Electric Light Orchestra -- Sweet Talkin' Woman
An in-depth song analysis
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Initially Released On: Out Of The Blue LP album (1977 October UK Jet/United Artists UAR 100) |
Sweet Talkin' Woman was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany during the summer of 1977. It originally started life as a song called Dead End Street, having very different lyrics and arrangement. Probable lyrics that survived from that version can be heard in the opening of the third verse, "I've been livin' on a dead end street". For unknown reasons, Jeff was not satisfied with the song and wrote and recorded all new lyrics. The song was then heavily edited and rearranged to yield the final release of the song. Mik Kaminski's violin playing can be heard prominently on the intro of the song. While the song used a full orchestra (conducted by Louis Clark) on the song, sometimes cellists Hugh McDowell and Melvyn Gale were blended in in the studio. It's not clear if the cellists were mixed into this particular ELO song, though.
The song was released as a 7" single in England on Jet records on October 7, 1978 with stock number "Jet 121" and having the song Bluebird Is Dead from the On The Third Day album on the B-side. This 7" single was released on both purple and standard black vinyl. It was also released as a 12" single on the same date and the same songs with the stock number "Jet 12-121", being the third commercial release of an ELO 12" single in the UK. The 12" was released on purple vinyl only. In the USA, it was released seven months earlier in March 1978 as the fourteenth single release in the USA. It was released on Jet Records (distributed by United Artists) with stock number "JT-XW 1145" and an edit of Fire On High on the B-side. It was issued on both purple and standard black vinyl. Although the purple vinyl edition is interesting and sought out as a collector's item, the black vinyl edition is actually the more rare of the two. Sweet Talkin' Woman was the final single release distributed by United Artists in the USA, with CBS Records taking over distribution of the next single (Mr. Blue Sky). It was also released as the third track of side 1 on the Out Of The Blue album on October 1977 in the UK and November 1977 in the USA.
Sweet Talkin' Woman was released during a peak period of ELO's popularity and is a significant worldwide hit. It entered the UK chart on October 7, 1978, peaked at #6 for three consecutive weeks on October 21, October 28 and November 4, 1978, and spent 8 weeks in the chart. In the USA, it entered the Billboard Top 100 chart on February 17, 1978, reached #17 for two consecutive weeks on April 28 and May 5, 1978, spending 16 weeks in the chart and entered the Cash Box chart on February 17, 1978, reached #8 for two consecutive weeks on April 22 & 28, 1978, spending 16 weeks in the chart. It was ELO's twelfth Billboard chart single. In the USA, it also peaked at #23 on the Record World Top 40.
It's unclear if the original Dead End Street version or the unedited version have survived. More than likely Dead End Street was destroyed in the process of recording the new vocals for the song. Surely the unedited version of Sweet Talkin' Woman was backed up before it was edited. Back in the 1970s, the process of editing involved actually cutting pieces of recording tape and discarding them or reattaching them in a different order. One error and the work would be destroyed, so it makes sense that a backup tape was made. However, it is unclear if the unedited tape survived. It may have been wiped or taped over after the final mix of the song was completed. In any case, rumor has it that the original Out Of The Blue multitrack tapes are lost so even if this early version of the song was saved to tape, it is likely lost.
Bev Bevan's bass vocals are used heavily on the song, most notable on the backing vocals from the fourth chorus on. On choruses one through three, Jeff, Bev and possibly Kelly sing the "slow down", "run run" and "hold on" backing vocals, but all of these bits on chorus four and later are sung by Bev alone, barring the "run run" parts which are altogether cut and the brief guitar backing only part of chorus five which Jeff sings.
The song made heavy use of the Vocoder 2000, as did several songs on the Out Of The Blue album. It's use on Sweet Talkin' Woman was limited to a bit saying "Sweet Talkin' Woman" on the intro and following the first, second and third choruses (times [0:08], [1:04], [1:54] and [2:43]). The vocoder following the third chorus is very subtle, make it seem as if the violin is saying the phrase rather than the vocoder. A curiosity about this vocoder use and evidence of the heavy editing on the song is a noticeable sound fidelity drop out on the left channel over the vocoder bridge following the second chorus (at the 1:54 mark). This part exists on all releases of the song. An attempt to fix this was done for the remastering of the Flashback set (which is used for subsequent releases with additional tweaks), but the drop out is still evident. A sample of the sound drop out-- first the left channel isolated to both channels (to show the drop out), then the regular stereo image-- can be heard HERE.
Another curiosity about the song is that the USA single release had a version that was inexplicably sped up. It's the same song, but it runs almost 10 seconds shorter than the LP version. Why was this done? In the 1970s, many of ELO's songs were edited to shorter versions for radio. The idea being that radio preferred shorter versions so they could play more songs. Perhaps the speeding up of Sweet Talkin' Woman was done intentionally in an attempt to be more radio friendly. The simplest explanation, though, is that it was done simply in error when the tape machine was run at the wrong speed and no one noticed. Whatever the reason, it remains a mystery.
Jeff's British accent especially stands out on the third verse. The British have a tendency to add an "r" to the end of words ending with an "ah" sound, such as "Donna" becomes "Donner", "panda" becomes "pander" and "idea" becomes "idear". Listen closely and Jeff can clearly be heard singing "insufficient dater coming through."
Finally, no discussion of Sweet Talkin' Woman would be complete without a discussion of how it was ripped off by Robert John "Mutt" Lange when he wrote the Huey Lewis and the News song Do You Believe In Love for their 1982 Picture This album. The verses have the same melody and even the opening lines of the songs are remarkably similar.
| Sweet Talkin' Woman | Do You Believe In Love |
|---|---|
| I was searchin' (searchin') on a one-way street I was hopin' (hopin') for a chance to meet I was waitin' for the operator on the line |
I was walkin' (beat) down a one-way street Just a lookin' (beat) for someone to meet One woman who was looking for a man |
A sample of these two verses played side by side can be heard HERE. Admittedly, the melody on the choruses of the two songs is quite different, so not the whole song was ripped off. The irony of this is that in 1984-- just a few years after the melody and lyrics of Sweet Talkin' Woman were ripped off-- Huey Lewis and the News successfully sued Ray Parker Jr., claiming that Parker's song Ghostbusters was a rip off of the Huey Lewis and the News song I Want A New Drug.
Structure and Lyrics
Below is the structure of the fullest, most complete version of the originally released song as available on the standard issues of the Out Of The Blue album.
-Intro
Violin Part
Vocoder effect singing sweet talkin' woman
Where did you go?
-Verse 1
I was searchin' (searchin') on a one-way street
I was hopin' (hopin') for a chance to meet
I was waitin' for the operator on the line
She's gone so long -- What can I do?
Where could she be? -- No, no, no
Don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
-Chorus 1
You gotta slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' (run run) you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
-Vocoder Bridge 1
Vocoder effect singing sweet talkin' woman
-Verse 2
I was walkin' many days go by
I was thinkin' (thinkin') 'bout the lonely nights
Communication breakdown all around
She's gone so long -- What can I do?
Where could she be? -- No, no, no
Don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
-Chorus 2
You gotta slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' (run run) you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
-Vocoder Bridge 2
Vocoder effect singing sweet talkin' woman
-Verse 3
I've been livin' (livin') on a dead end street
I've been askin' (askin' kindly) everybody I meet
Insufficient data coming through
She's gone so long -- What can I do?
Where could she be? -- No, no, no
Don't know what I'm gonna do
I gotta get back to you
-Chorus 3
NO!
Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' (run run) you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
-Violin/Vocoder Bridge 3
Violin melody with very subtle vocoder underneath singing sweet talkin' woman
-Chorus 4
Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
-Chorus 5
Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) with guitar only backing
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
-Chorus 6
Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' you got me searchin'
Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on)
It's so sad if that's the way it's over
-Chorus 7
Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down)
You got me runnin' you got me searchin'
Hold on...
Variations
There are five known non-live variations of the original Sweet Talkin' Woman They are:
-Sweet Talkin' Woman (Standard Release)
-Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Single Version)
-Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Mono Single Version)
-Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited Video Version)
-Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
The USA single version is simply run fast, so that it's approximately 10 seconds shorter than the standard release. The change is subtle, but it can be detected by simply measuring the running time of the song. The USA mono single version is a mono mixdown of the fast single version. The video version cuts the first two lines of the fifth chorus. And the version on the 1984 Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP includes the shout of "No!" that begins the third chorus, then cuts the rest of the third chorus and the third vocodor bridge, merging with the "slow down" of the fourth chorus.
Song Section Lyric/Part Sweet Talkin' Woman (Standard Release)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Single Version)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Mono Single Version)Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited Video Version) Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version) Intro Violin Part YES YES YES Vocoder effect singing sweet talkin' woman YES YES YES Where did you go? YES YES YES Verse 1 I was searchin' (searchin') on a one-way street YES YES YES I was hopin' (hopin') for a chance to meet YES YES YES I was waitin' for the operator on the line YES YES YES She's gone so long -- What can I do? YES YES YES Where could she be? -- No, no, no YES YES YES Don't know what I'm gonna do YES YES YES I gotta get back to you YES YES YES Chorus 1 You gotta slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES YES YES You got me runnin' (run run) you got me searchin' YES YES YES Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) YES YES YES It's so sad if that's the way it's over YES YES YES Vocoder Bridge 1 Vocoder effect singing sweet talkin' woman YES YES YES Verse 2 I was walkin' many days go by YES YES YES I was thinkin' (thinkin') 'bout the lonely nights YES YES YES Communication breakdown all around YES YES YES She's gone so long -- What can I do? YES YES YES Where could she be? -- No, no, no YES YES YES Don't know what I'm gonna do YES YES YES I gotta get back to you YES YES YES Chorus 2 You gotta slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES YES YES You got me runnin' (run run) you got me searchin' YES YES YES Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) YES YES YES It's so sad if that's the way it's over YES YES YES Vocoder Bridge 2 Vocoder effect singing sweet talkin' woman YES YES YES Verse 3 I've been livin' (livin') on a dead end street YES YES YES I've been askin' (askin' kindly) everybody I meet YES YES YES Insufficient data coming through YES YES YES She's gone so long -- What can I do? YES YES YES Where could she be? -- No, no, no YES YES YES Don't know what I'm gonna do YES YES YES I gotta get back to you YES YES YES Chorus 3 NO! YES YES YES Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES YES - You got me runnin' (run run) you got me searchin' YES YES - Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) YES YES - It's so sad if that's the way it's over YES YES - Violin/Vocoder Bridge 3 Violin melody with very subtle vocoder underneath singing sweet talkin' woman YES YES - Chorus 4 Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES YES YES You got me runnin' you got me searchin' YES YES YES Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) YES YES YES It's so sad if that's the way it's over YES YES YES Chorus 5 Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES - YES You got me runnin' you got me searchin' YES - YES Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) with guitar only backing YES YES YES It's so sad if that's the way it's over YES YES YES Chorus 6 Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES YES YES You got me runnin' you got me searchin' YES YES YES Hold on (hold on) sweet talkin' lover (hold on) YES YES YES It's so sad if that's the way it's over YES YES YES Chorus 7 Slow down (slow down) sweet talkin' woman (slow down) YES YES YES You got me runnin' you got me searchin' YES YES YES Hold on... YES YES YES
Music Chart
These are the known statistics for the various countries' 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 UK Music Week Top 75 Chart Entry Date: October 7, 1978 17 7 6
(October 21, 1978)6
(October 28, 1978)6
(November 4, 1978)9 15 34 51 UK New Musical Express Chart Entry Date: October 14, 1978 ? ? ? ? ? Peak at #6 on [DATE UNKNOWN] during a run of 6 weeks on the chart USA Billboard Top 100 Chart Entry Date: February 17, 1978 78 61 46 32 29 25 23 22 20 19 17
(April 28, 1978)17
(May 5, 1978)25 29 34 91 USA Cash Box Top 100 Chart Entry Date: February 18, 1978 81 72 59 42 33 28 26 23 20 18
(April 22, 1978)18
(April 28, 1978)29 40 45 49 95 USA Record World Top 100 Chart Entry Date: February 18, 1978 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Peak at #23 on [UNKNOWN DATE] during a run of 14 on the chart Australia Chart Entry Date: February 20, 1978 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Peak at #38 on [DATE UNKNOWN] during a run of 18 weeks on the chart Ireland Chart Entry Date: October 12, 1978 ? ? ? ? ? Peak at #6 on [DATE UNKNOWN] during a run of 6 weeks on the chart Netherlands Chart Entry Date: November 25, 1978 38 28 27
(December 9, 1978)32 40
Releases
Here are all the known USA and UK releases of the song:
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Standard Release)
- Running Time: 3:50
- Released On: Out Of The Blue LP album (1977 October UK Jet/United Artists UAR 100)
Out Of The Blue LP album (1977 November USA Jet/United Artists JT-LA 823-L2)
Out Of The Blue LP album (1978 UK Jet JET DP 400)
Out Of The Blue LP album (1978 USA Jet JET KZ2 35530)
Sweet Talkin' Woman 7" single (1978 October 7 UK Jet JET 121)
Sweet Talkin' Woman 12" single (1978 October 7 UK Jet JET 12-121)
ELO's Greatest Hits LP album (1979 November UK Jet JET LX 525)
ELO's Greatest Hits LP album (1979 November USA Jet FZ 36310)
Four Light Years LP album (1980 UK Jet JET BX2)
A Box Of Their Best LP album (1980 USA Jet Z4X 36966)
Turn To Stone Golden Oldies 7" single (1980 December USA Jet/CBS ZS8 5150)
ELO's Greatest Hits LP album (1980 USA Jet PZ 36310)
ELO's Greatest Hits Half Speed Mastered LP album (1980 USA Jet HZ 36310)
The Best Of ELO LP album (1981 UK Tellydisc TELLY 7)
ELO's Greatest Hits CD album (1986 USA Jet ZK 36310)
Out Of The Blue CD album (1986 UK Jet CD 400)
Out Of The Blue CD album (1986 USA ZGK 35530)
Out Of The Blue LP album (1987 UK Epic 4508851)
Out Of The Blue LP album (1987 UK Epic 4508851)
ELO's Greatest Hits LP album (1988 UK Epic 450357 1)
ELO's Greatest Hits CD album (1988 UK Epic 450357 2)
The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra CD album (1989 UK Telstar TCD 2370)
Afterglow CD album (1990 June 15 USA Epic Associated Z3K 46090)
Turn To Stone Collectables 7" single (1991 USA Jet/CBS ZS8 5150)
The Very Best Of The Electric Light Orchestra CD album (1994 UK Dino DINCD90)
Strange Magic: The Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (1995 USA Legacy/Epic Associated Z2K 64157)
Light Years: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (1997 UK Epic 489039 2)
Out Of The Blue CD album (1998 UK Epic 450885)
Out Of The Blue CD album (2000 UK Epic MILLEN3)
Flashback CD album (2000 November 21 USA Epic/Legacy E3K 85123)
Flashback CD album (2000 December 11 UK Epic/Legacy 500931 2)
The Ultimate Collection CD album (2001 October 22 UK Sony Music STVCD126)
The Essential Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2003 April 1 USA Epic/Legacy EK 89072)
The Collection CD album (2003 UK Marks & Spencer MS4800Q)
Guilty Pleasures Vol. 1 Various Artists CD album (2004 August 23 UK Sony Music 5185762)
All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2005 June 6 UK Sony 5201292)
All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2005 August 2 USA Epic/Legacy EK 94489)
Guilty Pleasures Vol. 1 & 2 Various Artists CD album (2006 July 31 UK Sony/BMG 82876887912)
Out Of The Blue Remaster CD album (2007 February 20 USA Epic/Legacy 82796 94272 2)
Out Of The Blue Remaster CD album (2007 February 26 UK Epic 88697053232)Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Single Version)
- Running Time: 3:41
- Released On: Sweet Talkin' Woman 7" single (1978 March USA Jet/United Artists JT-XW 1145)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Mono Single Version)
- Running Time: 3:41
- Released On: Sweet Talkin' Woman 7" promo single (1978 March USA Jet/United Artists JT-XW 1145)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited Video Version)
- Running Time: 3:34
- Released On: Unreleased (video only)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
- Running Time: 3:27
- Released On: 18 Greatest Hits LP album (1984 Australia K-tel NA 674)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Wembley 1978)
- Running Time: 3:53
- Record Date: June, 1978
- Record Location: Wembley Empire Pool, London, UK
- Written By: Jeff Lynne
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Richard Tandy (keyboards), Kelly Groucutt (bass), Mik Kaminski (violin), Hugh McDowell (cello), Melvyn Gale (cello), Jake Commander [hidden on stage] (backing vocals, guitar)
- Released On: ELO - Live In Concert VHS videotape (1980 UK V.C.L. Z159G)
ELO - Live In Concert Beta videotape (1980 UK V.C.L. Unknown)
Electric Light Orchestra - Live At Wembley VHS videotape (1980 USA MGM/CBS Home Video CV40021)
Electric Light Orchestra - Live At Wembley Beta videotape (1980 USA MGM/CBS Home Video CB40021)
ELO - Live In Concert laserdisc (1981 UK CBS/Fox 7021-70)
Electric Light Orchestra - Live At Wembley CED laserdisc (1981 September 1 USA CBS/Fox CD 100021)
ELO - Live In Concert VHS videotape (1984 UK CBS/Fox 7021-50)
ELO - Live In Concert Beta videotape (1984 UK CBS/Fox Unknown)
ELO - Live In Concert VHS videotape (1985 UK vocals Communications 2739-50)
Live At Wembley - The Out Of The Blue Tour VHS videotape (1989 UK Castle Hendring CASH5036)
Live At Wembley '78 CD album (1998 March 28 UK Eagle Records EAMCD0039)
Live At Wembley '78 CD album (1998 September 8 USA Cleopatra CLP0353)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley VHS videotape (1998 UK Eagle Rock ERE 058)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley / Discovery VHS videotape (1998 December 8 USA Image Entertainment ID4561ER)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley / Discovery DVD (1999 January 19 USA Image Entertainment ID4562ERDVD)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley / Discovery DVD (2000 June 16 UK Eagle Rock Entertainment EREDV 058)
The Complete ELO Live Collection CD album (2000 October 3 USA Cleopatra CLP0932)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley / Discovery DVD (2004 October 5 USA Eagle Vision 801213008292)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley DVD (2006 March 20 UK Eagle Vision EREDV556)
Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley DVD (2006 June 27 USA Eagle Vision USA 801213303793)Sweet Talkin' Woman (Time Tour)
- Running Time: 2:05 (approximate)
- Record Date: October 1981 to May 1982
- Record Location: Unknown (live only)
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Richard Tandy (piano, synthesizer, electric piano), Kelly Groucutt (bass), Mik Kaminski (violin, synthesizer), Louis Clark (string synthesizer), Dave Morgan (acoustic guitar, vocoder)
- Released On: Unreleased (bootlegged)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Heartbeat '86, March 15 1986)
- Running Time: Unknown
- Record Date: March 15 1986
- Record Location: National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar), Bev Bevan (drums), Richard Tandy (keyboards), Mik Kaminski (violin), Louis Clark (string keyboards), Dave Morgan (guitar, keyboards), Martin Smith (bass)
- Released On: Unreleased
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Balance Of Power Tour)
- Running Time: 1:08 (approximate)
- Record Date: 1986
- Record Location: Unknown
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar), Bev Bevan (drums), Richard Tandy (keyboards), Mik Kaminski (violin), Louis Clark (string keyboards), Dave Morgan (guitar, keyboards), Martin Smith (bass)
- Released On: Unreleased (bootlegged)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (May 2001)
- Running Time: Unknown
- Record Date: May 23 or 24, 2001
- Record Location: Stage 36 at CBS Television City, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (lead vocals, guitar), Richard Tandy (keyboards), Rosie Vela (backup vocals), Marc Mann (keyboards, guitar), Gregg Bissonette (drums), Matt Bissonette (bass), Peggy Baldwin (cello), Sarah O'Brien (cello)
- Released On: Unreleased
Tours
Sweet Talkin' Woman was played on all tours following its release.
There is only one live version of song that has seen official release, that from from the Out Of The Blue tour (Wembley). Performances of Sweet Talkin' Woman from the Time and Balance Of Power tours have not been officially released, although they have been bootlegged from various sources. The performance from the aborted Zoom tour that was recorded for PBS has also not been released and has not been bootlegged.
The Time tour performance was a shortened performance that was played as part of a hits medley, coming between Mr. Blue Sky and Shine A Little Love in the medley. It was the entire song up to and including the second vocodor bridge, followed by a quick repeat of "I gotta get back to you" from the verses, before the start of Shine A Little Love. The Balance Of Power tour performance was also part of a hits medley that was shortened even further. Here it was between Showdown and Confusion in the medley and was the entire song up to and including the first vocoder bridge before blending into Confusion.
Pictures
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| UK vinyl single * Jet * JET 121 | USA purple vinyl single * Jet/United Artists * JT-XW 1145 | UK Out Of The Blue album * Jet/United Artists * UAR 100 | UK vinyl 12" single * Jet * JET 12-121 | Belgium vinyl single * Unknown |
| Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | ||||
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| Canada vinyl single * Jet * ZS8 5150 | Canada vinyl single * Jet * JTXW-1145 | France vinyl single * United Artists * JTXW1145 | Germany vinyl single * Jet * JET 121 | Holland * Jet * JET 121 |
| Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | |||
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| Japan vinyl single * Jet * 06SP371 | Japan vinyl single * Jet * CM-112 | Mexico vinyl single * Jet * G-2000 | New Zealand vinyl single * United Artists * K 7038 | Singapore vinyl single * United Artists * JT-XW 1145 |
| Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | |||
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| South Africa vinyl single * United Artists * UASP 361 | South Africa vinyl single * CBS * SSC 1784 | Spain vinyl single * Jet * JET 121 | Spain promo EP * Epic * N/A | Thailand vinyl single * Super Hits * SP 1038 |
| Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | ||
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| Thailand vinyl single * Royal Sound * TKR-536 | Thailand vinyl single * Cash Box * C.B. 145 (blue) | Thailand vinyl single * Cash Box * C.B. 145 (pink) | ||
| Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock | Image used with kind permission of Jon Lock |
Cover Versions
The Orchestra from live performances (2000s)
Use in Movies and TV programs
Sheet Music
Please note that because this is published and copyrighted material, the
full sheet music cannot be shown here.
Promotional Videos and TV Performances
There was a promotional video made of Sweet Talkin' Woman that features the band playing on a small stage. Jeff is wearing a black shirt and is without sunglasses. Kelly is wearing a purple shirt. This video was a lip synched performance of an edited version of the song. The video has never been commercially released.
Televised performances of the song will be documented at length at a future date. Performances are known to include a performance on the an unknown BBC program broadcast on October 26, 1978 with Tony Blackburn hosting, although it's not entirely clear if this is simply an airing of the promo video, a lip-synched performance or an actual live performance.
Quotations
This page is intended to be a complete record of information on the Electric Light Orchestra song Sweet Talkin' Woman. If you notice any errors or omissions, please contact me at elofan@juno.com and let me know. I strive for accuracy.Sweet Talkin' Woman (Standard Release)
The vocoder says "sweet talkin' woman" four times in this song at the marks [0:08], [1:04], [1:54] and [2:43]. The [1:54] vocoder section is roughly cut into the song and on some recordings has a clearly different fidelity to the rest of the track. The [2:43] vocoder section has the vocoder pushed way down into the mix, making it sound as if the violin is "saying" the lyric. Robert John "Mutt" Lange inadvertently ripped off this song when he wrote the Huey Lewis and the News song Do You Believe In Love for their 1982 Picture This album. The melody is a direct rip off of Sweet Talkin' Woman and the lyrics to the opening verse are remarkably similar: "I was walking down a one way street; Just a looking for someone to meet ;One woman who was looking for a man." The real irony of this is that in the mid-1980s Huey Lewis successfully won a lawsuit against Ray Parker Jr., claiming that Parker's song Ghostbusters was a rip off of the Huey Lewis and the News song I Want A New Drug."Originally called Dead End Street but we changed it when Jeff re-wrote the lyrics."
Bev Bevan (1977 - Japanese Out Of The Blue LP liner notes (United Artists GXG 25/26))"Sweet Talkin' Woman was originally Dead End Street and we spent two days recording the vocals until they were just right. The next morning Jeff came in and asked Mack, our sound engineer, how it sounded. 'Great,' he said. 'Absolutely great.' 'Well, I don't like it,' said Jeff. 'Wipe it off and start again.' Mack sat there behind his massive sound desk and in his unflappable way wiped clean all the vocal tracks from the tape. They were nice vocals, but Jeff had been thinking about them and felt they weren't quite right. He re-wrote the lyrics, changed the title and Sweet Talkin' Woman became one of our biggest single hits."
Bev Bevan (1980 - The Electric Light Orchestra Story)"Sweet Talkin' Woman had a whole different set of lyrics, actually. It was called Dead End Street. And I tried it, finished it, did all the backing vocals, took about, y'know, a whole day to sing all the backing parts. And then, came in the next day, listened to it, and said, 'Wipe it.' Wiped all these backing vocals and everything. And I started again, I rewrote the words very quickly, in about an hour and put new, put all new backing vocals on and sang it again."
Jeff Lynne (June 23, 1990 - Timothy White's Rock Stars: Jeff Lynne's Musical Chairs)"...Jeff critically checked his own work and erased the complete vocal track of Dead End Street, and wrote totally new lyrics for that song. The track, now entitled Sweet Talkin' Woman, took the charts by storm when it was finally released as a single."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)"It was a song called... I think it was called Dead End Street. And, uh, I'd done all the words and everything, finished it. And I came down the next day in the studio and I went, 'I hate that. Let's rub all the vocals off.' And so, he goes, 'Really?' Y'know, me engineer. And I said, 'Yup. Get rid off everything off there. Whatever to do with the vocals.' And he did. He rubbed 'em all off. And I'd been sitting up in the hotel, which is above the studio, working at night just trying to think of a new tune and new words, which I did. And tried it the next day and there they worked. So, it was a good job I did, but it also meant changing the arrangement slightly. So a lot of pairs of scissors were used that day."
Jeff Lynne (circa late 1990s or early 2000s - Off The Record interview with Uncle Joe Benson)"(Early disco). Originally called Dead End Street, has the most edits of any record I've ever made. Painstakingly joined together with half a mile of editing tape."
Jeff Lynne (2000 - Flashback)"Sweet Talkin' Woman, where classical meets futuristic, like 10CC soundtracking Kate and Leopold, only not."
Dom Passantino (October 24, 2005 - Stylus online magazine)Here is an nice Seconds article in the Stylus online music magazine from October 26, 2005 by Edward Oculicz about the song Sweet Talkin' Woman. Far too much to quote here, here is a link to the original article: Seconds - Electric Light Orchestra: Sweet Talkin Woman. Hopefully it won't go away any time soon as it's a great historical document.
"By now ELO had become a pop leviathan, touring the world with a stage show that featured the band performing inside a giant spaceship. Crucially, the tunes kept coming; [Sweet Talkin' Woman] was another rich, sweet confection that illustrated Lynne's knack for plundering other musical styles - the backing vocals are pure doo-wop."
David Cheal (December 8, 2005 - The Daily Telegraph)"Sweet Talkin' Woman, the final single from the album [in the UK], was originally recorded as Dead End Street but Lynne felt the lyrics were not quite right. Ever the consummate record producer, he calmly instructed Mack to wipe the vocal tracks and set about rewriting the editing the song until it became one of ELO's most popular hits ever: 'where space-age vocoder meets acoustic guitar meets barber-shop harmonics and sounds fantastic.'"
Rob Caiger (February 26, 2007 - Out Of The Blue remaster liner notes)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Single Version)
Oddly enough, the USA single version of Sweet Talkin' Woman has been mixed at a slightly faster speed. The edit is the same as the Out Of The Blue album, but it runs about 10 seconds shorter because of the faster speed. It's uncertain why this song was released at a faster speed. Was it intentional or purely an accident?
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Fast USA Mono Single Version)
This is a mono version of the USA single version of Sweet Talkin' Woman.
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited Video Version)
The difference between this version and the original Out Of The Blue version is that it cuts the first half of the fifth chorus.
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Edited 18 Greatest Hits LP Version)
This version, found on the Australian 18 Greatest Hits LP from 1984, differs from the original Out Of The Blue version in that it cuts the third chorus and the vocoder/violin bridge after the third chorus.
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Wembley 1978)
Jeff Lynne flubs a couple of lyrics on this recording. During the first verse, Jeff sings "I was askin', for a chance to meet" (rather than the correct lyric of "I was hopin'"). Apparently he confused the lyric and started to sing the line "I was askin' everybody I meet" from the last verse. Also, on the third line from the first verse, "I was waitin' for the operator on the line", Jeff gets a bit ahead of himself and says the "on" of "on the line" a bit early. On the video of the performance, Jeff clearly realizes that he's screwing it up as he looks sideways at Kelly Groucutt in annoyance."On [the Out Of The Blue] tour they used the most pre-recorded basic tapes on stage. For Standin' In The Rain, Turn To Stone, Mr. Blue Sky and Sweet Talkin' Woman, the group was accompanied by strings, choir, piano, backing vocals, co-lead vocals (!), guitars and synthesizer sounds from the album..."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)"To cater for the limitations of the original TV broadcast [of the 1978 Wembley concert], the 24 track live recording was mixed down to one mono track. During the mix down, more of a back-up 'backing' tape was pushed up into the mix on some of the then new Out Of The Blue songs than was actually used at the live show. [...] Sweet Talkin' Woman - as Turn To Stone [performed totally live at Wembley a tape was playing in the background] but[the backup tape was] pushed up as the strings lost their tuning mid-song."
Rob Caiger (March 30, 2002 - Showdown mailing list)"Sweet Talkin' Woman ([backup tapes were used for the] complete song as back up, band playing and singing live)"
Rob Caiger (July 20, 2003 - Showdown mailing list)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Time Tour)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Heartbeat '86, March 15 1986)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Balance Of Power Tour)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (May 2001)
Robert Porter
July 2008