Evil Ways (Santana song)

Last updated
"Evil Ways"
EvilWays45.jpg
Single by Santana
from the album Santana
B-side "Waiting"
ReleasedJanuary 1, 1970
Genre Jazz fusion, latin rock, psychedelic rock
Length3:54 (album version)
3:01 (single version)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Clarence "Sonny" Henry
Producer(s) Brent Dangerfield, Santana
Santana singles chronology
"Jingo"
(1969)
"Evil Ways"
(1970)
"Black Magic Woman"
(1970)

"Evil Ways" is a song made famous by Mexican-American rock band Santana from their 1969 self-titled debut album. It was written by Clarence "Sonny" Henry and originally recorded by jazz percussionist Willie Bobo on his 1967 album Bobo Motion . Alongside Santana's release in 1969, "Evil Ways" was also recorded by the band The Village Callers. [1] The lyrics of the song are written in simple verse form. [2]

Contents

Released as a single in late 1969, it became Santana's first top 40 and top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of March 21, 1970. Gregg Rolie performs the lead vocals and plays a Hammond organ solo in the middle section. The double-time coda includes a guitar solo performed by Carlos Santana, who also does the backing vocals.

Other notable recordings and samples

Johnny Mathis released the song as a single in 1970. It made the Cash Box survey at number 118, and also appeared on MOR music surveys in Billboard (#30) [3] and Record World.

Jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine recorded the song as a smooth jazz fusion on his album The Man with the Sad Face , released in 1976.

Latin rapper Mellow Man Ace sampled this track and used it as the main melody for his single "Mentirosa" (1989).

Filipino rapper RapAsia sampled this track and used it as the main melody for his Tagalog single "Hoy! Tsismosa" (1991) for the self-titled album of the same name. It was released in the Philippines by Viva Records.

Alternative rock jam band Rusted Root performed "Evil Ways" on the soundtrack of the 1995 film Home for the Holidays .

Alex Gimeno sampled the riff from "Evil Ways" in his track "Funky Bikini" (1999) from his musical project titled Ursula 1000.

The song was used in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious , and named in the credits.

Erroneous credit

On first pressings of both Santana's debut album and the single release, the songwriting credit was given to Jimmie Zack. Zack was a minor rockabilly artist out of the Midwest who recorded a song with the same title in 1960, credited as Jimmie Zack and the Blues Rockers. It was not the same song as recorded by Santana, however.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypress Hill</span> American hip hop group

Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California, formed in 1988. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and they have obtained multi-platinum and platinum certifications. The group has been critically acclaimed for their first five albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip hop and 1990s hip hop. All of the group members advocate for medical and recreational use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Trip hop is a musical genre that originated in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound, often incorporating elements of jazz, soul, funk, reggae, dub, R&B, and other forms of electronic music, as well as sampling from movie soundtracks and other eclectic sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Santana</span> American guitarist (born 1947)

Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States with Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured his melodic, blues-based lines set against Latin American and African rhythms played on percussion instruments not generally heard in rock, such as timbales and congas. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Turtles</span> American rock band

The Turtles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965 and best known for their 1967 hit song "Happy Together". They charted several other top 40 hits, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby" (1966), "She'd Rather Be With Me" (1967), "Elenore" (1968) and "You Showed Me" (1969).

<i>Santana</i> (1969 album) 1969 studio album by Santana

Santana is the debut studio album by American Latin rock band Santana. It was released on August 22, 1969. Over half of the album's length is composed of instrumental music, recorded by what was originally a purely free-form jam band. At the suggestion of manager Bill Graham, the band took to writing more conventional songs for more impact, but managed to retain the essence of improvisation in the music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Kramer</span> British audio engineer and producer

Edwin H. Kramer is a South African-born recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, the Kinks, Kiss, John Mellencamp, and Carlos Santana, as well as records for other well-known artists in various genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregg Rolie</span> American musician (b. 1947)

Gregg Alan Rolie is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter. Rolie served as lead singer of the bands Santana and Journey – both of which he co-founded. He also helmed rock group The Storm, performed in Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band until 2021, and since 2001 with his Gregg Rolie Band. Rolie is a two-time inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having been inducted both as a member of Santana in 1998 and as a member of Journey in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Farrell</span> American jazz musician

Joseph Carl Firrantello, known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name on the CTI record label and for playing in the initial incarnation of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.

<i>Santana</i> (1971 album) 1971 studio album by Santana

Santana is the third studio album by the American rock band Santana. The band's second self-titled album, it is often referred to as III or Santana III to distinguish it from the band's 1969 debut album. The album was also known as Man with an Outstretched Hand, after its album cover image. It was the third and last album by the Woodstock-era lineup, until their reunion on Santana IV in 2016. It was also considered by many to be the band's peak commercially and musically, as subsequent releases aimed towards more experimental jazz fusion and Latin music. The album also marked the addition of 16-year-old guitarist Neal Schon to the group.

"Feeling Good" is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Grant on the UK tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Bobo</span> American jazz percussionist (1934–1983)

William Correa, better known by his stage name Willie Bobo, was an American Latin jazz percussionist of Puerto Rican descent. Bobo rejected the stereotypical expectations of Latino music and was noted for his versatility as an authentic Latin percussionist as well as a jazz drummer easily moving stylistically from jazz, Latin and rhythm and blues music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santana (band)</span> American rock band

Santana is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1966 by Mexican-born guitarist Carlos Santana. The band has undergone various recording and performing line-ups in its history, with Santana being the only consistent member. After signing with Columbia Records, the band's appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 increased their profile, and they went on to record the commercially successful and critically-acclaimed albums Santana (1969), Abraxas (1970), and Santana III (1971). These were recorded by the group's "classic" line-up, featuring Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, David Brown, and José "Chepito" Areas. Hit songs of this period include "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman", "Oye Como Va", and the instrumental "Samba Pa Ti".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Magic Woman</span> Fleetwood Mac song

"Black Magic Woman" is a song written by British musician Peter Green, which first appeared as a single for his band Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Subsequently, the song appeared on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums English Rose (US) and The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK), as well as the later Greatest Hits and Vintage Years compilations.

Joseph Thomas "Coke" Escovedo was an American percussionist, who came from a prominent musical family including five musician brothers and his niece, Sheila E. He played in various genres, including R&B, jazz fusion and soul, with bands including Santana, Malo, Cal Tjader, and Azteca.

The Jaggerz are an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They came to national attention with their single "The Rapper" which was released on the Kama Sutra label. "The Rapper" was No. 1 in the Record World Charts and No. 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1970. Having sold over one million copies, the recording received a gold record awarded by the R.I.A.A.

<i>Latin Alliance</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Latin Alliance

Latin Alliance is the self-titled studio album by a one-off collaboration of Chicano rappers. The group was formed in 1989 and released their one and only album in 1991 via Virgin Records. It features performances by Kid Frost, A.L.T., Markski, Rayski Rockswell, Mellow Man Ace, Lyrical Engineer, Hip Hop Astronaut and The Lyrical Latin, with guest appearances by WAR and Scoop DeVille. Recording sessions took place at Digital Sound & Picture in New York City, Skyline Recording in Topanga, Wide Tracks, Image Recorders and Echo Sound in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Kid Frost, Tony G, Will Roc, Todd Alexander, Ralph Rivers, The Baka Boyz, Julio G, Geoff Rios and Mike Greene.

<i>Pray IV Reign</i>

Pray IV Reign is the fourth studio album by American hip hop rapper Jim Jones, released on March 24, 2009, under E1, Columbia and Sony Music Entertainment. The album, his first not to be released under Diplomat Records, also serves as his first under a major record label. The album includes production from Ron Browz, Chink Santana, No I.D., Ryan Leslie, Michael Crawford, Triple-A and Young Seph. Jones' fourth album also features guest appearances from Ron Browz, Juelz Santana, NOE, Mel Matrix, Rell, Ludacris, Ryan Leslie, Chink Santana, Bree-Beauty, Starr, Rowana and Oshy.

<i>A Kid Named Cudi</i> 2008 mixtape by Kid Cudi

A Kid Named Cudi is the debut mixtape by American rapper Kid Cudi, released on July 17, 2008, by New York City streetwear brand 10.Deep, in conjunction with independent record label Fool's Gold Records. Considered his breakout project, the mixtape marked Cudi's first official release, issued prior to his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apache (instrumental)</span> 1960 instrumental composed by Jerry Lordan

"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele to the Shadows while on tour and, liking the song, the group released their own version which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks in mid-1960. The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin developed the song's distinctive echo and vibrato sound. After hearing the Shadows' version, Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released a cover of the song in November 1960 which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

References

  1. "The Village Callers - Evil Ways / When You're Gone". Discogs.com. 1969. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  2. Covach, John. "Form in Rock Music: A Primer", p.71–72, in Stein, Deborah (2005). "Engaging Music: Essays in Music Analysis". New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-517010-5.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 155.