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Devil Woman (Cliff Richard song)

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Devil Woman

| cover = Devil_Woman_-_Cliff_Richard.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Cover of 1982 UK re-release

| type = single

| artist = Cliff Richard

| album = I'm Nearly Famous

| B-side = Love On (Shine On)

| released = 23 April 1976

| recorded = 8–9 September 1975

| studio = EMI Studios, London

| venue =

| genre =

  • Pop rock{{cite book|last= Burke|first=Ken|chapter= Cliff Richard|editor-last= Knopper|editor-first=Steve|date=January 1, 1998|title=MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Detroit|page=401}}
  • glam rock

| length = 3:41

| label =

| writer =

| producer = Bruce Welch

| prev_title = Miss You Nights

| prev_year = 1975

| next_title = I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You

| next_year = 1976

| misc = {{External music video|type=single|header=Music video|1={{YouTube|IgomTOOgl8M|"Devil Woman"}}}}

}}

"Devil Woman" is a 1976 single by British singer Cliff Richard from his album I'm Nearly Famous.

A worldwide hit on its original release, the song saw a resurgence in popularity after appearing in the film I, Tonya (2017), as the theme for the character of LaVona Golden, played by Allison Janney.

The song was written by Terry Britten and Christine Authors (who was the singer of the Family Dogg under the name Christine Holmes). The song is told from the point of view of a man jinxed from an encounter with a stray cat with evil eyes, and his discovery that the psychic medium whose help he sought to break the curse was the one responsible for the curse in the first place. However, the nature of the curse is not made clear.

Original release

Released in late April 1976, "Devil Woman" rose to number 9 on the singles chart in Richard's native UK in June 1976. It became Richard's first single to reach the Top 20 in the US, making number 6 on the Hot 100, Richard's highest-peaking single and biggest seller in the US. "Devil Woman" is the third biggest-selling Cliff Richard single, with over two million copies sold worldwide.{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=He0S6tFOGPUC&pg=PA274 |page=274 |title=Cliff Richard |author=Steve Turner|isbn=9780745952796 |year=2008 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.cliffchartsite.co.uk/best1.html |title=William's Cliff Chart Site - Cliff Richard World Singles |access-date=15 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602045517/http://www.cliffchartsite.co.uk/best1.html |archive-date=2 June 2013 |url-status=dead }} It was certified Gold by the RIAA in the US and the CRIA in Canada.{{cite certification|region=United States|artist="Richard, Cliff"|access-date=17 June 2014}}{{cite certification|region=Canada|artist=Cliff Richard|access-date=17 June 2014}}

The musicians featured on the recording are Terry Britten on guitar, Alan Tarney on bass, Clem Cattini on drums, Graham Todd on keyboards, and Tony Rivers, John Perry, and Ken Gold on backing vocals, with string arrangements by Richard Hewson. The song 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, bass guitar, drums, and percussion are the only other instruments.

The chorus vocal line was mimicked on Black Sabbath's "Lady Evil".{{Cite web |date=2010-05-21 |title=Music notes: Mourning a metal master: Ronnie James Dio |url=https://www.deseret.com/2010/5/21/20116410/music-notes-mourning-a-metal-master-ronnie-james-dio |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}

Track listing

7": EMI / EMI 2458

  1. "Devil Woman" – 3:41
  2. "Love On (Shine On) – 3:04

7": Rocket / PIG-40574 (North America)

  1. "Devil Woman" – 3:35
  2. "Love On (Shine On) – 3:04

Personnel

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1976)

!Peak
position

scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|title-link=Kent Music Report}}

|3

{{single chart|Belgium (Wallonia)|32|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Devil Woman|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|4|chartid=5082A|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Canadaadultcontemporary|29|chartid=4336|rowheader=true}}
scope="row"|Canada (CHUM){{cite web|title=CHUM Chart|url=http://home.cogeco.ca/~my_music/cliff_richard/cliff_chum_stats.htm|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202000803/http://home.cogeco.ca/~my_music/cliff_richard/cliff_chum_stats.htm|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=dead}}

|3

scope="row"|Denmark (Danmarks Radio)Refer to the Top 20/30 tab: {{cite web |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?song_id=2388|title=Denmark singles chart - Devil Woman|publisher=danskehitlister.dk|access-date=17 June 2014}}

|12

scope="row"|France (IFOP){{cite web |url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Tubes_Artistes_R.php |title=InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par R|publisher=Infodisc.fr |access-date=2021-10-19}}

|8

{{single chart|Ireland2|6|song=Devil Woman|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|New Zealand|5|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Devil Woman|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Norway|7|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Devil Woman|rowheader=true}}
scope="row"|South Africa (Springbok Radio)As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion: {{cite web|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(R).html|title=South African Charts 1969 - 1989|publisher=rock.co.za|access-date=14 June 2014}}

|1

{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|9|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Devil Woman|artistid=19899|rowheader=true|refname=UKsinglesbyname}}
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|6|artist=Cliff Richard|song=Devil Woman|rowheader=true}}
scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Billboard){{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=1993 |publisher=Record Research |page=200}}

| style="text-align:center;"|30

scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100{{cite web |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19761002.html|title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 2, 1976|website=Cash Box magazine|access-date=19 October 2021}}

|5

scope="row"|US Record World Top 100{{cite magazine|date=2 October 1976|title=The Singles Chart|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/76/Record-World-1976-10-02.pdf|magazine=Record World|page=30|access-date=19 October 2021|accessdate=}}

|5

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1976)

!Rank

scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/QxANsEK|title= National Top 100 Singles for 1976|publisher= Kent Music Report |issue= 131 |via= Imgur |date= 27 December 1976 |access-date= 15 January 2022 }}{{cite web|author=Steffen Hung |url=http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 |title=Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) |publisher=australian-charts.com |access-date=2 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602084720/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092 |archive-date=2 June 2016 }}

|26

scope="row"|Canada (RPM){{cite web |url= http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=u9874ano8k0c5b6bkp4r8qrbp3 |title= Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977 |work= RPM |publisher= Library and Archives Canada |access-date= 13 June 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160319222559/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5173a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=u9874ano8k0c5b6bkp4r8qrbp3 |archive-date= 19 March 2016 |url-status= dead }}

|57

scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1976-12-31 |title=Top Selling Singles of 1976 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart |publisher=Nztop40.co.nz |access-date=2 November 2015}}

|17

scope="row"|South Africa (Springbok Radio){{cite web|title=Top 20 Hit Singles of 1976|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/sahits_1976.html|access-date=2 September 2018}}

|14

scope="row"|US Billboard {{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1976.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976 |publisher=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=2 November 2015}}

|55

scope="row"|US Cash Box{{cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1976YESP.html |title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976 |publisher=cashboxmagazine.com |date=25 December 1976 |access-date=2 November 2015 |archive-date=28 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228113105/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1976YESP.html |url-status=dead }}

|58

{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=Canada| artist=Cliff Richard|title=Devil Woman |type=single |award=Gold |relyear=1976 |certyear=1976 |refname=CanadaCert}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=United States| artist=Cliff Richard|title=Devil Woman |type=single |award=Gold |relyear=1976 |certyear=1976 |refname=USCert}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.cliffrichardsongs.com/devilwoman/ In-depth Song Analysis] at the Cliff Richard Song Database
  • {{YouTube|CQ9s3nDqSRw|Cliff Richard - Devil Woman}}

{{Cliff Richard}}

{{Cliff Richard singles}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1976 singles

Category:Cliff Richard songs

Category:Songs written by Terry Britten

Category:1976 songs

Category:EMI Records singles

Category:The Rocket Record Company singles

Category:MCA Records singles

Category:Number-one singles in South Africa