . Track Three: "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" by Redbone from the LP Witch Queen of New Orleans (Epic) 1971 . ECW Press . 978-1-55490-682-6 . https://books.google.com/books?id=4HFYKKVMvxcC&pg=PT61.
. David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book . . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6.
. David Kent (historian) . 1993 . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book . . 59 . 0-646-11917-6.
