Evil Woman

 

Electric Light Orchestra -- Evil Woman

An in-depth song analysis


Electric Light Orchestra (Original Version)
Electric Light Orchestra (Solo Version)
  • Record Date: May and June 1975
  • Record Location: Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany (basic track), De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley, England (orchestra), The Record Plant, New York City, USA (female backing vocals and final mix)
  • Written By: Jeff Lynne
  • Produced By: Jeff Lynne
  • Engineered By: Mack (basic track and orchestra) & Jimmy Iovine (female vocalists and final mix)
  • Performed By: Jeff Lynne (guitar, vocals), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Richard Tandy (piano, moog synthesizer, guitar, clavinet), Kelly Groucutt (bass), Mik Kaminski (violin), Hugh McDowell (cello), Melvyn Gale (cello), Louis Clark (orchestra conductor), Ellie Greenwich, Susan Collins, Nancy O'Neill, Margaret Raymond (backing vocals)

    Initially Released On: Face The Music LP album (1975 September — USA — United Artists UL-LA 546-G)

  • Record Date: Some time between 2001 and 2008
  • Record Location: Bungalow Palace Studio, California USA (Jeff Lynne's home studio)
  • Written By: Jeff Lynne
  • Produced By: Jeff Lynne
  • Engineered By: Steve Jay, Ryan Ulyate & Marc Mann
  • Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, piano, bass, drums, keyboards), Laura Lynne (backing vocals), Marc Mann (strings), Steve Jay (shakers, tambourine), Ryan Ulyate (piano solo)

    Initially Released On: Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2012 October 8 — UK — Frontiers Records ?)

  • Comments and Observations

    Evil Woman advertisementEvil Woman was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany some time in May and/or June 1975. Jeff Lynne wrote the song on a piano in the studio on the last days of recording, writing it very quickly. The band's recording for all of the other songs for the Face The Music album had been completed when Jeff needed another song. One morning, while the rest of the band was out, he sat at the piano and played the opening piano riff, which became the basis of the song. Later that same day, the rest of the band came in and recorded the backing track. The lyrics were written and recorded the next day at Musicland. The string parts were recorded (and possibly written) later at De Lane Lea Studios in Wembley, U.K. while the female backing vocals were recorded even later at an unidentified studio in New York City.

    As originally recorded, the song had an extra fourth verse as evidenced by the stripped down mix that appeared on the 2006 Face The Music remasters. Obviously this extra verse was discarded for the eventual release. This decision was probably made early in the construction of the song as there were no string tracks recorded for this part.

    Evil Woman stickerThe song was released as a single in England on Jet records, one of the first on the new label, on January 10, 1976 with stock number "Jet 764" and having an edit of 10538 Overture from the The Night The Light Went On In Long Beach recording on the B-side. In the USA, it's the seventh single release and was released in October 1975, on United Artists records with stock number "UA-XW 729-Y" and the same edit of 10538 Overture on the B-side. It was also released as the third track of side 1 on the Face The Music album on September 1975 in the USA and November 1975 in England. Interestingly both single versions are edits of the album version, with the UK version simply editing off the intro and the USA version having several interesting edits. The B-side in many other countries was Nightrider and was Poker in Spain.

    Evil Woman stickerEvil Woman is significant as it is ELO's first worldwide hit, making the charts in many countries, including Top Ten in both the UK and USA. It entered the UK chart on January 10, 1976, peaked at #10 on January 31, 1976, and spent 8 weeks in the chart. In the USA, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on November 15, 1975, reached #10 for two consecutive weeks on February 14 & 21, 1976, spending 17 weeks in the chart and entered the Cash Box chart on November 15, 1975, reached #9 for two consecutive weeks on February 14 & 21, 1976, spending 19 weeks in the chart. It was ELO's fourth Billboard chart single.

    Evil Woman stickerThere are two reused string sections in Evil Woman. The most obvious is the short flanged string interlude in the song's instrumental bridge. This is taken from the string section recording for the Electric Light Orchestra song Nightrider. On Evil Woman, it is played backwards and a flange effect is added. A sample demonstrating this can be heard by clicking HERE. This string interlude is sampled and used several times in a song called Beep by the Pussycat Dolls featuring Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. Another interesting and not so obvious reused string section is a sample from Evil Woman that is used in Fire On High. A string section that plays over the intro to Evil Woman is reversed and used on the intro to Fire On High, shortly following the "the music is reversible" bit. A sample demonstrating this can be heard by clicking HERE.

    It's not entirely clear if the orchestral intro to the song that is heard on the Face The Music album (and which is often excluded on compilations featuring the song), is actually intended to be a part of the song. It is known that the band recorded several orchestral "interludes" for the album to be used between tracks. It was not uncommon for the band to record such interludes, although they were rarely identified as such and simply merged into the intros or ends of other album tracks. Considering how often the intro is left off compilations, it implies that it is not actually an intro to the song, but rather a Face The Music interlude. Then again, Jeff Lynne himself had oversight on the 2000 Flashback project and that one included the intro (although attached to the end of the preceeding song, Tightrope). Until there is further clarity, it is assumed that it's a song intro and not an interlude.

    Did Jeff Lynne have a particular woman in mind when he wrote Evil Woman? That's not entirely clear. He has rarely broached the subject and when he has he certainly won't name names. It's possible it could be about someone he knows. It's also very likely that he didn't have anybody in mind when he wrote it and is only joking that it's about anybody at all. The answer remains unknown.

    The lyric in the song "there's a hole in my head where the rain comes in" is believed to be a tribute of sorts to the Beatles' song Fixing A Hole which has the opening line of "I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in."

    In approximately 2008 (possibly earlier), Jeff Lynne re-recorded a solo version of Evil Woman that was almost identical to the original album recording. It features his daughter, Laura Lynne, on backing vocals. The song was officially released on the 2012 Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra compilation, however it had appeared as early as 2008 in aMy Name Is Earl TV episode entitled Jump For Joy and a 2009 Medium TV episode entitled Things to Do in Phoenix When You're Dead. Less than a minute of the song is heard in each of these appearances.

    Ostensibly this rerecording was done because Jeff felt that he could improve the the song (and other ELO hits that appear on the Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra) using modern recording techniques, stating that when he hears the original recordings, he's not entirely happy with them. Although it's impossible to know what's really in Jeff's heart, it's thought that another more practical reason is because he does not own the full rights to the original songs. Instead the rights are owned by Sony and when the songs are used in films, ads and other money making ventures, Sony gets most (if not all) of the money. By being able to market his own self-recorded versions, Jeff gets all the money instead.

    It's not entirely clear if the newer solo version should be credited to Jeff Lynne alone or Electric Light Orchestra. All sources and interviews are very clear that these are Jeff Lynne solo recordings, yet there has been no definitive statement about exactly how the artist for the recordings should be credited. The Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra collection gives only the album's title and does not state the artist anywhere. Other sources such as iTunes credit the artist as Electric Light Orchestra. And Frontiers Records shop originally did not give an artist credit, but revised the artist to Electric Light Orchestra shortly after release. Yet clearly these are solo recordings.

    Structure and Lyrics

    Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released Electric Light Orchestra song as available on the standard issues of the Face The Music album and the re-recorded solo version available on the Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra compilation. The structure is quite similar between the two, with the main differences being the missing orchestral intro on the solo version and the change in the appearance and order of the female backing vocal parts on the repeated chorus ending.

    Electric Light Orchestra (Original Version)
    Lyric sheet from USA Face The Music album
    Electric Light Orchestra (Solo Version)
    -Orchestral Intro
    -Vocal Intro
       You made a fool of me
       But them broken dreams have got to end

    -Piano Intro
       Piano Riff #1
       Piano Riff #2 with drum start
       Piano Riff #3 with drums & guitar
       Piano Riff #4 with drums & guitar
    -Verse 1
       Hey, woman, you got the blues
       'Cause you ain't got no one else to use
       There's an open road that leads nowhere
       So just make some miles between here and there
       There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in
       You took my body and played to win
       Ha ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       But you ain't got nobody else to blame

    -Chorus 1
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman

    -Verse 2
       Rolled in from another town
       Hit some gold too hot to settle down
       But a fool and his money soon go separate ways
       And you found a fool lyin' in a daze
       Ha ha, woman, what you gonna do?
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you
       So good that you're feelin' pain
       But you better get your face on board the very next train
    with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey
    -Chorus 2
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    -Instrumental Break
       Piano/String Riff #1
       Piano/String Riff #2
       Piano/String Riff #3 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey, hey
       Rising String Part #1
       Rising String Part #2 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey, hey
       Descending String Part #1
       Rising String Part #3 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey
    -Flanged String Interlude
    -Chorus 3
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    -Verse 3
       Evil woman, how you done me wrong
       But now you're tryin' to wail a different song
       Ha ha, funny how you broke me up
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       You made the wine now you drink a cup
       Came a'runnin' every time you cried
       Thought I saw love smilin' in your eyes
       Ha ha, honey, very nice to know
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       That you ain't got no place left to go

    with female backing vocals singing Whoa, whoa, whoa
    -Chorus 4
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    -Chorus 5
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    -Chorus 6
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    Original Lyric Sheet from Face The Music -Vocal Intro
       You made a fool of me
       But them broken dreams have got to end

    -Piano Intro
       Piano Riff #1
       Piano Riff #2 with drum start
       Piano Riff #3 with drums & guitar
       Piano Riff #4 with drums & guitar
    -Verse 1
       Hey, woman, you got the blues
       'Cause you ain't got no one else to use
       There's an open road that leads nowhere
       So just make some miles between here and there
       There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in
       You took my body and played to win
       Ha ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       But you ain't got nobody else to blame

    -Chorus 1
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman

    -Verse 2
       Rolled in from another town
       Hit some gold too hot to settle down
       But a fool and his money soon go separate ways
       And you found a fool lyin' in a daze
       Ha ha, woman, what you gonna do?
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you
       So good that you're feelin' pain
       But you better get your face on board the very next train
    with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey
    -Chorus 2
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    -Instrumental Break
       Piano/String Riff #1
       Piano/String Riff #2
       Piano/String Riff #3 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey, hey
       Rising String Part #1
       Rising String Part #2 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey, hey
       Descending String Part #1
       Rising String Part #3 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey
    -Flanged String Interlude
    -Chorus 3
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    -Verse 3
       Evil woman, how you done me wrong
       But now you're tryin' to wail a different song
       Ha ha, funny how you broke me up
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       You made the wine now you drink a cup
       I came a'runnin' every time you cried
       Thought I saw love smilin' in your eyes
       Ha ha, honey, very nice to know
    with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
       That you ain't got no place left to go

    with female backing vocals singing Whoa, whoa, whoa
    -Chorus 4
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
       Evil woman
    with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman
    -Chorus 5
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
    -Chorus 6
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
       Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
       Evil woman

    Variations

    There are seven known non-live variations of the original Evil Woman They are:

    -Evil Woman (Standard Release)
    -Evil Woman (Edited UK Single Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited USA Single Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited USA Mono Single Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited Olé ELO Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited Argentina Promo Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited Have a Nice Decade Version)
    -Evil Woman (Edited Remaster Version)
    -Evil Woman (Stripped Down Mix)

    The UK single version simply cuts the orchestral intro and fades a couple of lines early. This version is what appears on most compilation albums, not the full album version. The USA single version cuts both the orchestral and vocal intro, as well as two lines from the first verse, one line from the third verse, a large section of the instrumental bridge and a much earlier fade beginning a the end of the fourth chorus. This version has never been released on CD or anything other than the original USA single and the B-side of the 1978 Livin' Thing reissue single. This edited version also has a mono version available on the B-side of the USA issued promotional single. The version that first appeared on the 1976 Olé ELO album is only subtlely different, cutting the orchestral intro from the album like the UK single, but including the full album fade-out, unlike the UK single. The version found on a promotional 7" single from Argentina to promote the 1979 ELO's Greatest Hits release is simply the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the standard album version, minus the orchestral intro. The version found on the 1984 Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP cuts the entire instrumental bridge and the third chorus. However, curiously, unlike most all other edits, it includes the orchestral intro from the album. There was a Rhino boxed set from 1998 called Have A Nice Decade that seemed to try to recreate the USA single edit, but failed. The 2006 remaster CD introduced another edit, probably by accident-- it is the full album version, but it fades two lines earlier in the same manner as the UK single edit. Jeff Lynne, who oversaw the remasters, probably used the remaster for the 2005 All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album, which has the UK single edit, for the Face The Music remaster, adding the orchestral intro in the process, without fully realizing or caring about the slightly different fade-out. The stripped down mix appears to be a raw backing track with added vocals. The arrangement is mostly the same except that there are no strings, no female backing vocals and the piano on the instrumental bridge is different. Also, the orchestral intro is cut (obviously) as well as the fifth chorus and the flanged string interlude. Most notable is the addition of the fourth verse.

    In addition, the brief solo version heard in the Jump For Joy episode of My Name Is Earl and the Things to Do in Phoenix When You're Dead episode of Medium is a whole new recording. However, only a very short section of the song is heard, thus making it difficult to analyze. What is heard is included in the chart below, but because of the heavy editing, most sections are marked "Unknown".

    Song Section Lyric/Part Evil Woman (Standard Release) Evil Woman (Edited UK Single Version) Evil Woman (Edited USA Single Version)
    Evil Woman (Edited USA Mono Single Version)
    Evil Woman (Edited Olé ELO Version) Evil Woman (Edited Argentina Promo Version) Evil Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version) Evil Woman (Edited Have A Nice Decade Version) Evil Woman (Edited Remaster Version) Evil Woman (Stripped Down Mix) * Evil Woman (Solo Version)
    Orchestral Intro Orchestral Intro
    YES
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    *
    -
    Vocal Intro You made a fool of me
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    But them broken dreams have got to end
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Piano Intro Piano Riff #1
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Piano Riff #2 with drum start
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Piano Riff #3 with drums & guitar
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Piano Riff #4 with drums & guitar
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Verse 1 Hey, woman, you got the blues
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    'Cause you ain't got no one else to use
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    There's an open road that leads nowhere
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    So just make some miles between here and there
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    You took my body and played to win
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Ha ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but Jeff Lynne does the vocal harmonizing on the Ha ha
    *
    YES
    But you ain't got nobody else to blame
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Chorus 1 Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Verse 2 Rolled in from another town
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Hit some gold too hot to settle down
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    But a fool and his money soon go separate ways
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    And you found a fool lyin' in a daze
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Ha ha, woman, what you gonna do? with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but Jeff Lynne does the vocal harmonizing on the Ha ha
    *
    YES
    You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    So good that you're feelin' pain
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    But you better get your face on board the very next train with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but without the female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Chorus 2 Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but without the female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Instrumental Break Piano/String Riff #1
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different and Jeff shouts Hey! at the beginning
    *
    YES
    Piano/String Riff #2
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different
    *
    YES
    Piano/String Riff #3 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey, hey
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different and no female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Rising String Part #1
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different
    *
    YES
    Rising String Part #2 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey, hey
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES, but fades to end
    -
    -
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different and no female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Descending String Part #1
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different
    *
    YES
    Rising String Part #3 with female backing vocals singing Hey, hey, hey
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES, but the piano arrangement is different and no female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Flanged String Interlude Flanged String Interlude
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES
    -
    *
    YES
    Chorus 3 Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES, but without the female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Verse 3 Evil woman, how you done me wrong
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    But now you're tryin' to wail a different song
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Ha ha, funny how you broke me up with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but Jeff Lynne does the vocal harmonizing on the Ha ha
    *
    YES
    You made the wine now you drink a cup
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Came a'runnin' every time you cried
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but the lyric starts as I came a'runnin'...
    *
    YES, but the lyric slightly changed to I came a'runnin'...
    Thought I saw love smilin' in your eyes
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Ha ha, honey, very nice to know with female backing vocals harmonizing the Ha ha
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but Jeff Lynne does the vocal harmonizing on the Ha ha
    *
    YES
    That you ain't got no place left to go with female backing vocals singing Whoa, whoa, whoa
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but without the female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Chorus 4 Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES, but without the female backing vocals
    *
    YES
    Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES, but fade begins
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    *
    YES
    Verse 4 Hang down for just a while
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    And I'll tell you a story that'll make you smile
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    'Bout a dark-eyed woman with a Cadillac
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    But all she had was on her back
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    Well, a fool rushed in this time and saw
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    Just the kind of woman that he adored
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    She lay beside him and turned on her charm
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    But this devil's woman sure know how to do you harm
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    -
    Chorus 5 Evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals of You're an evil woman added
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES, but fade begins
    YES
    -
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals changed to Such an evil woman
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals changed to You're an evil woman
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES
    YES
    -
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals changed to Such an evil woman
    Chorus 6 Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
    YES
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    YES, but without female backing vocals
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals changed to You're an evil woman
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing You're an evil woman
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    -
    YES, but without female backing vocals
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals changed to Such an evil woman
    Evil woman with female backing vocals singing Such an evil woman
    YES
    -
    -
    YES
    -
    YES
    -
    -
    YES, but without female backing vocals
    *
    YES, but female backing vocals changed to You're an evil woman
    Evil woman
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    YES
    *
    YES

    Music Charts

    These are the known statistics for the various country's music charts. If you can fill in the missing information or know of charting information in other countries, please let me know at the email address listed at the bottom of this page.

    Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 Week 19
    UK Official Top 50 Chart Entry Date: January 10, 1976
    46
    27
    14
    10
    (January 31, 1976)
    11
    11
    28
    32
    USA Billboard Hot 100 Chart Entry Date: November 15, 1975
    87
    77
    60
    49
    40
    28
    24
    20
    18
    16
    15
    14
    13
    10
    (February 14, 1976)
    10
    (February 21, 1976)
    26
    44
    USA Cash Box Top 100 Chart Entry Date: November 15, 1975
    95
    79
    51
    37
    32
    23
    18
    16
    15
    15
    13
    12
    10
    9
    (February 14, 1976)
    9
    (February 21, 1976)
    13
    28
    38
    48
    USA Record World Top 40 Chart Entry Date: [UNKNOWN]
    Peak of 9
    during a run of an unknown number of weeks on the chart
    Australia Top 100 Chart Entry Date: [DATE UNKNOWN]
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    ?
    Peak at #23 on February 2, 1976 during a run of 18 weeks on the chart
    Canada RPM Top 100 Chart Entry Date: December 20, 1975
    76
    41
    No chart
    published
    38
    22
    11
    8
    8
    7
    6
    (February 21, 1976)
    10
    20
    33
    34
    42
    Canada CHUM Top 30 Chart Entry Date: December 27, 1975
    28
    16
    9
    8
    7
    6
    (January 31, 1976)
    6
    (February 2, 1976)
    9
    20
    Holland Top 40 (De Nederlandse Top 40) Chart Entry Date: December 27, 1975
    30
    28
    20
    (January 10, 1976)
    22
    33
    Holland Top 30 (Origin uncertain) Chart Entry Date: January 3, 1976
    21
    (January 3, 1976)
    21
    (January 10, 1976)
    25
    Ireland Top 20 Chart Entry Date: February 19, 1976
    16
    13
    16
    Peak at #10 on March 11, 1976
    New Zealand Top 40 Chart Entry Date: March 23, 1976
    17
    16
    20
    16
    13
    8
    (March 16, 1976)
    13
    25
    25
    29
    22
    35
    27
    not
    in
    chart
    not
    in
    chart
    36
    36
    36
    40
    Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales Top 50 Chart Entry Date: February 21, 2015
    47
    (February 21, 2015)

    Releases

    Here are all the known USA and UK releases of the song:

    Evil Woman (Standard Release)

    Evil Woman (Edited UK Single Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited USA Single Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited USA Mono Single Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited Olé ELO Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited Argentina Promo Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited Have a Nice Decade Version)

    Evil Woman (Edited Remaster Version)

    Evil Woman (Stripped Down Mix)

    Evil Woman (Supersonic December 4, 1975)

    Evil Woman (Top Of The Pops January 8, 1976)

    Evil Woman (The Midnight Special - February, 1976)

    Evil Woman (Winterland February 14, 1976)

    Evil Woman (London June 20, 1976)

    Evil Woman (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)

    Evil Woman (A New World Record Tour)

    Evil Woman (Out Of The Blue Tour)

    Evil Woman (Time Tour)

    Evil Woman (Balance Of Power Tour)

    Evil Woman (VH1 Storytellers, April 20, 2001)

    Evil Woman (Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Evil Woman (5.1 Mix - Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Evil Woman (Solo Version)

    Evil Woman (Bungalow Palace - March 2011)

    Evil Woman (Hyde Park - September 14, 2014)

    Evil Woman/Mr. Blue Sky (Los Angeles - February 8, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Porchester Hall - November 9, 2015)

    Evil Woman (BBC Radio Theatre - November 12, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Irving Plaza - November 20, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Take #1 Jimmy Kimmel Live - November 22, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Take #2 Jimmy Kimmel Live - November 22, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Take #3 Jimmy Kimmel Live - November 22, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Fonda Theatre - November 24, 2015)

    Tours

    Evil Woman was played on all tours following its release.

    The live performances that have seen official release are three versions from the Face The Music tour (Winterland, London and Portsmouth) and one version from the PBS performance for the aborted Zoom tour. Performances of Evil Woman from the A New World Record, Out Of The Blue, Time and Balance Of Power tours have not been officially released, although they have been bootlegged from various sources.

    The Time tour performance was a different performance, with Jeff and Kelly Groucutt alternating lyric lines over the first two verses and the third verse completely cut from the performance. During the rare Balance Of Power tour performances, which were in Germany only, Jeff changed the lyric "you better get your face on board the very next train" to "you better get your asshole on board the very next train". Perhaps he didn't think the German audience would notice, but it was secretly recorded and this amusing factoid is now preserved for history.

    The 2001 Zoom Tour Live and 2014 Hyde Park performances are the same basic album arrangement, minus the orchestral intro and a non-fading end.

    Also of interest is that at almost every live performance, just before the instrumental bridge, Jeff shouts "Take it, Richard!" to Richard Tandy.

    Of special note is a February 8, 2015 performance at the 57th Grammy Awards ceremony where the song was shortened and used as part of a medley with Evil Woman and Ed Sheeran joining in to play guitar and sing during Mr. Blue Sky. The arrangement for this medley was the beginning of Evil Woman, including the first verse and chorus, then goes directly into the final chorus and the song end. This connects directly to the start of Mr. Blue Sky, when Ed Sheeran walks on stage and joins in. The performance of Mr. Blue Sky is also shortened with Jeff singing the first verse, Ed singing the second verse, then them singing in harmony for the first chorus (and the rest of the song). This connects to the guitar solo, then the third verse, another chorus and the choral ending. There is no vocoder included at all. The performance was required to be short to fit the time constraints of the TV broadcast and the full schedule that night, so performing a medley was probably a good idea.

    Pictures

    UK 7-inch single (Jet Jet 764) USA standard 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW 729-Y) USA promo 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW 729-Y) USA promo 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW 729-Y) USA Face The Music LP (United Artists UA-LA546-G) UK The ELO EP EP (Jet Jet ELO 1) UK The ELO EP EP (Jet Jet ELO 1)
    UK vinyl single * Jet * Jet 764
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    USA standard vinyl single * United Artists * UA-XW 729-Y
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    USA promo vinyl single (both sides) * United Artists * UA-XW 729-Y
    [b/w Evil Woman (mono)]
    USA Face The Music album * United Artists * UA-LA546-G UK The ELO EP EP * Jet * Jet ELO 1
    [Evil Woman is the fourth and final track]
    UK Can't Get It Out Of My Head 7-inch reissue single (Jet Jet ELO 1 JB) USA 7-inch reissue single (United Artists US X 1177-Y) USA 7-inch reissue single (Golden Oldies Jet CBS ZS8 5151) Version #1 USA 7-inch reissue single (Golden Oldies Jet CBS ZS8 5151) Version #2 USA 7-inch reissue single (Collectibles Jet CBS ZS8 5151)
    UK Can't Get It Out My Head vinyl single * Jet * Jet ELO 1 JB
    [b/w Evil Woman]
    USA vinyl single * United Artists * US X 1177-Y
    [b/w Livin' Thing]
    USA vinyl single * Golden Oldies Jet * CBS ZS8 5151 (Version #1)
    [b/w Telephone Line]
    USA vinyl single * Golden Oldies Jet * CBS ZS8 5151 (Version #2)
    [b/w Telephone Line]
    USA vinyl single * Collectibles Jet * CBS ZS8 5151
    [b/w Telephone Line]
    Argentina promo 7-inch single (Epic DEP-139) Australia promo 7-inch single (Polydor 2001 620) Belgium promo 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 2001 622) Brazil 7-inch single (Polydor 2229 187) Canada 7-inch single (United Artists UA-XW729-Y)
    Argentina promo vinyl single * Epic * DEP-139
    [b/w Can't Get It Out Of My Head]
    Australia vinyl single * Polydor * 2001 620
    [b/w Fire On High]
    Belgium vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 2001 622
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Brazil vinyl EP * Polydor * 2229 187
    [tracks in order include:
    Sky High by Jigsaw
    She by Southcote
    Spanish Hustle by The Fatback Band
    Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Canada vinyl single * United Artists * UA-XW729-Y
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Canada 7-inch single (United Artists XW1132) Canada 7-inch single (Columbia C4-1028) France 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 2001 608) Germany 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 2001622) Greece 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 2001 622)
    Canada vinyl single * United Artists * XW1132
    [b/w Do Ya]
    Canada vinyl single * Columbia * C4-1028
    [b/w Can't Get It Out Of My Head]
    France vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 2001 608
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Germany vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 2001622
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Greece vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 2001 622
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Guatamala 7-inch single (Polydor 11114) Holland 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 2001 608) Republic of Ireland 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 764) Italy 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 2001 625) Italy 7-inch promo single (Jet Polydor 2001 625)
    Guatamala vinyl single * Polydor * 11114
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Holland vinyl single * Polydor * 2001 608
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Republic of Ireland vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 764
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Italy vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 2001 625
    [b/w Strange Magic]
    Italy vinyl promo single * Jet Polydor * 2001 625
    [b/w Strange Magic]
    Italy 7-inch jukebox single (Jet Polydor AS 5000 340) Japan 7-inch single (Jet Polydor DP 4020) Japan 7-inch single (Jet CM-114) Japan 7-inch single (Jet 06SP 370) Mexico 7-inch single (Jet Polydor 629)
    Italy vinyl Jukebox single * Jet Polydor * AS 5000 340
    [b/w Bianca Maria by Paki (not ELO!)]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Japan vinyl single * Jet Polydor * DP 4020
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Japan vinyl single * Jet * CM-114
    [b/w Strange Magic]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Japan vinyl single * Jet * 06SP 370
    [b/w Telephone Line (A-side)]
    Mexico vinyl single * Jet Polydor * 629
    [b/w Poker]
    Mexico 7-inch radio promo single (Jet Polydor 629) Mexico 7-inch radio promo single (Jet Polydor 629) New Zealand 7-inch single (Polydor 2001 622) Peru 7-inch single (Polydor 2001608) Philippines 7-inch single (Polydor PRO-3452) Spain 7-inch single (Polydor 20 01 632)
    Mexico vinyl radio promo single * Jet Polydor * 629
    [b/w Poker]
    New Zealand vinyl single * Polydor * 2001 622
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Peru vinyl single * Polydor * 2001608
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Philippines vinyl single * Polydor * PRO-3452
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Spain vinyl single * Polydor * 20 01 632
    [b/w Poker]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Thailand 7-inch single (Royalsound TKR 349) Thailand 7-inch single (Express Song EXP-172) Uraguay 7-inch single (United Artists 300.017) Yugoslavia 7-inch single (Polydor RTB S 53 938) Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album with solo version
    Thailand vinyl single * Royalsound * TKR 349
    [tracks in order include: Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra
    Winners And Losers by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
    You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate
    Play On Love by Jefferson Starship]
    Thailand vinyl single * Express Song * EXP-172
    [tracks in order include: Get It Together by Crispy & Co.
    Money Honey by Bay City Rollers
    Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra
    You Were So Warm by Dwight Tilley Band]
    Uraguay vinyl single * United Artists * 300.017
    [b/w 10538 Overture (Live)]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Yugoslavia vinyl single * Polydor * RTB S 53 938
    [b/w Nightrider]
    Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock
    Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra album containing newer solo version

    Cover Versions


    Use in Movies and TV Programs

    Electric Light Orchestra's Evil Woman

    Jeff Lynne's solo Evil Woman


    Use in Advertising

    Electric Light Orchestra's Evil Woman

    Jeff Lynne's solo Evil Woman

    Sample Uses


    Sheet Music

           
    Sheet music as published in the UK.

           
    Sheet music as published in the USA.

    Promotional Videos and TV Performances

    Evil Woman promo videoThe promo video for Evil Woman features the band on an unidentified concert stage miming to the UK single version of the song (missing orchestral intro and fade slightly early). Jeff is wearing the same black shirt with white wings on the shoulders that was seen in the Can't Get It Out Of My Head video. He is also wearing a brown newsboy hat and his infamous dark sunglasses. No other videos in support of the Face The Music album were produced. The Evil Woman promo video can be seen HERE. The video has never been commercially released.

    Evil Woman on SupersonicELO's first and only appearance on the UK TV show Supersonic was broadcast on December 4, 1975 performing Evil Woman. This performance, which was a live vocal and live piano over a taped backing track (with the band miming the taped parts), is amusing because throughout the performance, fog machines were overwhelming the cello players on the multi-tiered stage and at one point in the song, Jeff looks over at Hugh and breaks up laughing, momentarily breaking from his mimed performance. This appearance can be seen HERE. Although this performance was never rebroadcast on Supersonic, it was sold to music programs outside the UK. In particular, it was used for an episode of Twiggy's Juke Box in the USA in 1978.

    Evil Woman on TOTPThe band also appeared on the UK's Top Of The Pops broadcast on January 8, 1976 where they again performed a live vocal and unidentified female backing vocals over a taped backing. This performance is edited, utting the second chorus and the entire piano part from the instrumental bridge that follows as well as fading early. Otherwise, it was a simple mimed stage performance. This appearance can be seen HERE. This performance was rebroadast on subsequent Top Of The Pops episode on January 22, January 31 and February 12 of 1976

    Evil Woman on The Midnight SpecialIn the US, the band performed a completely live version of the song (no taped backing) on The Midnight Special. The show was broadcast on March 5, 1976, although the actual recording was done between February 8 and 11, inclusively. The song was a straight stage performance, along with performances of Nightrider and Strange Magic. This appearance can be seen HERE. This performance of Evil Woman was rebroadcast on The Midnight Special on April 23 and June 25 of 1976.

    It is known that the band also made an appearance with the song on a German TV show called Pop '75 in 1975, but details about this appearance are uncertain at this time. It is hoped that more details about this TV performance and possibly others can be detailed at a future date.

    Fan Comments

    Enter comments only about this song. (Inappropriate comments will be removed.)


    It's the painted lady - with her jewels and beads - a career-worthy talent. Probably drove a Cadillac Eldorado and married a guy who ended up with a bank job in the city. Bird on the wing could have told us why, because there was a teardrop in his eye. Sadly he's no longer around to share the story, so you might learn more by listening to Livin' Thing, Nightrider, and Strange Magic.

    A cover version of "Evil Woman" was performed by "Oh Mercy" on the "Like a Version" segment on Australian radio station "Triple J" in April 2011.

    The video of the 1976 appearance on The Midnight Special is no longer on YouTube (at least not at the link given here).

    Tell the world what you think of Evil Woman. Who did Jeff have in mind when he wrote the song?

    Artwork by Lynnette Johansson for Evil Woman
    -Fan artwork by Lynnette "Cicky" Johansson

    Quotations

    Evil Woman (Standard Release)
    Evil Woman page in Wembley Or Bust bookEvil Woman in Record Mirror from February 21, 1976 Evil Woman was used in the film Austin Powers In Goldmember, using the original Electric Light Orchestra version, however it did not show up on the officially released soundtrack. Instead, the soundtrack featured a cover version by Soul Hooligan featuring Diana King.

    Note also that on the Flashback set, the orchestral intro to this song was improperly placed at the end of the previous song, Tightrope.

    "A new album title Face The Music will be released on November 14 and a single track taken from it, titled Evil Woman, is out the same day."
    Unknown (November 8, 1975 - Record Mirror)

    "Evil Woman (3:15); producer: Jeff Lynne; writer: J. Lynne; publishers: Unart /Jet. BMI. United Artists 729. Pulled from their new LP, this mid-tempo rocker combining the group's patented classical and rock soundstand sounds and the voices of Jeff Lynne and Kelly Groucut is the perfect choice from the fast rising new LP. Again, a title that works well as a hook."
    Unknown (November 8, 1975 - Billboard)

    "We're doing the same [promoting the Face The Music in the UK] for the single, too, which is Evil Woman from the album."
    Jeff Lynne (Fall 1975 - Melody Maker)

    "It's been such a long time since we've heard from ELO that it was interesting to hear what they'd been doing. In fact this is a very solid record, very strong bass and a sound that does one of those growing tricks on you. Nice sound, and a fine record."
    Sue Byrom (December 6, 1975 - Record Mirror)

    "Evil Woman is the one true ELO pieces in this sparse eight-cut outing."
    PH (December 6, 1975 - Record Mirror)

    "Let us also, rejoice in the band's blink-and-you'll-miss-'em homecoming, and the liftoff Evil Woman which is torpedo-ing up the charts at bum-breaking speed."
    Jan Iles (January 17, 1976 - Record Mirror & Disc)

    "Actually we've realised that now our single is successful over here [in the UK] it is worthwhile to come back home and promote or play or whatever, because it seems that British people are still interested in our music."
    Bev Bevan (January 17, 1976 - Record Mirror & Dusc)

    "It's a good thing to have a hit over here [in the UK with Evil Woman] so we can get on telly and our Mums can say, 'Ooh look here's our Bev, our Jeff.'"
    Jeff Lynne (January 17, 1976 - Record Mirror & Disc)

    "Electric Light Orchestra is making a national tour, exploiting its biggest hit single, Evil Woman. The number, taken from the United Artists album, Face The Music, is fifteenth on Billboard's top 100, and climbing."
    Unknown (January 30, 1976 - Fresno Bee)

    "Evil Woman though, is the classic. It fuels perfectly the soul direction so crassly assimilated on Showdown, an explosion of flickering rhythm guitars, clarinet and surging strings, a rich vein of hooks and melodies that seem instantly familiar. If it isn't a huge hit we are in a worse shape than we think."
    John Ingham (January 1976 - Sounds)

    "At this point ELO is at the high point of their career, enjoying immense popularity among music enthusiasts. Their latest album, Face The Music, is currently the number 10 selling album in the United States, and their gold record single Evil Women [sic] has attracted wide sales during the past six weeks."
    Author Unknown (February 12, 1976 - Muhlenberg Weekly)

    "Equally, ELO have had singles in the upper reaches of the charts: among them Can't Get It Out Of My Head, regarded here as a classic, and Evil Woman, also big in the UK."
    Bob Edmands (April 1976 - New Musical Express)

    "Funny enough, when we did the LP... We never do singles as a thing, we just go in and make an LP. I write all the songs and [Evil Woman] just sounded like a single straight away, we did it. Y'know, it had a good feel to it. And, uh, that's what everybody chose to release. The record company, Jet, which is David's label and Don's label, we all agreed on it and it came out. And it's a hit in England as well."
    Jeff Lynne (1976 - Innerview with Jim Ladd)

    "Britain has been slow to pick up on some of the band's material which has had great success in America, but renewed interest was heralded by their last album, from which we've had three popular singles-- Night Rider [sic], Evil Woman and Strange Magic."
    David Brown (July 24, 1976 - Record Mirror)

    "Now we're home! ELO has its first real hit single. From Face The Music, it delivers ELO the stature they deserve..."
    Author Unknown (June 1976 - liner notes for Olé ELO album)

    "Lynne's compositions, such as Looking On and especially What?, sound far more like classic ELO than the nondescript disco sludge of Evil Woman. [...] Material from this [The Night The Light Went On In Long Beach] LP has appeared on the B-sides of the last three UK singles, and the live 10538 Overture (with its teasing, truncated Do Ya riff in the middle) is the American B-side of Evil Woman. [...] [Face The Music] rocketed up the charts [in the UK], and when Evil Woman was pulled as the single... The test, as they say, is history. [...] Face The Music is one of the more uneven ELO releases. The dreadful disco of Evil Woman was followed by an equally lame nonentity called Strange Magic, which has also proved a huge hit."
    Joel Bellman (December 1976 - Trouser Press #17)

    "It's primarily a singles market in England, especially among the younger fans. If you look at the album charts, you'll usually find Perry Como or something like that high up. Some of our singles do well-- Evil Woman went top ten, but then Strange Magic flopped."
    Bev Bevan (January 17, 1977 - Circus magazine)

    "[ELO] have just had three hit singles in a row (Evil Woman, Strange Magic, and Livin' Thing)."
    Rick Atkinson (February 13, 1977 - The Sunday Record)

    "1975 and Face The Music was released to acclaim in America while Britain, despite making Evil Woman a hit, still restrained from acclaiming ELO."
    Harry Doherty (May 27, 1978 - Melody Maker)

    "[Jeff] wrote Evil Woman in about an hour. We needed another song for the album, and he just went in one morning and wrote it."
    Bev Bevan (July 21, 1978 - Performance magazine)

    "Evil Woman and Strange Magic were the two hit singles from Face The Music."
    Unknown (May 1979 - Discovery press kit)

    "I wrote Evil Woman in the studio and it came to me quicker than any other song I have written."
    Jeff Lynne (November 1979 ELO's Greatest Hits)

    "[ELO] recorded the fifth ELO album, Face The Music, a gold record scant weeks after its release. Evil Woman and Strange Magic were the two hit singles from Face The Music to be included on the group's first greatest hits compilation (Ole ELO), also to turn quickly to gold in 1976."
    Unknown (November 1979 - Song Hits magazine)

    "It was out of a different song, that string bit that comes in backwards. It was out of something... Nightrider, the string tracks off that. And, uh, I played it backwards and it was in the right key."
    Jeff Lynne (August 8, 1980 - The ELO Story radio show)

    "Face The Music also gave Jeff his fastest-ever [produced] song. We were short a track on the last day of recording in Munich and Jeff went in early. By the time the rest of us arrived at 2 P.M. he had Evil Woman ready for us to play. It made the top ten in both Britain and America as a single release in later months."
    Bev Bevan (1980 - The Electric Light Orchestra Story)

    "Songs in the Showdown mould have been the mainstay, by and large, of ELO's subsequent career. There's Nobody's Child from Eldorado, Evil Woman of course (which is probably the song which bears the closest similarity to it), Livin' Thing, Last Train To London, Train Of Gold and now Sorrow About To Fall (which features exactly the same keyboards) - all of which have obviously benefitted from Showdown."
    Andrew Whiteside (1987 - Face The Music fanzine #3)

    "Evil Woman has become the antithesis of Sweet Talkin' Woman. In the former, there's an 'open road that leads nowhere', but in the latter he is clearly begging her to come back: 'You got me runnin', you got me searchin'.'"
    Neil Frost (1987 - Face The Music fanzine #3)

    "The first ELO Polydor release was Evil Woman (Jet 764), which was minus its string prelude, but this did not detract from the song's appeal. Indeed, it probably made it a better single. The B-side was the live version of 10538 Overture, taken from The Night The Light Went On In Long Beach. All three of the Polydor ELO singles had B-sides taken from the live LP, an obvious (and only partially successful) attempt to placate UK fans for the fact that the album wasn't available in Britain. The label design was probably the worst ELO ever had - just the vinyl of the record embossed with blue paint, and the Jet emblem, and like all the Polydor 7-inchers, it never came in picture sleeve. The single re-established ELO's commercial fortunes in the UK regardless, reaching No. 10 and staying in the charts for 8 weeks. Today it's worth 2.50 mint. After the Top 10 success of Evil Woman, ELO must have had high hopes for the LP, Face The Music (Jet LP 11). If so, they were to be severely disappointed, for despite all their efforts, it never charted."
    Andrew Whiteside (1988 - Face The Music fanzine #4)

    "The piano solo [in Nobody's Child] was a dry run for Evil Woman to follow next year."
    Andrew Whiteside (1988 - Face The Music fanzine #4)

    "According to legend, Evil Woman was written in the studio before the other band members arrived. It's further proof that the best things are sometimes the simplest. A brief string prelude lulls you into thinking the song is a pretty ballad, and assumption quickly dispelled by the sudden interruption of the drums, and the introductory lyric that sums up the song: 'You made a fool of me, but them broken dreams have got to end.' What follows is three minutes of some of the most powerful and compelling pop music Jeff has ever written. Simple enough lyrically, but nothing short of brillian musically. Jeff's grasp of the Philly shound is total and intuative, from the call and response vocals (again from anonymous girl backing singers) thorugh most genuinely chilling 'ha ha's' that punctuate the versus at regular intervals; to Richard's bar-room piano soolo, culminating in the truly spine-tingling moment when the strings momentarily run backwards (taken actully from the string part in Nightrider), giving the song a ganuine other-worldly feel."
    Andrew Whiteside (Early 1989 - Face The Music fanzine #5)

    "Yeah, Evil Woman, actually [still gives me a thrill]. It sounds like a complete... song. I wrote that in about fifteen minutes. It was really weird because I needed one more song for the album and all the rest of the group were hanging about and I said, 'You all go do something and I'll just write this song on the piano in the studio.' And I had it done like... kinda like 'bout half an hour later it was almost ready to record. Y'know, just showed everybody how it went. And it... I made the record in probably a day, wrote the words the next day. It was very, very quick. Some take months to make, y'know. Some just come easy."
    Jeff Lynne (June 23, 1990 - Timothy White's Rock Stars: Jeff Lynne's Musical Chairs)

    "Lyrically and musically [Sweet Talkin' Woman is] the antithesis of 1975's Evil Woman."
    Andrew Whiteside (1990 - Face The Music fanzine #7)

    "Sparked by the controversially discofied sound of Evil Woman and the soothing slow-dance charms of Strange Magic, the [Face The Music] album out-sold Eldorado."
    Ira Robbins (1995 liner notes for Strange Magic: The Best Of Electric Light Orchestra)

    "Almost at the end of the recording sessions [for Face The Music] one more song was needed so Jeff walked into the studio, sat on the piano [sic] and wrote Evil Woman very quickly. When the band came in as usual the song was finished!"
    Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)

    "I was in the studio two days. I'm on Nightrider, One Summer Dream, Down Home Town, Evil Woman, [and] Strange Magic. Lots of stuff was not used... [...] Also on Evil Woman, I came up with the vocal part - so that's why it's me. A wonderful album to be on...I still hear it all the time."
    Marge Raymond (1999 - personal email to 'Simon Apple' and posted on Showdown mailing list)

    "Probably the fastest song I ever wrote was on [the Face The Music] session-- Evil Woman which took about six minutes to write the basic tune. I was always planning on changing the chorus a bit but I couldn't come up with anything better. [...] Me second go at an R&B style song. [...] I took the high string crescendo from [Nightrider] and over dubbed it backwards onto Evil Woman where it's prominently featured."
    Jeff Lynne (2000 - Flashback)

    "They all went out for like half an hour and I just walked up to the piano and played these three chords. And it was Evil Woman immediately. I never even changed it. It was just... that's the verse of Evil Woman. It was just, uh, A minor, E minor, D minor, built into C and then goes: 'dow, dow, dow.' Right back into them chord changes. And it was just done instantly. And, uh, so I got all that and said, 'This is how it goes.' And then, it was recorded in that afternoon and then, I probably did the words at the end, as usual. And I was gonna change the actual chorus. [Sings 'Evil Woman.'] I was gonna change that bit. One day, I was gonna change that at the last minute. But I could never come up with anything better, so I left it like that."
    Jeff Lynne (June 2 & 9, 2001 - Mr. Blue Sky: The Jeff Lynne Story 2001 BBC 2 Radio show)

    "With ELO, [Lynne] captured the sound of the '70s like no one else. Hits like Evil Woman, Turn to Stone and Livin' Thing defined the culturally explosive and schizophrenic era, pogo-ing between symphonic funk and retro rock to neurotic disco and whatever the theme from Xanadu was supposed to be."
    Aidin Vaziri (June 17, 2001 - The San Francisco Chronicle)

    !@#!@#"Yeah, [I wrote Evil Woman very quickly]. I actually walked up to the piano and wrote the first three chords and it just went through just like that. And, uh, it took me a lot longer to do the words... probably it took me six weeks to do the words, but the actual tune... the track... [...] Well this is a little innovative idea that I had. You see, the two songs-- We'd just done the two string sessions, like, probably three strings sessions in a session. So I'd just been overdubbing orchestra and I noticed that where that crescendo went off, I turned it 'round backwards and listened to it and thought, 'That'll fit right in Evil Woman in this beat that I'm really bored [with].' And, I tried it out on, y'know, just took a little copy of it. Snip it in; snip it out. And put this thing in backwards. And it fit perfectly. It never missed a beat and it just whizzed through like nothing ever happened and here it was backwards. "
    Jeff Lynne (June 24, 2001 - Off The Record interview with Uncle Joe Benson)

    "Actually, [Evil Woman] was a premonition of a woman I was about to meet. [Laughs] So we don't have to go too deeply into that one. Funny enough, the title, I was gonna change... I'd written the song really quickly, like in about six minutes. And I came to do the words and I've got the-- I wrote those last and I couldn't thing of anything except 'evil woman' so I left it in there."
    Jeff Lynne (July 2001 - Electric Light Orchestra - Up Close US Jones Radio Network Radio Show)

    "Face The Music's single, Evil Woman, written hurriedly as a filler, was the first to make the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic, but it was the third album in a row not to chart in Britain. In front of his first audience since 1986, Jeff goes into Evil Woman and notes ruefully that 'it came true recently'. Acrimoniously divorced from his second wife, Jeff now lives in LA with singer Rosie Vela, who joins him in the new line-up."
    Jim Irvin (August, 2001 - The Bullring Variations article in Mojo)

    "Face The Music gave Lynne his first worldwide smash with the single Evil Woman, the fastest song he ever wrote. "
    Author Unknown (March 31, 2003 - website only expanded liner notes for ELO 2 remaster CD)

    "Face The Music... was an immediate hit and also gave Lynne his first worldwide smash hit, Evil Woman."
    Rob Caiger (2003 liner notes for The Collection)

    "Face The Music also wrought... the soulful Evil Woman, an infectious tune built around a dynamic string riff, which Lynne was said to have penned in only 30 minutes."
    Jaan Uhelszki (April 1, 2003 liner notes for The Essential Electric Light Orche
    stra)
    Editor's Note: The song was built around the piano riff, not a string riff.

    "Well, actually it turns out [the evil woman in Evil Woman is] somebody I know. [Laughs] So I can't talk about it really."
    Jeff Lynne (July 5, 2005 - Face The Music: The Story of the Electric Light Orchestra BBC 2 Radio show)

    "There's songs such as Evil Woman that were presented to the band complete for them to learn to play..."
    Rob Caiger (July 20, 2005 - Showdown mailing list)

    "ELO's Jeff Lynne made three of the most over-the-top enjoyable radio hits of the 1970s: Evil Woman, Don't Bring Me Down and Turn to Stone."
    Peter Relic and Brian Hiatt (November 17, 2005 - Rolling Stone issue #967)

    "...a lot of songs are edited - its just that the edited version that makes it to the album is the only one you've heard. Evil Woman for example is an edited track - the full-length version has an additional verse and chorus."
    Rob Caiger (February 4, 2006 - Showdown mailing list)

    "Jeff does control his songs and the sample [from Evil Woman] used for the Pussycat Dolls [song BEEP] was approved by him."
    Rob Caiger (March 1, 2006 - Showdown mailing list)

    "Millionaire rock star Jeff Lynne is set to make a killing - because sexy popbabes Pussycat Dolls have borrowed one of his old chart hits. The musician from Meriden in Warickshire has given the girls permission to use part of ELO's Evil Woman in their new single, and it's being tipped as a No 1. They've even credited the former Move and ELO frontman as one of the writers of Beep, a cheeky pop song with most of the chorus beeped out. If it follows in the footsteps of their first tune Don't Cha, it will top the charts - giving Lynne his first No 1 since Xanadu, recorded with Olivia Newton-John way back in 1980. Former ELO drummer Bev Bevan, now a Saga FM DJ and Sunday Mercury columnist, said he hadn't been told that Evil Woman was about to make a comeback. 'Evil Woman is one of my favourite songs,' he said. 'I haven't heard Beep yet. I'm not a huge fan of the girls, although they're very attractive!'"
    Unknown (February 26, 2006 - Birmingham Sunday Mercury)

    "Check out the stripped down version of Evil Woman; I think it's a better mix than the original 1975 one. I took the high string part of Nightrider that climbs up to a climax, and used it backwards in Evil Woman as a big effect. I was amazed when it slotted in seamlessly."
    Jeff Lynne (September 11, 2006 - Face The Music remaster liner notes)

    "[Face The Music] also included one song composed in record time. Short of a final track for the album, Lynne created the classic Evil Woman in six minutes, the fastest song he ever wrote. J.L.: 'Now, when I say I wrote the song in six minutes, I didn't write the words in six minutes! I wrote the actual structure of the song, the chords and the melody and the little twiddly bits and then invited the group back in, showed everybody what to play and then laid it down. It was all done in a couple of hours in the afternoon and then I went back and worked on the arrangement and on the lyrics.' Evil Woman gave Lynne his first worldwide top 10 hit single, including a no.10 chart placing in the U.K."
    Rob Caiger (September 11, 2006 - Face The Music remaster liner notes)

    "[ELO] had dabbled in... prog rock (the slightly superior Evil Woman)..."
    Author Unknown (September, 2006 - Q Magazine Sep 2006)

    "'JEFF LYNN [sic] of ELO gave me center mic,' exclaims Marge. 'He liked a background vocal arrangement I came up with for Evil Woman (Evil Woman went to #1). To this day, I still hear my voice loud and clear on that part, in fact it was just used in the AUSTIN POWERS GOLDMEMBER movie.'"
    Author Unknown (circa 2008 - Marge Raymond's web biography (http://www.margeraymond.com/bio.html))
    Ed
    itor's Note: Evil Woman did not reach #1 on the charts.

    "Face the Music, released in 1975 -- featuring Evil Woman and Strange Magic as top 20 singles and non-single track such as Fire on High and Waterfall -- was the most solid release to date."
    Rock Cesario (October 16, 2006 - The Daily Sentinal (Grand Junction, Colorado))

    "Face The Music (1975) produced the international Top Ten Evil Woman and the equally brilliant Strange Magic. Both continued to redefine Lynne as a consummate pop composer."
    Lindsay Planer (November 6, 2006 - MusicTAP On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record remaster review)

    "In 1995 Michael Stipe imitated Lynne at an REM concert, wearing a frizzy wig and singing Evil Woman..."
    Paul Lester (November 11, 2006 - The Scotsman)

    "Face the Music is the album that introduced the radio-friendly version of ELO to the masses with the singles Strange Magic, Waterfall, and the ubiquitous disco-tinged Evil Woman."
    Barry Nothstine (2006 - The Phantom Tollbooth On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record remaster review)

    "His songwriting machine was so well honed at this point that he could toss off a generic song like Evil Woman in an afternoon, dress it up with the production techniques he had been working toward all decade, and have it go straight to the top 10 all over the world. The song is a compendium of clich s-'You took my body and played to win', 'A fool and his money soon go separate ways'-but the commanding piano opening, the burping riff after each iteration of the chorus, and the backward crescendo break make it irresistible anyway. (The [Face The Music] reissue includes a 'stripped down mix' that removes the female backing vocals and the orchestra overdubs. This allows the piano solo to come through much more clearly but deprives the song of some of the towering preposterousness that made it magical.)"
    Rob Horning (February 16, 2007 - On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record reissue review on popmatters.com)

    "Two of ELO's biggest hits, Evil Woman and Strange Magic are here [on the Face The Music remaster] and the band swiftly started gaining ground on the charts."
    Scott Homewood (February 2, 2007 - On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record reissue review on cdreviews.com)

    "ELO's finest singles may have appeared on the two prior albums (can you argue with Evil Woman or Livin' Thing?)..."
    Rob Mitchum (March 1, 2007 - Pitchfork Media Out Of The Blue remaster review)

    "Even today it's hard not to be bowled over by the impact and innovation of Evil Woman, Mr. Blue Sky or Strange Magic, a song whose title perfectly summarized the Lynne mystique."
    Unknown (Summer 2007 - Yamaha All Access)

    "[Cliff Richard's] Miss You Nights was to be the first single released [from his I'm Nearly Famous album], in February 1976, because there was some concern that Devil Woman might get confused with the Electric Light Orchestra's Evil Woman which had entered the charts in January."
    Steve Turner (January 2008 - Cliff Richard - The Biography (revised edition))

    "Face the Music and A New World Record eschewed the orchestrated prog of Eldorado and explored the Beatles influence even further, with... hit Evil Woman (which directly references the Fabs with the line 'there is a hole in my head where the rain comes in,' a magpie lyric snatched from Fixing a Hole). [...] Fun fact: ELO influenced Daft Punk, who sampled Evil Woman"
    Alan McGee (October 16, 2008 - The Guardian)

    "Then came Evil Women [sic]. I can [remember] to this day how amazed we all were when we heard this track. Jeff was quite the genius in music innovation. He was one of the first to use phase shifting and other special effects in music. Jeff wants us all to strengthen the chorus 'EEEvil Women'. So here we are standing in front of the mic and the opening of the tune comes on: 'You made a fool of me...', etc. We all look at each other and mouthed the words... 'WOW what sound and what great tune.' We missed our entrance a few times because we were listening to this song in the headsets and were blown away, especially on the part where it phase [shifts] into the chorus 'Evil Women'. We apologize to Jeff...Sorry...we are just blown away with the effects and the sound. We come back into the control room. Jeff says he still feels there is something missing in the tune. We listen to the playback. We add vocals to the part that says, 'HA HA (women what you gonna do, etc)'. Back in the control room we are listening back again and right after the part 'but you better get yourself onboard the very next train' and 'Ha Ha, very nice to know, that you aint got no place to go' I came up with the preceeding vocal part. Jeff loved it!!! [Jeff says:] 'Marge go out in the studio and do that!!' So we all go back into the studio, but he puts me center mic, which makes my vocals stand out the most. You can hear the 'hey, hey, hey' and 'Your an evil women'. Then came the tag at the end of the song: 'Your an evil women...such an evil women, etc..' [It's] me loud and clear. [...] Can you imagine what I felt like when I heard Evil Women [sic] for the first time. I was completely blown away. While I was in he studio I knew that this album had smash hits on it. Evil Women went to #1 and stayed there for many weeks. Wow! To this day, its still on the radio and I always get a thrill to hear it and my voice. I still say to myself, I cant believe its me on that tune, 34 years later. That song will be around forever...its classic. [...] In Goldmember [sic], I hear Evil Women [sic] and my voice. Now its on the Xbox Grand Theft Auto game which is in litigation for not paying out any royalties to anyone. You just can't take music and not pay out on it, especially when its a union job. I would get a conversion payout because my vocals are used in a different medium... i.e. first a recording... then a movie... then a game."
    Marge Raymond (February 23, 2009 - Facebook message board for an ELO page)
    Editor's Note: Evil Woman did not reach #1 on the charts.

    "Then came Evil Woman. I can remember to this day how amazed we all were when we heard this track. Jeff was quite the genius in music innovation. He was one of the first to use phase shifting and other special effects in music. Jeff wants us all to strengthen the chorus Evil Woman. So here we are standing in front of the mic and the opening of the tune comes on: 'You made a fool of me'... etc. We all look at each other and mouthed the words, wow, what sound and what great tune. We missed our entrance a few times because we were listening to this song in the headsets and were blown away, especially on the part where it phase shifts into the chorus Evil Woman. We apologize to Jeff... Sorry, we are just blown away with the effects and the sound. We come back into the control room. Jeff says he still feels there is something missing in the tune. We listen to the playback. We add vocals to the part that says, 'Ha ha (woman what you gonna do'), etc). Back in the control room we are listening back again and right after the part 'But you better get yourself onboard the vevry next train and Ha Ha, very nice to know, that you aint got no place to go'. I came up with the preceeding vocal part. Jeff loved it!!! Marge go out in the studio and do that!! So we all go back into the studio, but he puts me center mic, which makes my vocals stand out the most. You can hear the 'Hey, hey, hey' and 'Your an evil woman'. Then came the tag at the end of the song: 'Your an evil woman, such an evil woman', etc.. Its me loud and clear. [...] Can you imagine what I felt like when I heard Evil Woman for the first time. I was completely blown away. While I was in he studio I knew that this album had smash hits on it. Evil Woman went to #1 and stayed there for many weeks. Wow! To this day, its still on the radio and I always get a thrill to hear it and my voice. I still say to myself, I can t believe its me on that tune, 34 years later. That song will be around forever... its classic. The album was a smash hit and launched ELO's career to the top in the USA and all over the world."
    Marge Raymond (August 31, 2009 - ELO Secret Messages blog)
    Ed
    itor's Note: Evil Woman did not reach #1 on the charts.

    "The famous conjugal visit scene between Frau Farbissineh and Dr. Evil in Austin Powers third movie Goldmember memorably uses our background vocals front and center to score the scene (pardon the pun) in the Georgia State Prison. And of course, Rockstar Games s Grand Theft Auto IV, the biggest-selling video game of all time, remixes our original background vocals throughout the soundtrack of that hit gaming title. "
    Susan Collins (September 11, 2009 - ELO Secret Messages blog)

    "[ELO] had dabbled in... prog rock (the slightly superior Evil Woman)...
    "Evil Woman was went Top 10 both in America and in England in 1975."
    Author Unknown (August 18, 2012 - Something Else! website review)

    "[Evil Woman was] a premonition of somebody I was going to meet."
    Jeff Lynne (October 9, 2012 - L.A. Weekly)

    "ELO's breakthrough hit is the moment where the band recast itself from somewhat stuffy art rockers into a more playful (and way funkier) group. The Top 10 Evil Woman includes the band's usual mix of old-school strings and new-school keyboards, but this time they're backing a funky dance-floor beat that drives the song all the way to pop glory."
    Michael Gallucci (December 30, 2012 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine article 'Top 10 Electric Light Orchestra Songs')

    "Evil Woman, from their 1975 album Face The Music, reached #10 in both the U.S. and U.K."
    Kayla Roth (2012 - South Central Music Bulletin Volume XI, Numbers 1-2 (Fall 2012 Spring 2013))

    "I was working in the Record Plant overdubbing some girl singers onto the end of Evil Woman. Ellie Greenwich, the famous singer-songwriter, and two other girls did the part (sings 'You're an evil woman'). It was great to have them. While we were there, May Pang (one-time girlfriend of John Lennon) came into the studio and told me that John had said that Showdown was one of his favorite songs..."
    Jeff Lynne (January 2013 - Goldmine magazine)

    "Evil Woman, Mr. Blue Sky, Livin' Thing and Don't Bring Me Down can't fail to brighten your day."
    Duncan Jamieson (March 2013 - Melodic Rock Fanzine #55)

    "The most successful song on the album was the one written the most quickly of all. Jeff reportedly took about six minutes to pen Evil Woman, in which case it must have been the most lucrative six minutes of his career altogether. It was also a song which showed a slight musical concession to disco, and the verse there s a hole in my head where the rain comes in pays homage to a line from The Beatles Fixing A Hole from Sergeant Pepper [sic]. Thanks to heavy exposure on TV and radio, it restored the group to favour in Britain by peaking at No. 10 in January. In America it reached the same position shortly afterwards, finding similar success in several other countries. [...] On the week ending 13 January [1979]... a four-track EP featuring Can t Get It Out Of My Head, Strange Magic, Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, and Evil Woman fell six places to No. 40 in the British singles chart... [...] Can t Get It Out Of My Head at last saw fleeting chart action for the week ending 20 January as well. Jukeboxes were ill-adapted to 7-inch EPs with a total playing time of around seven or eight minutes per side, and Jet issued a small pressing for the jukebox trade with this track on one side and Evil Woman on another. This little-publicised contribution to the discography sold sufficiently to make an appearance at No. 52. [...] Daft Punk sampled Evil Woman on the track Face to Face in 2001. [...] In 2005, the Pussycat Dolls Beep featured an instrumental hook [from Evil Woman] as good as sampled from the same song."
    John Van der Kiste (August 2015 - Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After)

    "Although only 10 years old, [my son] regularly raids my record collection and has become devoted to ELO. Every night the Seventies' Birmingham space rockers blast from his bedroom. I like to crack open the door to watch him lying there, singing 'Ee-ee-evil woman!' in a squeaky high voice."
    Neil McCormick (September 20, 2014 - The Telegraph)

    "ELO has always had a strong rock catalog, with hits like Do Ya, Evil Woman, and Ma-Ma-Ma Belle to back up the more adventurous tunes in their repertoire."
    William Hoffman (October 16, 2015 - Music Times)

    "His wonderful 1975 single Evil Woman is given a reboot on the propulsive, funky One Step At A Time, the sole track here that bears comparison with premium ELO. While the smooth drive-time rock of Dirty To The Bone takes lyrical cues from the same source."
    Graeme Thomson (November 7, 2015 - Daily Mail)

    "I love to play Evil Woman because it's so simple. It's really easy to get it to sound good 'cause, you know, the tune carries itself, really. And, you know, it's just mainly piano."
    Jeff Lynne (November 12, 2015 - interview on BBC WM 95.6)

    "Dirty To The Bone comes across as a lighter, modern-day version of ELO's 1975 Evil Woman..."
    Clint Rhodes (November 19, 2015 - Herald-Standard)

    "Electric Light Orchestra was huge throughout the 70s and into the early 80s, the British band started by Lynne and Roy Wood placing hit after hit on the charts 15 singles reached the Top 20 in the United States songs such as Telephone Line, Evil Woman and Turn To Stone becoming radio staples over that time."
    Peter Larsen (November 25, 2015 - The Orange County Register)

    "Have you ever actually read the lyrics to Evil Woman? It s some mean shit."
    Marc Spitz (November 27, 2015 - Salon website)

    "On Face The Music, Lynne finessed ELO's usual hybrid of fiddly prog-rock and pop. Songs such as Strange Magic and Evil Woman suggested less of the former and more of the latter. Released in autumn 1975, Face The Music was another US hit, but missed the British chart. But there was hope in sight when Evil Woman finally gave ELO that precious UK To 10 hit. Here was a song that used everything Jeff Lynne learned from dissecting other people's records, but given the ELO spin. Evil Woman's piano intro briefly echoed Fats Domino's Blueberry Hill; the string could have come off a Philly soul hit; the line 'There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in' was a tribute to The Beatles' Fixin' A Hole; and there was even a hint of disco in the rhythm. Evil Woman was a perfect pop record. 'And the fastest song I ever wrote,' said Lynne, who composed it in just six minutes."
    Mark Blake (November 2015 - Classic Rock magazine)

    "Written and recorded as the sessions for Face the Music were coming to a close, Evil Woman became ELO's second U.S. Top 10 single even as it made clear (with an overt nod toward Fixing a Hole) just how deep mastermind Jeff Lynne's creative connection was to the Beatles."
    Unknown (November, 2015 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine)

    "And there are bits where Lynne relives past glories. Evil Woman is recast twice [on Alone In The Universe]-- lyrically on the waspish and embittered Dirty To The Bone ('She'll drag you down/Until you drown') and sonically on One Step At A Time (with the same slinky guitar riffs and shrieking, sugar-coated chorus)."
    John Lewis (December, 2015 - Uncut magazine)

    "The chorus of Evil Woman (Example 1-14) contains a more conventional occurrence of the instrumental response in that it is a different melody than the call. There are three beats of rest between each vocal phrase, each filled with a short guitar riff. In measures 2-3 and 6-7 (the first and third responses), the same riff is played. The second response in measures 4-5 is an inversion of the first and third response. The inversion is seen again in measures 8-9, though here it ends with a definitive tonic (A) instead of a mediant (C). [...] Flanging is used in nine of the songs in this study. In almost every instance, it is used sparingly as to not oversaturate the listener with the unusual sound, but to draw attention to a particular part of the song. It may be used during the introduction..., the ending..., the chorus..., or in short, arrhythmic instrumental breaks (Showdown, Evil Woman). [...] In Evil Woman (Example 1-23), a onemeasure cross-rhythm played on piano is a recurring motif: the inverted tonic chord, C, pulses on eight eighth notes while a bass arpeggio accents first, fourth, and seventh eighth notes (the downbeat of one, the upbeat of two, and the downbeat of four). This syncopation contrasts with the prevailing rhythm of the rest of the song, which places emphasis on beats two and four. It is first heard after the arrhythmic introductory measures, as well as throughout the song at the end of each verse leading into the chorus. [...] Progressions made up of the three primary (major) chords of a major key [I], [IV] and [V] are some of the most basic chord progressions in popular music (Bennett 2008, 60). [...] Very rarely do chords act non-functionally; most of the music discussed here is quite tonal and allows for functional harmony and consonance. Movement from tonic to its relative minor or major is also common; for example, Evil Woman primarily stays in the key of A minor (supported by the chords Am, Em, and Dm) but at the end of each verse it shifts briefly to the key of C major (supported by the chords C, G, and F) before returning to A minor. This same movement between relative keys can be heard in other songs as well (Example 1-25). [...] Each song included in this study begins with an introduction. In thirteen of the twenty-two songs (approximately 59%), the introduction is simply a riff or ostinato pattern that incorporates the chords of the upcoming verse. Examples of this type of introduction can be found in... Evil Woman... [...] Finally, some songs have a double introduction: a unique section begins the song, followed by vamping leading into the first verse. Examples of this include the strings that begin Showdown and The Diary of Horace Wimp, as well as the freetime introduction to Evil Woman (Example 1-27; please note that the first three measures are a reduction of the many voices heard in the introduction; therefore the pitches may not be displayed in their original octave): at measure four, the rhythm becomes steady, and the song transitions into the second introduction. [...] An interlude is a formal section that features instrumental solos and lacks texted vocals that is, actual lyrics and not syllables or scat singing. Typically in ELO s music, there is one interlude per song (the exception to this is I m Alive), and it occurs after the second statement of the chorus. In some songs, the interlude is harmonically very similar to other parts of the songs and may be viewed as such. For example, Evil Woman... include[s] instrumental solos that are based on the chords of the verses... [...] Evil Woman is also in verse-chorus form, though it would be considered simple verse-chorus in that the harmonies of the chorus are identical to the harmonies of the verse. In thirty-two-bar form, or AABA form, the verse is the focus of the song, and is prepared and contrasted by a bridge or refrain. [...] These forms, like many of the chord progressions previously discussed, are not atypical in popular music."
    Kayla Roth (2015 - South Central Music Bulletin XII-XIII (2013-2015))

    "Lynne reportedly wrote this falsetto-fueled sing-along in 30 minutes, aiming to bang out an easy filler track for Face The Music. Suitably, Evil Woman is rougher and harder hitting than most ELO tunes, built on a funky guitar jangle and simple, diva-like backing vocals. (Even the arrangement is a bit sloppy: Notice Bevan s awkwardly timed drum fill at the :33 mark.) The band s trademark strings swoop in on the chorus and thereafter, adding a subtle elegance but the thrill here is hearing Lynne work his magic within the confines of a smaller palette. That immediacy paid off in 1975, earning the band their first hit single a Number 10 chart peak in both the UK and US. Four decades later, it remains a drunken karaoke staple."
    Ryan Reed (January 7, 2016 - Stereogum online magazine article entitled 'The 10 Best ELO Songs')

    "Evil Woman (1975): I wrote this in a matter of minutes. The rest of the album (Face the Music) was done. I listened to it and thought, 'There's not a good single.' So I sent the band out to a game of football and made up Evil Woman on the spot. The first three chords came right to me. It was the quickest thing I'd ever done. We kept it slick and cool, kind of like an R&B song. It was kind of a posh one for me, with all the big piano solos and the string arrangement. It was inspired by a certain woman, but I can't say who. She's appeared a few times in my songs. Playing concerts in those days wasn't fun. The sound was always bad and we were still playing theaters and town halls, the occasional dance hall. After Evil Woman, we got more gigs, but it didn't change my life all that much. You can't buy a palace or anything after just one hit."
    Jeff Lynne (January 21, 2016 - Rolling Stone article entitled: 'ELO's Jeff Lynne: My Life in 15 Songs')

    "Come 1975, as Lynne tried out his newfound orchestral superpowers on early disco (Evil Woman)... Do Ya was creeping into ELO s mid-70s live set as a forerunner to Evil Woman..."
    Mark Beaumont (March 30, 2016 - The Guardian)

    "We were in the studio and I thought, 'I ain't got a single yet for this album.' So I sent the other guys out to play football and said, 'I'm going to make this up now in five minutes.' And of course, I didn't think I would, but I did-- I went to the piano and those three chords of Evil Woman just came right out of my hand."
    Jeff Lynne (April 2016 - Prog magazine)

    "It was Lynne s genius illustrated in songs such as Mr. Blue Sky, Livin Thing and Evil Woman that led Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield to proclaim: 'ELO are better than The Beatles!' And even Jeff Lynne never dreamed he d hear that. [...] [Face The Music] did, however, produce a UK hit single, albeit belatedly. Evil Woman, a song written in 20 minutes and initially dismissed as filler by Jeff Lynne, gave ELO their first domestic Top 10 hit in three years, and set them up nicely for the next album, A New World Record. Evil Woman remains one of ELO s best-loved songs, a genuine 70s pop classic and the highlight of an album that includes several great songs (Strange Magic, Waterfall) and one outright turkey, the daft Down Home Town."
    Paul Elliott (December 19, 2016 - Teamrock.com)

    "But Lynne s prowess as a singer and writer is still strong on songs such as Dirty To The Bone, a sly update on Evil Woman spotlighted by shimmering guitars and Lynne s multi-tracked vocals."
    Steven Hyden (April 25, 2017 - Uproxx website)

    "Evil Woman would be a part of the Face The Music album... more on that in a moment! This future-hit record was recorded at 'Musicland Studios' in Munich Germany in 1975. Jeff Lynne wrote the song very quickly... he needed to! All the songs for Face The Music had been recorded... and it was quickly realized that they needed another song! Lynne sat down at the piano in the recording studio, and played the opening riff, which became the basis for the rest of the song. Later that day, the rest of the band came in and recorded the backing track! The lyrics were written... and the vocals were recorded... the next day at Musicland Studios. The strings portion of Evil Woman... and the female vocals... were recorded later, at a recording studio in England. The song tells the story of... an evil woman. The singer pointing out that he isn't going to put up with it any more. Obviously, the song struck a chord with the listening public... Evil Woman would enter the top-40 chart on November 15, 1975... going all the way to #10 in early 1976. It would be the Electric Light Orchestra's second Top-10 hit both in New Jersey, and in their native England! Strange Magic (#14/1976) would be the other hit record to come from the Face The Music album... Our 'Fun Facts' song is track #1... meaning that it won't fade down in the middle to click to the next track! Here's one more 'Fun Fact:' Looking at (some of) the Evil Woman lyrics... 'Hey, woman, you got the blues Cause you ain't got no one else to use There's an open road that leads nowhere So just make some miles between here and there There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in You took my body and played to win Ha, ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame But you ain't got nobody else to blame... ' Yes... the line 'There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in' was inspired by the Beatles song Fixing A Hole. You just have to love when one of Jersey's Favorite Hits... is inspired by the 'Fab Four!' Evil Woman is song #1 on this ELO 'Best Of.'"
    Craig Allen (June 24, 2017 - New Jersey 101.5 website)

    "Well, what I did learn [when writing Evil Woman] was that I could actually write a song in six minutes and I didn't know I could do that before. I never tried. 'Cause I sent the rest of the group out, 'cause I was one short on the Face The Music album. I thought, I haven't go a proper hit single on here yet. I'm going to make one up now. So you go on up in the shops or whatever, in Germany this is, in Munich. And they came back and luckily I got this song within six minutes and it was like... Evil Woman. So I was, 'Whoo, that'll do.' [Laughs] And we made the record, like, that afternoon. And a few overdubs later, you know, another session, you know, put the strings on and all that, the vocals on... And it was shocking to me 'cause I did it in six minutes, the main theme and everything was done."
    Jeff Lynne (November 16, 2017 - interview at Clive Davis Theater for Wembley Or Bust screening)

    "Evil Woman lives on as one of the most emphatically embittered (and catchy) pop tunes of all time, with anti-romantic verses like: 'Evil woman how you done me wrong, But now you re tryin to wail a different song, Ha ha funny how you broke me up, You made the wine now you drink the cup, I came runnin every time you cried, Thought I saw love smilin in your eyes, Ha Ha very nice to know, that you ain t got no place left to go.' Swoon!"
    Catherine Araimo (February 14, 2018 - Paste website)

    "This kept them busy until the release of their next album the same year Face the Music which produced their third top 10 hit single Evil Woman."
    Andrew Gutteridge (September 5, 2018 - Counteract website)

    "Despite being released on the the band's fifth album, Evil Woman, when released as a single, quickly became Electric Light Orchestra's biggest worldwide hit."
    Callie Ahlgrim (October 26, 2018 - Insider website)

    "I wrote Evil Woman in about six minutes. I sent the rest of the group out somewhere, and I made the song up on the spot. In 1975, when I listened back to the album Face The Music, I'd got all the songs done, but I thought 'I don't hear a single on there.' I said to the group, 'Can I have a bit of space, and I'll make this tune up?' They went to play football or something, and when they came back I'd got the tune. It was like, 'Wow that was quick,' and I couldn't believe it either. I got the backing track down. I hadn't got any of the words yet, of course, I just has the chord sequence, which is a very simple one. But nevertheless, it turned out to be really, really catchy. Evil Woman was the only song I'd ever written that quickly. Some songs can take me five years because I can never quite get them right, and I keep going back to them. I'll check them out a month later, or a year later, then five years later. Finally, I think, 'Wow! That's what it was!' And then it's so easy-- the tune just flows, where before I couldn't connect to it. I've got music that's 20 or 25 years old that I still want to finish one day."
    Jeff Lynne (November 2018 - Wembley Or Bust book)

    "Electric Light Orchestra was a popular rock band primarily in the 1970s with classical sounds, led by Lynne especially. Hits have included Turn To Stone, Don't Bring Me Down, Sweet Talkin' Woman and Evil Woman."
    Dave Osborn (April 17, 2019 - Naples Daily News)

    "Daft Punk has shown its fandom by sampling Evil Woman and building a light show that nods to the ELO video for Last Train to London."
    Mark Usinger (June 26, 2019 - straight.com website)

    "But in 2014, when he and ELO were persuaded to play their first public concert in decades, it was clear that fans hadn't forgotten about Mr. Blue Sky, Don't Bring Me Down and Evil Woman and a new generation had discovered them, too."
    Dave Paulson (July 4, 2019 - The Tennessean)

    "Mr. Blue Sky and Evil Woman have had a long cultural shelf life."
    Jack Butler (July 22, 2019 - Ricochet)

    "Throughout the Seventies [Jeff Lynne] created a multitude of Top Ten smashes, including Mr Blue Sky, Roll Over Beethoven, Evil Woman and Livin Thing."
    Adrian Deevoy (October 26, 2019 - Daily Mail)

    "[Evil Woman] was a six minute one. Ones like that are great. That was a bit like From Out Of Nowhere, the main chords in that. It just came really quick and it just felt really natural. And it was good already, without having to do anything. But Evil Woman was really amazing because it war really too quick. We still do it. We still play than one. I suppose it's still one of me favorites, really, Being as it's so simple, it's the most simple one I've ever done, I think."
    Jeff Lynne (October 2019 - Sodajerker)

    "I think the two main songs on [Face The Music], Evil Woman and Strange Magic, probably and maybe on other [Nightrider?]. But anyway, they were really big hits everywhere. So that was like a big start for me, really, because I got, y'know, I've got like two hits now."
    Jeff Lynne (November 14, 2019 - Classic Vinyl after event)

    "[Evil Woman] is a funny one because when we were recording it, I'd just written it when I'd sent the rest of the band... 'Cause they were just moaning about me keep going over these chords for hours, so I said, 'Go have a go at football or something.' And I wrote it in six minutes, Evil Woman, the actual chorus and the verse. 'Cause they're all the same chords; it doesn't change chords much except a few little bridge bits, then change back into the other part, whatever that means. And it was just so quick. And we recorded it and it was just one of that which just worked. You didn't have to mess with it. And it's always one of me favorite ones to play now. We open up with it on a lot of shows. Such a strange thing."
    Jeff Lynne (November 14, 2019 - Classic Vinyl after event)

    "I have got a different perspective on lots of them, like Evil Woman I find is one of my favorites now, even if it's the most simple thing. You couldn't get much simpler."
    Jeff Lynne (December 1, 2019 - Forbes)

    "Was it a half hour or the amount of time it takes to play? ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne has wavered in recalling how long it took him to write this sassy, soulful hit [Evil Woman]. Regardless, we know it was quick. He later told SiriusXM that he nailed down the basic verse and chorus structure in 'six minutes' after realizing 1975's Face the Music, the band's in-progress LP, was lacking in catchiness. 'The rest of the album was done," he told Rolling Stone. 'I listened to it and thought, There's not a good single. So, I sent the band out to a game of football and made up Evil Woman on the spot. The first three chords came right to me. It was the quickest thing I'd ever done.'"
    Ryan Reed (January 22, 2020 - Ultimate Classic Rock website)

    "Just prior to [A New World Recordi], we d had two really big hits with Evil Woman and Strange Magic, both from Face The Music [1975]. "
    Jeff Lynne (February 5, 2020 - Classic Rock website)

    "Evil Woman (1975) was their third top ten in the UK"
    James Iles (May 8, 2020 - Redditch Standard)

    "This one (The Pussycat Dolls' Beep) might be a surprise for most, but after a quick listen to the first minute of this song, and anyone with half a clue will hear ELO s Evil Woman sampled."
    Erica Banas (December 30, 2020 - WMMR radio website)

    listenThis sample is of the string interlude as heard in Evil Woman, then the same section flipped backwards (so that the strings are heard forwards), then the section of Nightrider from which it is taken.
    There is a short string interlude heard in the middle of the song. This interlude is actually lifted from another song on the album, Nightrider, only it is flipped backwards and a flange effect is added.

    Evil Woman (Edited UK Single Version)
    The difference between this version and the standard Face The Music album version is that it edits off the orchestral intro and fades a few seconds early.

    Evil Woman (Edited USA Single Version)
    The difference between this version and the Face The Music version is that it cuts both the orchestral and vocal intro, as well as two lines from the first verse, one line from the third verse, a large section of the intrumental bridge and a much earlier fade beginning a the end of the fourth chorus.

    Evil Woman (Edited USA Mono Single Version)
    This is a mono version of the USA single version of Evil Woman.

    Evil Woman (Edited Olé ELO Version)
    This is subtlety different in that it excludes the orchestral intro from the album, but includes the full album fade-out.

    Evil Woman (Edited Remaster Version)
    This version is the same as the full album version, including the orchestral intro, but it fades two lines earlier as on the UK single. This edit was probably done in error, when Jeff went back to the original tapes to remaster the Face The Music album.

    Evil Woman (Edited Argentina Promo Version)
    This version is simply the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the standard single version, fading on the second rising string part of the instrumental break. It was issued only on a Can't Get It Out Of My Head/Evil Woman promotional 7" single, designed to promote the Argentenian release of ELO's Greatest Hits.

    Evil Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
    This version, found on the Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP from 1984, differs from the original Face The Music version in that it cuts the entire instrumental bridge and the third chorus. Curiously, for an edit, it includes the orchestral intro as well.

    Evil Woman (Edited Have a Nice Decade Version)
    This edit is rather odd. Someone tried to do an edit to recreate the USA single edit, but they failed in two respects. First off, they left in the verse 3, "Came a'runnin' every time you cried" line. But they also tried to duplicate the USA single running time and fade out. But because they left that line in, the fade out is actually a few seconds longer, corresponding to the timing of the cut line.

    Evil Woman (Stripped Down Mix)
    The stripped down mix appears to be a raw backing track with added vocals. The arrangement is mostly the same except that there are no strings, no female backing vocals and the piano on the instrumental bridge is different. Also, the orchestral intro is cut (obviously) as well as the fifth chorus and the flanged string interlude. Most notable is the addition of the fourth verse.

    "...a lot of songs are edited - its just that the edited version that makes it to the album is the only one you've heard. Evil Woman for example is an edited track - the full-length version has an additional verse and chorus."
    Rob Caiger (February 4, 2006 - Showdown mailing list)

    "Check out the stripped down version of Evil Woman; I think it's a better mix than the original 1975 one."
    Jeff Lynne (September 11, 2006 - Face The Music remaster liner notes)

    "The bonuses [on the Face The Music remaster] will be manna for enthusiasts already familiar with the music as there is an early version of Fire On High, a stripped down configuration of Evil Woman and the instrumental backing for Waterfall. "
    Lindsay Planer (November 6, 2006 - MusicTAP On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record remaster review)

    "The bonus tracks shine on Face the Music, especially the essential stripped-down version of Evil Woman (minus strings)..."
    Barry Nothstine (2006 - The Phantom Tollbooth On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record remaster review)

    "The [Face The Music]reissue includes a 'stripped down mix' that removes the female backing vocals and the orchestra overdubs. This allows the piano solo to come through much more clearly but deprives the song of some of the towering preposterousness that made it magical."
    Rob Horning (February 16, 2007 - On The Third Day, Face The Music and A New World Record reissue review on popmatters.com)

    "The stripped down mix of Evil Woman was from the original Face The Music multitrack that we briefly had in our possession in Abbey Road studios. That was rough mixed to stereo by Paul Hicks, myself and Al Q during a very hectic session. More material from that day may surface later."
    Rob Caiger (March 14, 2007 - Showdown mailing list)

    Evil Woman (Supersonic December 4, 1975)
    This performance, lifted from a December 4, 1975 broadcast on the ITV's Supersonic program, features live vocal and live piano over a taped backing. It's a rather infamous recording as during the performance, Hugh McDowell is being overwhelmed by fog machines and Jeff Lynne, witnessing this, cracks up laughing for a few moments and breaks from his mime performance.

    Evil Woman (Top Of The Pops January 8, 1976)
    This performance, lifted from a January 8, 1976 broadcast on the BBC's Top Of The Pops, features live lead vocal and female backing vocals over a taped backing. The tape backing is an edit of the standard UK single version cutting the second chorus and the instrumental bridge except for the string interlude part. It also fades quickly at the end of the fourth chorus, cutting the repeated choruses that follow.

    Evil Woman (The Midnight Special - February, 1976)

    Evil Woman (Winterland February 14, 1976)
    "Enthusiastic receptions were given to the more popular material, such as Evil Woman, although it was not as exciting as their earlier, more complex material."
    Michael Bloomfield (March 9, 1976 - Daily Kent Stater review of March 6, 1976 show)

    "[ELO's] more sensuously pop side showed up in new songs like the light Strange Magic or the latest hit, Evil Woman."
    Unknown (March 13, 1976 - Billboard review of February 14, 1976 show)

    "Showing great restraint during the continued onslaught of badgering shouts for Evil Woman, ELO finally gave in and thrilled the outspoken faction."
    Mark Fowler (April 20, 1976 - Houston Daily Cougar review of April 17, 1976 show)

    "Evil Woman is okay..."
    Theodore Vrandt (February 21, 2007 - Live At Winterland '76 CD review)

    "Forty-two years ago on the Day of Love, Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra treated Winterland to their cheeky new hit, Evil Woman. Forget roses and chocolate: On Valentine s Day, 1976, it was date night at Bill Graham s Winterland Arena in San Francisco, where couples were give a set-full of electro-prog tunes in a lively holiday performance by Jeff Lynne s Electric Light Orchestra. Hailing from Birmingham, England, ELO had was already riding high in the United States by the time of this performance at Winterland in 1976, with a run of Top 10 hits beginning two years prior and lasting throughout the decade. In the mid-70s, Lynne infused the band with a more structured orchestral pop sound, including scintillating harmonies and lofty string sections cut with disco flair. The changes were reflected in their fifth studio album, 1975 s Fa ce the Music, and memorable songs like Strange Magic, Fire on High and Evil Woman, which hit the Top 10 in the UK. Evil Woman lives on as one of the most emphatically embittered (and catchy) pop tunes of all time, with anti-romantic verses like: 'Evil woman how you done me wrong, But now you re tryin to wail a different song, Ha ha funny how you broke me up, You made the wine now you drink the cup, I came runnin every time you cried, Thought I saw love smilin in your eyes, Ha Ha very nice to know, that you ain t got no place left to go.' Swoon! This Valentine s Day, listen to an exclusive recording of ELO performing a propulsive Evil Woman at Winterland 42 years go on this date. "
    Catherine Araimo (February 14, 2018 - Paste website review of February 14, 1976 show)

    Evil Woman (London June 20, 1976)
    "I was saving myself for the 'hit', and so were a lot of the crowd-- Evil Woman-- ELO's biggie. Most were 'getting down'. I even tapped a foot and sang-- ha, I knew the words to this one! The 'true fans'-- the nutters-- didn't seem to like it though, and there was a bit of a backlash at the time to ELO 'selling out to disco'."
    Rob Caiger (1991 - Face The Music fanzine #9)

    Evil Woman (Portsmouth June 22, 1976)
    "The group performed many of the cuts from its Ole ELO greatest hits collection on United Artists including Evil Woman, Strange Magic and the current single Showdown."
    Mitch Tilner (September 4, 1976 - Billboard review of August 10, 1976 show)

    Evil Woman (A New World Record Tour)
    "Besides the fervor of the new tunes, the instramental appendage on Eleanor Rigby displayed an intensity that carried through Evil Woman and a rousing version of Do Ya..."
    Robert Hilburn (January 29, 1977 - Los Angeles Times review of the January 27, 1977 concert)

    "The band brought the concert to a rousing close by finishing with three of their best numbers, Strange Magic, Evil Woman and Do Ya."
    Rick Atkinson (February 13, 1977 - The Sunday Record review of the February 11, 1977)

    "The crowd roared its approval when familiar melodies such as Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Showdown, Evil Woman and Strange Magic came up."
    T. Edward Bell (March 23, 1977 - Houston Daily Cougar review of the March 21, 1977 show)

    "Perhaps the highlight of the evening was Evil Woman, during which even the expressionless Lynne seemed duly inspired by the pride and excitement of being involved in a winning effort. As one young lady in a dark blue pantsuit was overheard to exclaim: 'I like the performance all the more when even the band members are enjoying it!'"
    Scott Appleby (March, 1977 - Unknown newspaper review of March 25, 1977 show)

    Evil Woman (Out Of The Blue Tour)
    "Yes yes yes-- take it all [the] way on Evil Woman the throb throb of the drums and the flurry of strings. The ending is abrupt. The lights go up, the band do a little bow and then off. No 'thank yous' or 'see you soon'. The crowd is taken aback. How can it all end after an hour and a quarter?"
    Robin Smith (May 13, 1978 - Record Mirror review of April 24, 1978 Malm , Sweden concert)

    "[The band's songs] were played exquisitely too, with Showdown, Evil Women [sic], Livin' Thing and Telephone Line once more demonstrating Lynne's incredible resilience at pure pop penmanship."
    Harry Doherty (June 10, 1978 - Melody Maker)

    "To fans of Do Ya, Evil Woman, Livin' Thing and Strange Magic, it was an evening of pure delight."
    Carl Diltz (August 20, 1978 - St. Paul Pioneer Press concert review)

    "A brilliant performance of Evil Woman didn't even make the TV broadcast [of the Wembley concert] as during the string break, the [strings] went completely out of tune. It was so painful that sliding fingernails down a chalk board wouldn't even come close...."
    Rob Caiger (July 20, 2003 - Showdown mailing list)

    Evil Woman (Time Tour)
    "The band opened with a couple of songs from its latest album, Time, and then really got the crowd going with Evil Woman. Bevan's drumming and Kaminski's haunting violin were prime movers on that song, as well as several others."
    Lennox Samuels (November 1981 - Milwaukee Sentinel)

    Evil Woman (Balance Of Power Tour)

    Evil Woman (VH1 Storytellers, April 20, 2001)

    Evil Woman (Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Evil Woman (5.1 Mix - Los Angeles, May 2001)

    Evil Woman (Solo Version)
    In approximately 2008 (possibly earlier), Jeff Lynne re-recorded a solo version of Evil Woman that was almost identical to the original album recording. It features his daughter, Laura Lynne, on backing vocals. The song was officially released on the 2012 Mr. Blue Sky - The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra compilation, however it had appeared as early as 2008 in aMy Name Is Earl TV episode entitled Jump For Joy and a 2009 Medium TV episode entitled Things to Do in Phoenix When You're Dead. Less than a minute of the song is heard in each of these appearances.

    "My husband and I were watching the hit TV sit com My Name Is Earl Last Season and heard that some of the wild exploits of the Joy character (played by Emmy-winner Jaime Pressly) were being accompanied by our original ELO track."
    Susan Collins (September 11, 2009 - ELO Secret Messages blog)
    Editor's Note: This episode actually used the solo rerecorded version that did not use Susan Collins' original vocals.

    "Mr. Blue Sky [sic] features re-imaginings of the title track, Evil Woman, Livin' Thing, Don't Bring Me Down, and 10538 Overture."
    Author Unknown (August 2, 2012 - Something Else! website review)

    "The other new record [Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra] celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band that gave the pop world such gems as Evil Woman, Livin' Thing, Don't Bring Me Down and the sports-highlights staple Fire on High."
    Erik Pedersen (September 13, 2012 - Hollywood Reporter)
    Editor's Note: Oddly, the album did not feature Fire On High so it's uncertain where the author got this misinformation.

    "Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra is a powerful testament to Lynne's enduring artistry and his singular desire to get things right once and for all. Featuring such classics as Evil Woman, Don't Bring Me Down, Livin' Thing and Mr. Blue Sky, the result is, in effect, a kind of showdown between Jeff Lynne today and his extremely illustrious past, and thanks to improved technology and recording artistry, Lynne somehow comes out on top again."
    Scott Hopkins (September 25, 2012 - Pop Bitez website)

    "Lynne played every instrument on Long Wave, which he also does on Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra, a fascinating, deeply entertaining reworking of his own hits. Evil Woman, Don't Bring Me Down, Telephone Line, Livin' Thing they're all here and more. Lynne doesn't maim his ELO legacy so much as puts a fresh spin on some of the greatest pop-rock songs to flood the radio waves during the '70s and early '80s."
    Joe Bosso (October 3, 2012 - Musicradar website)

    "Lynne worked six days a week [on ] perfecting songs including Do Ya, Evil Woman, Strange Magic, and Don't Bring Me Down. He did this at home, mostly on his own. 'I just love playing all the instruments and going back and thinking fucking hell, I did all that.'"
    Katie Bain (October 9, 2012 - L.A. Weekly)

    "I used to listen to them on the radio, my old ELO records, and go 'Oh wow, it's not quite as good as I thought it was.' It's not that it's bad it just doesn't quite sound the way that I thought it did when I originally recorded them. Since then I've had many more years like 30 more years experience so I thought I'd try re-recording Mr. Blue Sky to start with, just to see what I could get it to sound like. And I was very pleased with the results. I played it for my manager and he said, 'Oh wow, it sounds so much better. Why don't you try another one and see how you get on?' I did Evil Woman and Strange Magic and they came out really well, crisp and clear. That's what I was looking for. The old ones, not that they're bad I still like them very much but they got a bit wooly in places, just sort of not punchy enough."
    Jeff Lynne (October 9, 2012 - The Allmusic blog website)

    "I wouldn't say that [Evil Woman] was me favorite one of those [rerecorded ELO songs]."
    Jeff Lynne (October 14, 2012 - Absolute Radio)

    "The resulting Mr. Blue Sky [sic] album features revamped versions of ELO classics Evil Woman, Turn To Stone, Showdown and Telephone Line."
    Simon Copeland (October 19, 2012 - The Sun)

    "I listened to [my ELO songs] on the radio and I go, 'I dunno, it's a bit wooly, that. It's wooly sounding. There's no clarity, and that's what I was looking for.' So I went into my studio and I started on Mr. Blue Sky. I finished it as this brand new version and I played it for my manager Craig and he said, 'Wow, that's fantastic, it's much better. Why don't you try some more,' and so I did. I tried Evil Woman and Strange Magic and they came out really good, too--bright and full with nice punchy bottom end. I'm very, very pleased with them and I'm really glad that I did it because now they exist in the world in a much better form than they were before."
    Jeff Lynne (October 21, 2012 - The Huffington Post)

    "Mr. Blue Sky The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra is a powerful testament to Lynne's enduring artistry and his singular desire to get things right once and for all. Featuring such classics as Evil Woman, Don't Bring Me Down, Livin' Thing and Mr. Blue Sky, the result is, in effect, a kind of showdown between Jeff Lynne today and his extremely illustrious past, and thanks to improved technology and recording artistry, Lynne somehow comes out on top again."
    Author Unknown (October 2012 - Rock Music Report website)

    "I heard Mr. Blue Sky playing once, and I thought, 'I thought it was better than that.' But it obviously wasn't, not the way I had always heard it in my head. So I started with that one, to see what it would be like. I played it for my manager and a lot of other people, and they all went, 'Whoa, you should do more.' So I tried Evil Woman, and then I tried Strange Magic. And I thought, 'Just keep going, then.' And I enjoyed doing them."
    Jeff Lynne (November 1, 2012 - Mix online magazine)

    "I played it [the new recording of Mr. Blue Sky] to me manager and he said, 'Wow! That sounds fantastic! Try another one.' I did Evil Woman and Strange Magic as well, right away, after that, 'cause I was so pleased with the way they sounded. And they sounded not dull, they sounded punchy, they sounded... they had lots of clarity and they had focus and presence. And that's what I was after that was missing on the old ones."
    Jeff Lynne (November 30, 2012 - The Adam Carolla Show)

    "Now I've had 30 years more experience and technology is 30 years ahead. So I tried doing Mr. Blue Sky again and it sounded so much better. Then I did Evil Woman, Strange Magic, and I ended up doing 17 of them again, but we got it down to 12 for the album."
    Jeff Lynne (December 2012 - Classic Rock magazine)

    "[My daughter Laura Lynne] does the answer phrases on Evil Woman and some others, but apart from that it's just me. Laura's got a great voice, very soulful, but she's not really interested in music after a career."
    Jeff Lynne (December 2012 - Record Collector magazine)

    "...Craig (Fruin), my manager, said, 'Try another one and see how you get on with that.' I tried another one, which was Evil Woman, and that turned out really well. I played that around to people and asked what they thought, and they agreed it was better. Who'd have thunk it?"
    Jeff Lynne (January 2013 - Goldmine magazine)

    Evil Woman (Bungalow Palace - March 2011)
    "Even as Jeff Lynne is set to issue new solo versions of his greatest hits with the Electric Light Orchestra, he has reunited with former ELO member Richard Tandy. Videos of the pair performing Showdown and Evil Woman have been posted to elo.biz."
    Author Unknown (August 18, 2012 - Something Else! website review)
    Editor's Note: What was posted on elo.biz was an excerpted portion the acoustic Live From Bungalow Palace performances.

    Evil Woman (Hyde Park - September 14, 2014)
    Jeff flubs the first two lines of the third verse. Apparently the monitor in the floor, that was scrolling the lyrics for him, was malfunctioning. After this song was finished and before the start of Ma-Ma-Ma Belle, Jeff briefly complains to someone off stage about the problem.

    "Accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra and original ELO pianist Richard Tandy, Jeff opened with the disco-tinged All Over The World and the hits came thick and fast including Livin' Thing, Evil Woman and Showdown."
    Adrian Caffrey (September 15, 2014 - Birmingham Mail Hyde Park performance review)

    "A run of big singles continued with Evil Woman, Ma Ma Ma Belle [sic], Showdown, Livin' Thing and Strange Magic."
    Unknown (September 15, 2014 - New Musical Express Hyde Park performance review)

    "Misogyny-rock masterpiece Evil Woman follows [All Over The World], with just a slight autocue malfunction pock-marking the perfection..."
    Simon Price (September 16, 2014 - The Quietus Hyde Park performance review entitled The Jesus Of Uncool Has Risen: ELO Live)

    "The attention to detail is breathtaking, classic after classic recreated with sonic and instrumental precision, [including] the Fab Four facsimiles of Livin Thing and Evil Woman."
    Terry Staunton (September 17, 2014 - Teamrock)

    "Wielding a Gibson Les Paul for most of the 90-minute set [at Hyde Park] and sporting his trademark sunglasses, Lynne bounces through All Over the World, Evil Woman, and Ma Ma Belle [sic] with ease as longtime piano pal Richard Tandy tickles the ivories and Mike Stevens strums an acoustic guitar."
    Unknown (September 15, 2015 - Examiner.com)

    "At first, Lynne announces he feels nervous after all, it was the first time the band played on a festival stage in 30 years but he displays nothing but confidence as he hits the high notes in Evil Woman or sings over the Beatlesque strings of Can't Get It Out of My Head."
    Kit O'Toole (September 26, 2015 - Something Else! website review of Live In Hyde Park)

    "A spot-on rendition of Evil Woman follows. Tandy plays the song's signature piano solo, appearing to have lost none of his chops to the passage of time. The band is tight enough that it's almost unnoticeable when Lynne seemingly forgets the words at one point, repeatedly looking down at his teleprompter."
    General Jabbo (September 29, 2015 - Blinded By Sound website review of Live In Hyde Park)

    Evil Woman/Mr. Blue Sky (Los Angeles - February 8, 2015)
    This is a curious arrangement, combining as a medley, the songs Evil Woman and Mr. Blue Sky. This was probably done for maximum exposure to the songs in a short amount of time. For the performance, the band performs the beginning of Evil Woman, including the first verse and chorus, then goes directly into the final chorus and the song end. This connects directly to the start of Mr. Blue Sky, when Ed Sheeran walks on stage and joins in. The performance of Mr. Blue Sky is also shortened with Jeff singing the first verse, Ed singing the second verse, then them singing in harmony for the first chorus (and the rest of the song). This connects to the guitar solo, then the third verse, another chorus and the choral ending. There is no vocoder included at all.

    "Jeff Lynne's ELO will perform with Ed Sheeran Sunday as part of an all-star moment with Herbie Hancock, John Mayer and The Roots' Questlove at the 57th Grammy Awards Sunday (CBS, 8 pmpm ET/tape delayed PT)."
    Brian Mansfield (February 4 2015 - USA Today)
    Editor's Note: This awkwardly written sentence makes it sound as if ELO was to perform with Herbie Hancock and the others. This is not the case as ELO performed with Ed Sheeran only.

    "Here's a supergroup we never knew we needed: Ed Sheeran with Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra at the 2015 Grammys. After Sheeran's bluesy Thinking Out Loud -- which paired the UK singer-songwriter with guitarist John Mayer, jazz legend Herbie Hancock and The Roots/Tonight Show drummer Questlove -- he joined the classic rock group for one of their signature hits. But before that, Lynne's ELO performed a bit of Evil Woman on their own. Paul McCartney was clearly delighted to have a vintage hit at the Grammys -- the live feed captured him singing and clapping until he realized he was on camera and sheepishly sat down. After that, Sheeran joined ELO for the immortal Mr. Blue Sky. With Lynne and Sheeran trading vocals on the transcendent epic, it was a throwback Grammy moment that truly worked."
    Joe Lynch (February 8 2015 - Billboard)

    "Jeff Lynne's recently revived Electric Light Orchestra played the Grammys, indoor sunglasses and all, where they pulled out a couple of their Seventies Top 40 hits: the piano-rocking 1975 single Evil Woman and 1978 tune Mr. Blue Sky. The performance took place just after Ed Sheeran's mega-collaboration, and the redhead, who was born more than two decades after ELO formed, came out to play acoustic guitar and sing on the latter song. Paul McCartney stood up, clapped and sang along with Evil Woman until he was spotted by a camera and sat down. Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters danced with their arms in the air, as Nicole Kidman tried to get husband Keith Urban into dancing to Mr. Blue Sky. Beyonc also got into the 'Blue Sky' mood, standing up to watch the show. [...] The singer-songwriter first reported that he would be doing a duet with Lynne and ELO on Wednesday, followed by the announcement of a 'solo performance' planned with Herbie Hancock, Questlove and John Mayer. Two days later, it was announced that ELO would also be a part of the performance."
    Kory Grow (February 8 2015 - Rolling Stone)

    "Jeff Lynne was joined by legacy Electric Light Orchestra member Richard Tandy for energetic renditions of Evil Woman and Mr. Blue Sky tonight on the 57th annual Grammy Awards. The appearance is part of a sudden resurgence for Lynne, who hadn't performed on stage with ELO in some 30 years before last year's concert at London's Hyde Park. That followed 2012's Long Wave, his first solo album since 1990. Lynne has also been overseeing reissues of Electric Light Orchestra albums over the last few years, with the promise of new music on the horizon. Paul McCartney, with whom Lynne worked in the '90s, leapt up to clap along during tonight's set. Lynne was part of 2014's Grammy tribute to the Beatles, as well. Pop star Ed Sheeran joined in on rhythm guitar. Earlier in the broadcast, Lynne's pal George Harrison was recognized by Smokey Robinson and Nile Rodgers for earning a Lifetime Achievement Award. Lynne produced both Harrison's 1987 comeback album Cloud Nine, as well as his posthumous 2002 project Brainwashed."
    Nick DeRiso (February 8 2015 - Ultimate Classic Rock)

    "Jeff Lynne, who revived his Electric Light Orchestra (albeit in name only), delivered two great songs with an assist from Ed Sheeran. Front-row attendee Paul McCartney was having himself quite the time during Evil Woman, and was having a one-man dance party."
    Michael Christopher (February 12 2015 - Delaware County Daily Times)

    "One performance [at the 57th Grammy Awards] that stood out was Electric Light Orchestra's. It was clear the band's music still appeals to the current generation, and Sam Smith's Stay with Me is cut from the same cloth, so much so that Smith was forced to give credit to ELO's Jeff Lynne and Lynne's frequent collaborator, Tom Petty, songwriting credit for the song because of Stay With Me and I Won't Back Down's similarities."
    Thom Jennings (February 13 2015 - Niagara Gazette)

    "A subsequent performance [at the 57th Grammys ceremony] by Jeff Lynne singing Evil Woman, a hit for his band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) back in 1975 was prophetic given the lyrics: 'Ha, ha, woman, what you gonna do, you destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you. It's so good that you're feelin' pain, but you better get your face on board the very next train.' Sheeran and Lynne then performed the ELO hit song, Mr. Blue Sky which continued the prophecy: 'And don't you know, it's a beautiful new day.'"
    Robert Morrison (February 22 2015 - Bucks County Courier Times)

    "Lynne had a featured spot on this year's Grammy telecast, where he joined Ed Sheeran for runs through Evil Woman and Mr. Blue Sky, with the latter song later named the 'most Shazamed' song of the kudocast. 'It's probably the second (live televised performance) I've ever done in my life, or something ridiculous like that', Lynne notes."
    Bruce Pilato (April 23, 2015 - Variety)

    "Lynne performed with Ed Sheeran at the 57th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in February, giving a performance that prompted McCartney and Taylor Swift to dance in the aisles."
    Unknown (April 23, 2015 - Westside Today)

    "On 8 February 2015, the 57th Grammy Awards at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, included another performance from Jeff Lynne s ELO. A six-piece group comprising Richard Tandy, the two guitarists, bass guitarist, and drummer from the Hyde Park gig, and backing vocalist Tyra Juliette, took to the stage for performances of Evil Woman and Mr Blue Sky, with Ed Sheeran joining him to share vocals and play acoustic guitar on the second song. The audience included a host of celebrities including Taylor Swift, Nicole Kidman, Beyonc , and an unashamedly enthusiastic Sir Paul McCartney, who rose to his feet as he sang and clapped along to the first song until he noticed he was being filmed. His wife Nancy gave him a gentle tug as he gave a slightly embarrassed wave to the camera and sat down again."
    John Van der Kiste (August 2015 - Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After)

    "Earlier this year Lynne performed Evil Woman and Mr. Blue Sky at the Grammys."
    Jessica Goodman (September 24, 2015 - Entertainment Weekly)

    "At February's Grammy Awards, ELO's performance of Mr. Blue Sky with the British singer Ed Sheeran scored that night's biggest reaction among users of Shazam, the popular music-discovery app."
    Mikael Wood (October 31 2015 - L.A. Times)

    "They stole the Grammy Awards back in February-- who can forget the sight of Beyonc up on her feet, clapping along to Mr. Blue Sky (even if Jay Z was sitting down)? Or Paul McCartney dancing in the aisle until a pesky cameraman shame him back into his seat?"
    Rob Sheffield (November 21 2015 - Rolling Stone)

    "One of the more memorable sights at the last Grammy Awards ceremony was Paul McCartney dancing in the aisles while Lynne and company retraced some iconic ELO hits."
    Lee Zimmerman (December 1, 2015 - Elmore magazine)

    "The most annoying Grammy Awards tradition is the tag-team performance of a classic artist with a modern artist almost everybody looks awkward, and the results are rarely revelatory. Last year s ceremony found Lynne reigniting ELO with a medley of Evil Woman and Mr. Blue Sky, the latter assisted by... Ed Sheeran."
    Ryan Reed (January 7, 2016 - Stereogum online magazine article entitled 'The 10 Best ELO Songs')

    "It was a two-song performance at the 2015 Grammy Awards (where Ed Sheeran glowingly introduced and later joined Lynne onstage) that served as confirmation. When the camera panned into the crowd, there were Paul McCartney, Ryan Adams, Jamie Foxx, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban bobbing their heads, dancing or enthusiastically singing along proving once and for all that ELO s fan base and influence transcend generations and genres."
    Michael Christopher (November 10, 2016 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine)

    "He just released a brilliant new album, From Out Of Nowhere, that comes on the heels of an unlikely second act as a behemoth arena touring act, having been a prolific live band since Lynne returned to the performing world, playing Evil Woman and Mr. Blue Sky on the 2015 Grammy Awards with Ed Sheeran. When you watch the performance you see Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Beyonce all standing and dancing to the songs. That is testament to the brilliance and accessibility of the music of Lynne."
    Steve Baltin (December 1, 2019 - Forbes)

    Evil Woman (Porchester Hall - November 9, 2015)

    Evil Woman (BBC Radio Theatre - November 12, 2015)

    Evil Woman (Irving Plaza - November 20, 2015)
    "[The band performed] 18 songs in 90 high-energy minutes, [including] early rockers (Evil Woman, Showdown)..."
    Rob Sheffield (November 21, 2015 - Rolling Stone review of November 20, 2015 show)

    Evil Woman (Take #1 Jimmy Kimmel Live - November 22, 2015)
    "Aside from the new single, the band played three of their most loved hits including Evil Woman which was the second song filmed for broadcast, but after playing that song and then All Over The World, they got word that the Evil Woman take wasn t quite up to scratch. So they played it again, and the crowd loved it. And then they played it once again, as the crowd went nuts. We in Los Angeles take our concert privileges for granted, but who else can boast of seeing Jeff Lynne s ELO play Evil Woman thrice, for free?"
    Andrew Bansal (November 25, 2015 - metalassault.com)

    Evil Woman (Take #2 Jimmy Kimmel Live - November 22, 2015)
    "Aside from the new single, the band played three of their most loved hits including Evil Woman which was the second song filmed for broadcast, but after playing that song and then All Over The World, they got word that the Evil Woman take wasn t quite up to scratch. So they played it again, and the crowd loved it. And then they played it once again, as the crowd went nuts. We in Los Angeles take our concert privileges for granted, but who else can boast of seeing Jeff Lynne s ELO play Evil Woman thrice, for free?"
    Andrew Bansal (November 25, 2015 - metalassault.com)

    Evil Woman (Take #3 Jimmy Kimmel Live - November 22, 2015)
    "Aside from the new single, the band played three of their most loved hits including Evil Woman which was the second song filmed for broadcast, but after playing that song and then All Over The World, they got word that the Evil Woman take wasn t quite up to scratch. So they played it again, and the crowd loved it. And then they played it once again, as the crowd went nuts. We in Los Angeles take our concert privileges for granted, but who else can boast of seeing Jeff Lynne s ELO play Evil Woman thrice, for free?"
    Andrew Bansal (November 25, 2015 - metalassault.com)

    !@#> Not sure if this has been discussed or not, as I've been trying to >keep up with all the chatter, but I was just watching the video of >Jeff's ELO performing "Evil Woman" on December 16 on the Kimmel >show. Can anyone tell me what Jeff is laughing at after he sings >"But now you're trying to wail a different song"? It's like the >audience is shouting/singing something and it's tickling him enough >to make him laugh.!@# mention this was an online exclusive only

    Evil Woman (Fonda Theatre - November 24, 2015)
    "'This is another old one it s called Evil Woman,' Lynne said at the close of the first number, the opening piano chords making the song instantly known even without that introduction."
    Peter Larsen (November 25, 2015 - The Orange County Register)

    This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Electric Light Orchestra song Evil Woman. If you notice any errors or omissions, please contact me at jefflynnesongs@gmail.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.

    Robert Porter
    October 2023