The Meaning of Mojo:

THE MEANING OF MOJO – More than you ever wanted to know

 Mojo

1.  (a noun) The word originally means a magic power or charm, or a magic spell.  But now it’s more commonly said meaning sex appeal or talent.  “I can get any girl if I just use a bit of the old MOJO “; “Man, that girl has MOJO!”;    “God help me, I think I’ve lost my MOJO!”

2.  Your cool/style essence.   “Work your MOJO sister”… “You got some large MOJO friend”

3.  Mojo is related to a man’s drive.  Sexual drive, My MOJO is raging for that girl.

4.  Your sex appeal, the magic you posses over the opposite sex, the way you present yourself.  Baby, work your MOJO tonight!

5.  Original meaning is “spell” but has been transferred to meaning “luck”

6.  Your magic, verve, pizzaz, oomph, get up and go, your zip, your spark.  It’s that little bit of extra energy we all need to get the most out of life, it’s the difference between having a good day and a GREAT day.  Lose your Mojo and you know it – you’re not firing on all cylinders and life has a tendency to be bland and mediocre.  

The Origin of Mojo:

Mojo is from Black English, first recorded in the mid-1920s. It is common throughout the South. The earliest recorded usages are in reference to the blues and jazz music. The meaning has always been magic, charm, or amulet or more broadly the power and influence derived from such a supernatural source.

It is probably African in origin. Gullah (the dialect of the South Carolina Atlantic islands) has the word moco meaning witchcraft or magic. And the Fulani language of Africa has the word moco’o meaning a shaman.

There is one meaning for mojo that appears to be the original and oldest I can find: A Mojo is a voodoo magic charm. It can be specifically a fertility charm, or just a generic word for voodoo magic. If you have a collection of charms, you might also keep them in a “Mojo bag”. In fact the word “Mojo” is pidgin for the english word “magic.”

So when an old blues singer sings of having his mojo working, he means he’s likely to be lucky with the ladies tonight. If his baby’s got a mojo, it means he’s going to remain faithful to her — can’t resist the magic!   I believe the first reference to mojo in song came from “The Mojo Blues” recorded by Charley Lincoln in 1927, and later recorded by Muddy Waters: “Oh the Mojo blues mama, crawling across the floor / Some hard-luck rascal done told me I ain’t here no more / … Aw she went to a hoodoo, she went there all alone / Because every time I leave her, I have to hurry back home.”

Similarly we have “Low Down Mojo Blues,” recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1928:    “My rider’s got a mojo, and she won’t let me see / Every time I start to loving, she ease that thing on me / She’s got to fool her daddy, she’s got to keep that mojo hid / But papa’s got something, for to find that mojo with / She got four speeds forward, and she don’t never stall / The way she bumps over the hill, it would make a panther squall.”
You can get the impression a mojo has something to do with sex, mainly because nine times out of ten it does have something to do with sex, in the form of a love charm or aphrodisiac or something.   “Scarey Day Blues” by Blind Willie McTell in 1931 makes this pretty clear:  “My good gal got a mojo, she’s trying to keep it hid / But Georgia Bill got something to find that mojo with [I know this is repetitive, but it gets better] / I said she got that mojo, and she won’t let me see / And every time I start to love her, she’s tried to put them jinx on me. Much later reference to mojo comes from The Beatles in “Come Together” from Abbey Road (“He got … mojo filter”).

The song that put the term mojo on the map in the late 50’s was probably “ Got My Mojo Working”.  

It is a 1956 song written by Preston Foster and first recorded by Ann Cole, but popularized by Muddy Waters in 1957.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V25iA2XPzuA    Waters’ rendition of the song was featured on the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.  (The song has been covered by many artists, including Louis Jordan (1956), Jimmy Smith (1962), Conway Twitty (1964), Manfred Mann (1964), The Zombies (1964), The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965), Art Blakey (1966), Carla Thomas (1967), Canned Heat (1969), Elvis Presley (1970), Rory Gallagher (1971), J. J. Cale (1972), B. B. King (1977), Buddy Guy (1977), Otis Rush (1986), and, Bobby Darin).

But by far the most notable reference in music is from Jim Morrison and The Doors in LA Woman, “Mr. Mojo Risin’ … risin’ risin’.”     This is the one most people think of when they hear the word Mojo.  Mojo will always be closely associated with Morrison — the expression “Mr. Mojo risin” is an anagram for Jim Morrison.  Morrison said that he would be reincarnated as “Mr. Mojo Risin’.”

And, of course the most notable reference in movies is in the Austin Powers movie.  This usage of the word was spoofed by Mike Myers in the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, in which the title character has his mojo stolen, and loses his sexual confidence and prowess.   Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Acigj8isc&feature=related  Yeahhh Ba-by!

 However, Mojo is still a popular word in other contexts.  Below are just a few references to MOJO:

• There are numerious bars with some variation of the name Mojo including the Mojo Lounge in Freemont, CA.

• It’s often a euphemism for various drugs (perhaps a reference to their magic power).

• There’s a high school football team in Odessa, TX known as Mojo.  http://kylgrafx.com/mojo/

• There’s “Mojo Radio”  http://mojoradiolive.com/Us.htm

• Shakey’s Pizza Parlor serves “Mojo potatoes,” a very good concoction of thick potato slices breaded and fried with chicken seasonings.  http://greensboring.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=329

• Mojo is a vintage guitar and Amplifiers parts music supply store in North Carolina.  http://www.mojomusicalsupply.com/

• Servicemen who spent time in the Phillipines remember a Mojo as a potent bar drink there. (I saw the recipe on a t-shirt once, OMG.)  Also saw a frozen MOJO drink in Key West at the Flying Monkey bar.  Grain alcohol is an ingredient.  See pix above.

• There’s an advertising agency known as Mojo http://www.journalism.missouri.edu/news/2006/04-21-mojo-ad.html

• There are  Mojo inline skates — Skates you can use your own shoes in.  http://www.landroller.com/

• There’s an English music magazine named Mojo.    http://www.mojomag.com/

• There is a recent book by Gary Betwistle titled ‘Who Stole My Mojo?’ -  If you’re asking ‘Who stole my Mojo?’ this book will give you the essential keys to get it back and get it working again in your life!    http://www.garybertwistle.com/who-stole-my-mojo.aspx

• There are Mojo golf balls http://www.pingballs.com/nikeballs.htm

• MOJO Outdoors™ manufactures motion and motorized decoys for hunting and birding, including a motorized mallard duck, deer, dove, crow, hawk, goose, teal and turkey decoy.  http://www.mojooutdoors.com/

• It’s a Cuban seasoning of garlic, olive oil, and sour (Seville) oranges used as a dip, marinade, or sauce.  http://icuban.com/food/mojo.html
• There are Mojo pay-as-you-go cell phone calling cards. http://www.ldpost.com/recharge-cards/MOJO-Mobile-refill-airtime-top-up.html

• Mojo energy bars are being marketed and offered in more and more places.  click here  https://www.thefind.com/beauty/browse-clif-mojo-snack-bar

• There is a Teavana loose tea called Green Tea Mojo  http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_1435068_teavana_green_tea_mojo_flavored_reviews

• AND OF COURSE THERE’S MOJO the Band www.Mojorock.com