Devil Woman (Cliff Richard song)

"Devil Woman"
Cover of 1982 UK re-release
Single by Cliff Richard
from the album I'm Nearly Famous
B-side"Love On (Shine On)"
Released23 April 1976
Recorded8–9 September 1975
StudioEMI Studios, London
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bruce Welch
Cliff Richard singles chronology
"Miss You Nights"
(1975) 		"Devil Woman"
(1976) 		"I Can't Ask for Anymore Than You"
(1976)
Music video
"Devil Woman" on YouTube

"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

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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.[2][3] It was certified Gold by the RIAA in the US and the CRIA in Canada.[4][5]

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".[6]

Track listing

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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

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Gold 75,000^
United States (RIAA)[31] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Burke, Ken (1 January 1998). "Cliff Richard". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 401.
  2. ^ Steve Turner (2008), Cliff Richard, p. 274, ISBN 9780745952796
  3. ^ "William's Cliff Chart Site - Cliff Richard World Singles". Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2006.
  4. ^ "American certifications – "Richard, Cliff"". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Canadian certifications – Cliff Richard". Music Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Music notes: Mourning a metal master: Ronnie James Dio". Deseret News. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Cliff Richard – Devil Woman" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5082A." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4336." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  11. ^ "CHUM Chart". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  12. ^ Refer to the Top 20/30 tab: "Denmark singles chart - Devil Woman". danskehitlister.dk. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  13. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par R". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Devil Woman". Irish Singles Chart.
  15. ^ "Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ^ "Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". VG-lista.
  17. ^ As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion: "South African Charts 1969 - 1989". rock.co.za. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Cliff Richard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 200.
  21. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 2, 1976". Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  22. ^ "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 2 October 1976. p. 30. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  23. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  24. ^ Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  25. ^ "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  26. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1976 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  27. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1976". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  29. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976". cashboxmagazine.com. 25 December 1976. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  30. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". Music Canada.
  31. ^ "American single certifications – Cliff Richard – Devil Woman". Recording Industry Association of America.
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