I Ain't Superstitious

Willie Dixon wrote "I Ain't Superstitious" knowing exactly how to weaponize Howlin' Wolf's terrifying, commanding voice. Recorded at Chess Studios in late 1961, the track is dripping with Southern hoodoo imagery, referencing black cats crossing trails and dogs howling in the dark. Wolf belted the lyrics with menacing power, anchored by drummer Sam Lay's heavy, dragging beat. The song's most defining feature, however, was Hubert Sumlin's wildly unpredictable, stinging guitar lines that periodically lashed out between the vocals. It's a masterpiece of tension, brilliantly revived by the Jeff Beck Group in 1968.