Evil Woman (Electric Light Orchestra song)
Encyclopedia
"Evil Woman" is a song written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne
and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra
.
First released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music. Released as a single in late-1975, the song became the band's first worldwide hit. According to Jeff Lynne
this song was the quickest he had ever written, in thirty minutes, originally as 'filler' for the group's Face the Music album. The song placed in the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic in early-1976. The song became a hit again in the UK in 1978 when it featured on the ELO EP
. The lyric "There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in" is a tribute to The Beatles
' song "Fixing a Hole
".
imitated Jeff Lynne at an R.E.M.
concert at Madison Square Garden
on their Monster Tour, he wore a frizzy wig and sang "Evil Woman" before the show with Luscious Jackson
playing the music.
In 2002, the song was used in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember
during the jail scene with Doctor Evil receiving a visit from Mindy Sterling
's character Frau Farbissina, the movie's soundtrack album featured a version sung by Diana King
.
In 2006, a part of the song was sampled in the Pussycat Dolls
single "Beep
".
The band moe.
covered the song three times in 2005.
In 2008, singer/songwriter Mike Posner
included a remix of the song on his mixtape, "A Matter of Time."
The song is being performed as part of the 2007 Broadway
musical Xanadu
. The 1985 TV special DTV
Monster Hits! also featured a short music video of the song, set to clips of all the female villains featured in Disney
cartoons up to that point.
The song was also featured in a 2009 episode of the TV series Community
.
The song appeared in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV
on the fictional radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
.
First released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music. Released as a single in late-1975, the song became the band's first worldwide hit. According to Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
this song was the quickest he had ever written, in thirty minutes, originally as 'filler' for the group's Face the Music album. The song placed in the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic in early-1976. The song became a hit again in the UK in 1978 when it featured on the ELO EP
ELO EP
The ELO EP was the final 1978 release from Electric Light Orchestra. It was a seven-inch extended play album played at 33 revolutions per minute and it was released in the UK and Ireland only to promote the three-LP box set Three Light Years. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" was the lead-off track and...
. The lyric "There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in" is a tribute to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song "Fixing a Hole
Fixing a Hole
"Fixing a Hole" is a song written by Paul McCartney and recorded by The Beatles, featured on their 1967 album Sgt...
".
Chart positions
| Chart (1975/76) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Austrailian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
23 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles |
6 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
20 |
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
2 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
10 |
| UK Singles Chart 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 ... |
10 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 9 |
| U.S. Record World Record World Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Box magazines. It was founded in 1946 under the name Music Vendor, but since 1964 changed it to Record World, under the ownership of Sid Parnes and Bob Austin, both... Singles |
9 |
Other uses
In 1995, Michael StipeMichael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
imitated Jeff Lynne at an R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
concert at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on their Monster Tour, he wore a frizzy wig and sang "Evil Woman" before the show with Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson are an alternative rock group formed in 1991. The band's name was inspired by now-retired American basketball player Lucious Jackson....
playing the music.
In 2002, the song was used in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film and the third installment of the Austin Powers series starring Mike Myers in the title role. The movie was directed by Jay Roach, and co-written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers. Myers also plays the roles of Dr. Evil, Goldmember,...
during the jail scene with Doctor Evil receiving a visit from Mindy Sterling
Mindy Sterling
Mindy Lee Sterling is an American actress. Although she had worked in film for over 30 years, she only began to garner attention after playing Frau Farbissina, the diminutive and domineering Germanic cohort of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and has a recurring role as Ms...
's character Frau Farbissina, the movie's soundtrack album featured a version sung by Diana King
Diana King
Diana King is a reggae fusion singer-songwriter who specifically performed a mixture and fusion of R&B, reggae, pop and dancehall...
.
In 2006, a part of the song was sampled in the Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
single "Beep
Beep (song)
"Beep" is a hip hop song released by American recording group the Pussycat Dolls' from their debut album PCD. "Beep" was a moderate success worldwide, having scored within the top twenty on the majority of the charts on which it was rated...
".
The band moe.
Moe.
moe. is an American jam band, formed at the University at Buffalo in 1989. The band members are: Rob Derhak , Al Schnier , Chuck Garvey , Vinnie Amico , and Jim Loughlin ....
covered the song three times in 2005.
In 2008, singer/songwriter Mike Posner
Mike Posner (musician)
Michael Robert "Mike" Posner is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Posner released his debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, on August 10, 2010...
included a remix of the song on his mixtape, "A Matter of Time."
The song is being performed as part of the 2007 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical Xanadu
Xanadu (musical)
Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A...
. The 1985 TV special DTV
D-TV
D-TV was a series of music videos created by Walt Disney Productions in 1984 using popular music and video footage from Disney videos, mostly cartoons, created out of the trend of music videos on cable channel MTV, which inspired the name of this series...
Monster Hits! also featured a short music video of the song, set to clips of all the female villains featured in Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
cartoons up to that point.
The song was also featured in a 2009 episode of the TV series Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
.
The song appeared in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
on the fictional radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8
External links
- In-depth Song Analysis at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (jefflynnesongs.com)