Brenton Wood, The Oogum Boogum Song | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 206th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “The Oogum Boogum Song” by Brenton Wood. 

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 206^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “The Oogum Boogum Song” performed by Brenton Wood.

“Oogum, oogum, boogum, boogum / Boogum, now, baby, you’re castin’ your spell on me.” “The Oogum Boogum Song” is a novel and playful song by Louisiana-born Cali-bred R&B/pop singer/songwriter Brenton Wood (Alfred Smith). “The Oogum Boogum Song” is the sixth track from his 1967 debut album, Oogum Boogum. “The Oogum Boogum Song” was one of Wood’s biggest hits, peaking respectably at no. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Smith penned the classic while Joseph Hooven and Hal Winn produced it. It only takes one listen to hear the magic of “Oogum Boogum.”

“You got me doin’ funny things like a clown / Just look at me.” Word, Brenton Wood! First and foremost, the lyrics of “The Oogum Boogum Song” are fun and infectious.  The chorus, excerpted above, is the crème de la crème.  Beyond the chorus, the verses are incredibly entertaining.  “When you wear your high-heeled boots / With your hip-hugger suit / It’s all right, you’re outta sight,” Wood sings in the first verse. In the second, he is entranced by her bell-bottom pants.  In the third, it is “big earrings / Long, hair, and things.” Oh, snap, oogum boogum! Wood brings ample personality. Besides personality, he provides nuanced and soulful vocals that show off his versatility.  His falsetto is particularly impressive.  The musical accompaniment accentuates the excellence of “The Oogum Boogum Song”. A one-of-a-kind song, Wood struck gold with this one!

Brenton Wood // Oogum Boogum // The Bicycle Music Company // 1967

Brenton Wood, The Oogum Boogum Song: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 206 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; The Bicycle Music Company; OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]