Damned If I Do (The Alan Parsons Project song)

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"Damned If I Do"
Damned I Do Alan Parsons Project.jpg
Single by The Alan Parsons Project
from the album Eve
ReleasedSeptember 1979
RecordedDecember 1978–June 1979
Studio Super Bear Studios, Berre-les-Alpes
Acro Studio, Munich
Length4:50 (album version)
3:31 (single version) [1]
Label Arista
Songwriters Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson
Producer Alan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology
"Lucifer"
(1979)		"Damned If I Do"
(1979)		"You Won't Be There"
(1980)

"Damned If I Do" is a song by British progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project from the 1979 album Eve , where it was included as the sixth track on the album. It was written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson and features Lenny Zakatek on lead vocals. "Damned If I Do" was released as a single in 1979 and reached No. 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, which at the time was their highest charting song on that listing.

Contents

Background

On "Damned If I Do", the horns were recorded on a separate take from the remaining orchestral overdubs, which were completed at Acro Studio in Munich. An alternate mix with more prominent strings and quieter drums and guitar was included on the remastered edition of Eve. [2] Parsons commented on the song in an interview included on The Complete Audio Guide To The Alan Parsons Project.

If there's such a thing as a typical Project track, I think "I'm Damned If I Do" from the Eve album would have to be one of them. It has the ingredients which we've used in the past, like french horns, the voice of Lenny Zakatek. The one exception: I never thought I'd hear the words 'I love you' on a Project song. [3]

— Alan Parsons

Critical reception

Cashbox thought that "Damned If I Do" possessed the band's "usual array of sensual electronically-produced textures" and said that it "should build AOR and pop support" on the radio. [4] Record World felt that the song had a "sharp, infectious rhythm & hook, tailored for AOR-pop." [5] Mike DeGagne of AllMusic referred to "Damned If I Do" as a "bitter and forceful" track. [6]

Personnel

Charts

Charts (1979–1980)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [7] 16
US Billboard Hot 100 [8] 27

References

  1. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard . 8 September 1979. p. 62. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Eve (remastered) (Liner Notes). United States: Arista Records. 2008. 82876838612.
  3. ↑ The Complete Audio Guide To The Alan Parsons Project (Liner Notes). United States: Arista. 1982. SP-68.
  4. ↑ "Singles to Watch" (PDF). Cashbox . 8 September 1979. p. 18. Retrieved 11 November 2025– via World Radio History.
  5. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World . 8 September 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 11 November 2025– via World Radio History.
  6. ↑ DeGagne, Mike. "Eve Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9499a." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Alan Parsons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
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