Английская Википедия:Evil Woman (Electric Light Orchestra song)

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"Evil Woman" is a song written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was first released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music.

Background

Lynne wrote the song quickly when Face the Music was almost complete but he didn't think they had a good lead single. Lynne said:Шаблон:Quote

Lynne described the structure saying it has a "repetitive chord sequence and then the melody turns into a chorus."

When released as a single in late 1975, the song became the band's first worldwide hit. According to Lynne, this song was the quickest he had ever written, in 30 minutes, originally as 'filler' for the group's Face the Music album. The song placed in the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic in early 1976. It was released again in 1978 on The ELO EP.

The lyric "There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in" in the song is a tribute to The Beatles' song "Fixing a Hole".

Reception

Billboard praised the use of the title lyrics as a hook. Cash Box noted the 20th-century influences and "commercial qualities" of the song, stating "from the classic hookline — a recurring four notes from 'Anchors Aweigh,' through an electronic schism from a dramatic TV serial two-thirds of the way through." Record World said that the song "puts rock within a classical frame and shows one of the few bands capable of a viable combination of experimentation with commerciality."

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it ELO's 3rd best song, saying that it has "old-school strings and new-school keyboards...backing a funky dance-floor beat that drives the song all the way to pop glory." Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as ELO's 4th best song, saying that "Jeff Lynne took a simple three-chord progression that Led Zeppelin utilized at the end of 'Stairway To Heaven,' and added his own touch, melody and production to score a huge hit." Stereogum contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's 7th best song.

In 2022 Lynne listed it as one of his nine favorite ELO songs.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

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Chart (1975–1976)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	23
US Billboard Hot 100	10
US Cash Box	9
US Record World	9

Year-end charts

Chart (1976)	Rank
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	81
US Billboard Hot 100	70
US Cash Box	54

Jeff Lynne version

Jeff Lynne re-recorded the song in his own home studio. It was released in a compilation album, Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, with other re-recorded ELO songs, under the ELO name.

Cover versions

A cover version of the song was performed by Oh Mercy on Triple J's Like a Version segment in April 2011.

External links

• In-depth Song Analysis at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (Jefflynnesongs.com)