Devil Woman (Cliff Richard song)

Last updated

"Devil Woman"
Devil Woman - Cliff Richard.jpg
Cover of 1982 UK re-release
Single by Cliff Richard
from the album I'm Nearly Famous
B-side "Love On (Shine On)"
Released23 April 1976
Recorded8–9 September 1975
Studio EMI Studios, London
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bruce Welch
Cliff Richard singles chronology
"Miss You Nights"
(1975)		"Devil Woman"
(1976)		"I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You"
(1976)
Music video
"Devil Woman" on YouTube

"Devil Woman" is a 1976 single by British singer Cliff Richard from his album I'm Nearly Famous .

Contents

A worldwide hit on its original release, the song saw a resurgence in popularity after appearing in the film I, Tonya (2017), as the theme for the character of LaVona Golden, played by Allison Janney.

The song was written by Terry Britten and Christine Authors (who was the singer of the Family Dogg under the name Christine Holmes). The song is told from the point of view of a man jinxed from an encounter with a stray cat with evil eyes, and his discovery that the psychic medium whose help he sought to break the curse was the one responsible for the curse in the first place. However, the nature of the curse is not made clear.

Original release

Released in late April 1976, "Devil Woman" rose to number 9 on the singles chart in Richard's native UK in June 1976. It became Richard's first single to reach the Top 20 in the US, making number 6 on the Hot 100, Richard's highest-peaking single and biggest seller in the US. "Devil Woman" is the third biggest-selling Cliff Richard single, with over two million copies sold worldwide. [2] [3] It was certified Gold by the RIAA in the US and the CRIA in Canada. [4] [5]

The musicians featured on the recording are Terry Britten on guitar, Alan Tarney on bass, Clem Cattini on drums, Graham Todd on keyboards, and Tony Rivers, John Perry, and Ken Gold on backing vocals, with string arrangements by Richard Hewson. The song is heavily guitar-driven, with soft-distortion lines doubling the melody in the chorus and long, high, sustained single notes providing atmosphere over the verses. A Rhodes electric piano, bass guitar, drums, and percussion are the only other instruments.

The chorus vocal line was mimicked on Black Sabbath's "Lady Evil". [6]

Track listing

7": EMI / EMI 2458

  1. "Devil Woman" – 3:41
  2. "Love On (Shine On) – 3:04

7": Rocket / PIG-40574 (North America)

  1. "Devil Woman" – 3:35
  2. "Love On (Shine On) – 3:04

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [30] Gold75,000^
United States (RIAA) [31] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Britten</span> Musical artist

Terence Ernest Britten is an English-Australian singer-songwriter and record producer, who has written songs for Tina Turner, Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo and Michael Jackson amongst many others. Britten won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1985 for "What's Love Got to Do with It".

<i>Clearly Love</i> 1975 studio album by Olivia Newton-John

Clearly Love is the sixth studio album by Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Don't Talk Anymore (Cliff Richard song)</span> 1979 single by Cliff Richard

"We Don't Talk Anymore" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard, written by Alan Tarney and produced by the Shadows' rhythm guitarist, Bruce Welch. It was released in 1979 as a single and reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 1979, remaining there for four weeks, Richard's tenth UK number one and his first since "Congratulations" in 1968.

Tarney/Spencer Band were a rock band formed in London in 1975 with Trevor Spencer on drums and Alan Tarney on lead guitar, bass guitar and lead vocals. Both had been in Australian bands, including James Taylor Move, prior to relocating to the United Kingdom, where they formed the duo. The group issued three albums, Tarney and Spencer (1976), Three's a Crowd (1978) and Run for Your Life (1979). Their single, "No Time to Lose" (1979), received airplay in the United States on album-oriented rock radio stations. It charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in both 1979 and again in 1981 upon re-issue. By the end of 1979, Tarney/Spencer Band had broken up and both founders undertook careers as songwriters, session musicians and record producers.

<i>Always Guaranteed</i> 1987 studio album by Cliff Richard

Always Guaranteed is the 28th studio album by Cliff Richard, released in 1987. The album peaked at number 5 in the UK Albums Chart, and spent a total of 24 weeks on the chart over 1987–88. The album was certified Platinum by the BPI and achieved sales over 1.3 million globally. The album was produced by Alan Tarney who had produced two of Richard's previous albums, Wired for Sound and I'm No Hero in the early 1980s and written Richard's highest selling single "We Don't Talk Anymore" in 1979. Tarney wrote all but one track on the album.

<i>Im Nearly Famous</i> 1976 studio album by Cliff Richard

I'm Nearly Famous is the eighteenth studio album by Cliff Richard, released in May 1976.

<i>Every Face Tells a Story</i> 1977 studio album by Cliff Richard

Every Face Tells a Story is the nineteenth studio album by Cliff Richard. Released in March 1977, it followed up Richard's comeback album, I'm Nearly Famous. The album peaked at No.8 during a 10-week run on the UK Album Chart and spawned three hit singles. "Hey Mr. Dream Maker" was released as the first lead single in November 1976 and reached number 31 in the UK Singles Chart. "My Kinda Life" was released as a single in late February 1977 and peaked at number 15 in the UK. The third single, "When Two Worlds Drift Apart" was released in late June and reached number 46 in the UK.

<i>Rock n Roll Juvenile</i> 1979 studio album by Cliff Richard

Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile is the 22nd studio album by Cliff Richard, released in 1979. It featured his biggest-ever single, "We Don't Talk Anymore", which was a UK No. 1 hit and the No. 4 hit "Carrie".

<i>Im No Hero</i> 1980 studio album by Cliff Richard

I'm No Hero is the 23rd studio album by Cliff Richard, released in 1980. The album includes three hit singles, of which "Dreamin'" and "A Little in Love" were top 20 hits in both the UK and the US.

<i>Wired for Sound</i> 1981 studio album by Cliff Richard

Wired for Sound is the 24th studio album by Cliff Richard, released in September 1981. The album peaked at number 4 in the UK album charts upon release, and spent a total of 25 weeks on the chart in 1981–82. The album was certified Platinum by the BPI, and achieved global sales of over one million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fooled Around and Fell in Love</span> Song written and performed by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop

"Fooled Around and Fell in Love" is a song written and performed by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop with Mickey Thomas on lead vocals. It appeared on Bishop's 1975 album Struttin' My Stuff, and was released as a single the following year.

"There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who'll Take Me Back In)" is a song best known for the 1974 recording by American country music artist Conway Twitty, who took it to number 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart. The song was written by Troy Seals and Denny Rice and originally released on Troy Seals' 1973 debut album Now Presenting Troy Seals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamin' (Cliff Richard song)</span> 1980 single by Cliff Richard

"Dreamin'" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard from his 1980 album, I'm No Hero. The track was the first of three singles released and was the biggest hit from the album, becoming a top-ten hit in numerous countries including the UK and the US where it became his third and last top ten hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie (Cliff Richard song)</span> 1979 single by Cliff Richard

"Carrie" is a song performed by Cliff Richard and released in December 1979 as the third single lifted from Richard's album Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile. It reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and became an international hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey Mr. Dream Maker</span> 1976 single by Cliff Richard

"Hey Mr. Dream Maker" is a song by Cliff Richard from his album Every Face Tells a Story and the first single to be released from the album. It was released as a single in 1976 reaching number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. It was a top ten hit in South Africa reaching number 6.

<i>Dressed for the Occasion</i> (Cliff Richard album) 1983 live album by Cliff Richard

Dressed for the Occasion is an album by English singer Cliff Richard, recorded live with the accompaniment of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1982. It was released in May 1983 on the EMI label and reached No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart and No. 30 in Australia. It was certified Silver in the UK.

<i>Thank You Very Much</i> (album) 1979 live album by Cliff Richard and The Shadows

Thank You Very Much is an album of the March 1978 reunion concerts at the London Palladium by English singer Cliff Richard and the group that backed him in the 1950s and 1960s The Shadows. It was released in February 1979 on the EMI label and reached No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You</span> 1976 single by Cliff Richard

"I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You" is a song by British singer Cliff Richard, released as the third single from his album I'm Nearly Famous in July 1976. It reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart and number 80 in the Billboard Hot 100. It also did particularly well in Ireland, reaching number 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Help It Along</span> 1973 single by Cliff Richard

"Help It Along" is a song by British singer Cliff Richard, released as a four-track maxi single. It peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Hangin' On" is a song by the Gosdin Brothers, released in August 1967. It has been recorded by numerous artists, including Joe Simon, Ann Peebles, Cher, Cliff Richard and Ann-Margret & Lee Hazlewood.

References

  1. 1 2 Burke, Ken (1 January 1998). "Cliff Richard". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 401.
  2. ↑ Steve Turner (2008), Cliff Richard, p. 274, ISBN   9780745952796
  3. ↑ "William's Cliff Chart Site - Cliff Richard World Singles". Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2006.
  4. ↑ "American certifications – "Richard, Cliff"". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Canadian certifications – Cliff Richard". Music Canada . Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Music notes: Mourning a metal master: Ronnie James Dio". Deseret News. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Devil Woman" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5082A." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  10. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4336." RPM . Library and Archives Canada.
  11. ↑ "CHUM Chart". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  12. ↑ Refer to the Top 20/30 tab: "Denmark singles chart - Devil Woman". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par R". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Devil Woman". Irish Singles Chart.
  15. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ↑ "Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". VG-lista.
  17. ↑ As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion: "South African Charts 1969 - 1989". rock.co.za. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  19. ↑ "Cliff Richard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 200.
  21. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 2, 1976". Cash Box magazine . Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  22. ↑ "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World . 2 October 1976. p. 30. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  23. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 15 January 2022– via Imgur.
  24. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  26. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 1976 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  27. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1976" . Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  29. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976". cashboxmagazine.com. 25 December 1976. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  30. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". Music Canada.
  31. ↑ "American single certifications – Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.