Devil Woman
Encyclopedia
"Devil Woman" is a 1976 hit single for Cliff Richard
culled from his album I'm Nearly Famous
.
and Christine Holmes and first recorded by Holmes under the name Kristine.
A #9 UK
hit in June 1976, "Devil Woman" became Richard's first single to reach the Top 20 in the US, reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
, where it remains Richard's highest peaking single. "Devil Woman" is ranked overall as the third biggest-selling Cliff Richard single with over two million copies sold worldwide.
The song is told from the point of a view of a man jinx
ed from an encounter with a stray cat with evil eye
s, and his discovery that the psychic
medium (a Gypsy woman) whose help he sought to break the curse
was the one responsible for the curse in the first place. The latter-mentioned have some notable parallels with Cher
's 1974 hit single "Dark Lady
".
Notable musically for its unusual (for a pop song) combination of major and minor sound; it might be properly categorized as being in D blues. It was also one of the earliest U.S. hits to make use of Extended-range bass
, reaching one whole tone lower than the conventional instrument, to include D1.
Like many story songs, the production is quite sparse. It 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, drums and percussion are the only other instruments.
The musicians featured on the Cliff Richard recording are Terry Britten
on guitar, Alan Tarney
on bass, Clem Cattini
on drums, Graham Todd on keyboards, and Tony Rivers
, John Perry and A. Harding on backing vocals, with string arrangements by Richard Hewson
.
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
culled from his album I'm Nearly Famous
I'm Nearly Famous
I'm Nearly Famous is a 1976 album by Cliff Richard.The album was released in May 1976 and was seen very much as a comeback. The album is today considered one of his finest works and is held as the album which brought about Cliff Richard's revival as a major chart act in the late 1970s and early...
.
Background
"Devil Woman" was written by Terry BrittenTerry Britten
Terry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
and Christine Holmes and first recorded by Holmes under the name Kristine.
A #9 UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
hit in June 1976, "Devil Woman" became Richard's first single to reach the Top 20 in the US, reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, where it remains Richard's highest peaking single. "Devil Woman" is ranked overall as the third biggest-selling Cliff Richard single with over two million copies sold worldwide.
The song is told from the point of a view of a man jinx
Jinx
A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is:* A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck;...
ed from an encounter with a stray cat with evil eye
Evil eye
The evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike...
s, and his discovery that the psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
medium (a Gypsy woman) whose help he sought to break the curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
was the one responsible for the curse in the first place. The latter-mentioned have some notable parallels with Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's 1974 hit single "Dark Lady
Dark Lady (song)
"Dark Lady" is an pop rock song recorded by American singer actress Cher from eleventh studio album, Dark Lady. Produced by Snuff Garrett, it was released as the album's first single in early 1974. The song became Cher's third solo U.S...
".
Notable musically for its unusual (for a pop song) combination of major and minor sound; it might be properly categorized as being in D blues. It was also one of the earliest U.S. hits to make use of Extended-range bass
Extended-range bass
Extended-range bass refers to an electric bass guitar with greater frequency range than the standard 4-string bass guitar. Bass guitars tuned one octave lower than a standard four-string instrument are also considered an extended-range bass...
, reaching one whole tone lower than the conventional instrument, to include D1.
Like many story songs, the production is quite sparse. It 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, drums and percussion are the only other instruments.
The musicians featured on the Cliff Richard recording are Terry Britten
Terry Britten
Terry Britten is a prolific English singer-songwriter, who has written songs for Tina Turner and Sir Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson and many others.-Career:...
on guitar, Alan Tarney
Alan Tarney
Alan Tarney is an English songwriter, record producer and bass guitarist. He was born in Workington, Cumberland, England, but spent his teenage years in Adelaide, Australia where he met his songwriting and musical partner Trevor Spencer.- Career :Tarney was part of the huge influx of British...
on bass, Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini , is an English rock and roll drummer who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician...
on drums, Graham Todd on keyboards, and Tony Rivers
Tony Rivers
Tony Rivers is an English singer, best known for singing with the groups Tony Rivers and the Castaways and Harmony Grass. He also sang on albums by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Roger Daltrey, Shakin' Stevens and Cliff Richard.Rivers went to Raine's Foundation School in Bethnal Green...
, John Perry and A. Harding on backing vocals, with string arrangements by Richard Hewson
Richard Anthony Hewson
Richard Anthony Hewson is an English producer, arranger, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, who is best recognized for his studio group The RAH Band.-Career:...
.
Covers
- RiotRiot (band)Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in New York City in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. Reaching a peak in popularity in the early 80s, the band has continued a long-running successful career....
covered the song on their 1983 album Born in AmericaBorn in AmericaBorn In America is Riot's fifth album, released in 1983. After getting dropped by Elektra Records the band signed with Canadian indie label Quality Records for what was to be the last record with Rhett Forrester on vocals...
. - The AccüsedThe AccüsedThe Accüsed is a crossover thrash band from Seattle, WA, founded in 1981. They are considered to be an important progenitor of the crossover style that bridged the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal, later influencing grindcore and some crust punk bands; as well as an influential band in the...
covered the song on their 1987 album More Fun Than An Open Casket Funeral. - Cradle of FilthCradle of FilthCradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
covered the song on their 2005 special edition release of 2004's 'NymphetamineNymphetamineNymphetamine is the sixth album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, released on September 28, 2004. Nymphetamine marks the first recorded appearance of guitarist James McIlroy on a Cradle of Filth album. He would later record guitar for the band's 2010 release Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa...
' with backing vocals by King DiamondKing DiamondKim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
. - All About EveAll About Eve (band)All About Eve were a British rock/pop band. The creative core consisted of the Coventry born Julianne Regan , and the Huddersfield born Andy Cousin , with other members changing over the years...
recorded the song as a B-side of their 1987 12" single 'Flowers in our hair'. Their version also appears on the rarities compilation Return to Eden, Vol. 1: The Early Recordings. - Flight of the ConchordsFlight of the ConchordsFlight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
did a pastichePasticheA pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
of this song and its music video in the second season of their HBO show. - Hank MarvinHank MarvinHank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
covered the song as an instrumental in 1995 on Hank Plays Cliff. - Demon Drive covered the song for their last album in 2003, ...four play!
- Artisan covered the song on their 1989 EP Through Till Dawn
External links
- In-depth Song Analysis at the Cliff Richard Song Database
- YouTube video of the song