| Evil Woman | |
| Cover: | Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra UK vinyl A-side label.jpg |
| Caption: | A-side label of the UK vinyl release |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Electric Light Orchestra |
| Album: | Face the Music |
| B-Side: | 10538 Overture (Live) |
| Released: | |
| Recorded: | 1975 |
| Studio: | Musicland, Munich, Germany |
| Genre: |
|
| Producer: | Jeff Lynne |
| Prev Title: | Boy Blue |
| Prev Year: | 1975 |
| Next Title: | Strange Magic |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
"Evil Woman" is a song recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne. It was first released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music.
Lynne wrote the song quickly when Face the Music was almost complete but he didn't think they had a good lead single.[3] Lynne said:
Lynne described the structure saying it has a "repetitive chord sequence and then the melody turns into a chorus."[4]
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.[5]
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".[6]
Billboard praised the use of the title lyrics as a hook.[7] 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."[8] 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."[9]
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."[10] 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."[11] Stereogum contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO's 7th best song.[12]
In 2022 Lynne listed it as one of his nine favorite ELO songs.[13]
| Chart (1975–1976) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] | 23 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 10 | |
| US Cash Box[16] | 9 | |
| US Record World[17] | 9 |
| Chart (1976) | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[18] | 81 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[19] | 70 | |
| US Cash Box[20] | 54 |
Jeff Lynne re-recorded the song in his own home studio. It was released in a compilation album, , with other re-recorded ELO songs, under the ELO name.[21]
A cover version of the song was performed by Oh Mercy on Triple J's Like a Version segment in April 2011.[22]
