Devil or Angel explained

Devil or Angel
Type:	single
Artist:	The Clovers
B-Side:	Hey, Doll Baby
Released:	January 1956
Recorded:	1955
Genre:	R&B
Label:	Atlantic
Prev Title:	Nip Sip
Prev Year:	1955
Next Title:	Love, Love, Love
Next Year:	1956

Devil or Angel
Type:	single
Artist:	Bobby Vee
Album:	Bobby Vee Sings Your Favorites
B-Side:	Since I Met You Baby
Released:	June 21, 1960
Recorded:	1960
Genre:	Pop
Length:	2:15
Label:	Liberty
Prev Title:	One Last Kiss
Prev Year:	1960
Next Title:	Since I Met You Baby
Next Year:	1960

"Devil or Angel" is a song written by Blanche Carter and originally recorded by the Clovers in 1955, where it went to number four on the US R&B Best Sellers chart.^[1] It was re-recorded by John Bailey after he left the Clovers and formed another Clovers group for Lana Records in 1965.

Later versions

• The song was recorded by Bobby Vee, with veteran session drummer Earl Palmer among the studio musicians, and reached number 6 in the US charts in 1960, and number 2 in Canada.^[2] It was Vee's first Top 10 hit.^{[3] [4]} This version was also a crossover hit on the R&B chart.
• It was later recorded by both, Johnny Crawford and Jesse Winchester. Neither of those versions charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[5]
• The Hollywood Flames released a version of the song as a single in 1960.^[6]
• Tony Scotti recorded the song in 1969. The single peaked at #117 on Billboard's "Bubbling Under" chart.^[7]
• Ezra Furman recorded a cover of the song featured in Netflix's Sex Education (TV series).^[8]

Notes and References

1. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 124.
2. Web site: CHUM Hit Parade - October 10, 1960.
3. Scherman, Tony, Backbeat: The Earl Palmer Story, foreword by Wynton Marsalis, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1999 p. 175
4. Whitburn, Joel The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 1992
5. Web site: BMI Repertoire Search. https://archive.today/20130118171830/http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&keyid=298366&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID. dead. 2013-01-18. 2012-07-25.
6. http://www.45cat.com/record/456171 The Hollywood Flames, "Devil or Angel" single release
7. Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 12th Edition, Record Research Inc, Menomonee Falls WI, 2009
8. Web site: All the songs from the new season of "Sex Education". Spencer. Samuel. 2020-01-17. Newsweek. en. 2020-01-17.