This bitter earth What fruit it bears What good is love That no one shares And if my life is like the dust That hides the glow of a rose What good am I Heaven only knows
This bitter Earth Can it be so cold Today you’re young Too soon your old But while a voice Within me cries I’m sure someone May answer my call And this bitter earth May not be so bitter after all
Boom Boom, John Lee Hooker (John Lee Hooker), 1961
Original recording, John Lee Hooker (Guitar and Vocal), Joe Hunter (Piano),James Jamerson (Bass), Benny Benjamin (Drums), Larry Veeder (Guitar), Hank Cosby (Tenor Saxaphone), and Andrew Terry (Baritone Saxaphone)
In 1995, John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”.It was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2009 in the “Classics of Blues Recording” category.
As one of Hooker’s best-known songs, “Boom Boom” has been recorded by a variety of artists. In 1963, The Yardbirds recorded a demo of the song which was released in 1966 as a single in the Netherlands and Germany and later included on their compilation album Ultimate!. 1966 albums by Mae West (Way Out West) and Shadows of Knight (Gloria) both included the song. It also appears on the 1970 album C.C.S. by the CCS and on Dr. Feelgood’s 1974 album Down by the Jetty. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band frequently covered the song, in a fashion similar to the Animals’ version, on their 1988 Tunnel of Love Express Tour. In 1997, Big Head Todd & the Monsters recorded it for their Beautiful World album, releasing it as a single the following year. The Oak Ridge Boys recorded it in 2009 featuring bass singer Richard Sterban on lead vocals from The Boys Are Back.
