
An in-depth song analysis
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. The band's string players on violin and cello 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 (with a unique aspect for the UK version) 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. An extremely rare red vinyl edition (some may call it orange) was also produced. 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.
The UK single featured a unique reverse stereo version of Bluebird Is Dead on the B-side. This was surely done in error.
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. Curiously, it was the third consecutive ELO single to peak at #6 on the UK charts. In the USA, it entered the Billboard Hot 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, making it seem as if the violin and cellos are 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.
A fan has made a fun little music video where she acts out the song's lyrics. Her video can be seen HERE.
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.
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 String 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' (where's she hidin') 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 - String/Vocoder Bridge 3 String 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 Charts
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 Official 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 Hot 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 100 57 46 43 40 40 38
(April 3, 1978)42 55 60 73 74 81 81 85 88 90 98 Belgium Ultrapop Top 30 Chart Entry Date: February 12, 1978 Peak at #30 on February 12, 1978 Canada CHUM Top 30 Chart Entry Date: March 18, 1978 29 19 15 10 8 7 Peak at #6 on April 29, 1978 8 15 20 26 26 29 Canada RPM Top 100 Chart Entry Date: March 4, 1978 75 69 49 38 35 31 29 19 19 Peak at #16 on May 6, 1978 Peak at #16 on May 13, 1978 23 41 47 62 Holland Top 40 (De Nederlandse Top 40) Chart Entry Date: November 25, 1978 38 28 27
(December 9, 1978)32 40 Holland Top 50 (Origin uncertain) Chart Entry Date: November 18, 1978 38 30 26 24
(December 9, 1978)41 36 Ireland Top 30 Chart Entry Date: October 21, 1978 20 9 7 6
(November 11, 1978)13 19
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 28 — UK — Jet/United Artists UAR 100)
- Out Of The Blue LP album (1977 November 5 — USA — Jet/United Artists JT-LA 823-L2)
- Out Of The Blue LP album (1978 May — UK — Jet JET DP 400)
- Out Of The Blue LP album (1978 May — USA — Jet JET KZ2 35530)
- Sweet Talkin' Woman purple vinyl 7" single (1978 October 7 — UK — Jet JET 121)
- Sweet Talkin' Woman black vinyl 7" single (1978 October 7 — UK — Jet JET 121)
- Sweet Talkin' Woman purple 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 (1981 April — UK — Jet JET BX2)
- A Box Of Their Best LP album (1980 December — USA — Jet Z4X 36966)
- Turn To Stone/Sweet Talkin' Woman 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/Sweet Talkin' Woman 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 October 1 — 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)
- The Collection CD album (2004 November 12 — UK — Sony/BMG 5099751866527)
- 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 digital album (2005 June 6 — UK — Sony 827969448922)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2005 August 2 — USA — Epic/Legacy EK 94489)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra digital album (2005 August 2 — USA — Epic/Legacy 827969448922)
- 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 digital album (2007 February 20 — USA — Epic/Legacy 827969427224)
- Out Of The Blue Remaster CD album (2007 February 26 — UK — Epic 88697053232)
- Out Of The Blue Remaster digital album (2007 February 26 — UK — Epic 886970532327)
- Out Of The Blue Carbon Neutral CD album (2007 August 27 — UK — Epic 88697123162)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra eco-friendly CD album (2007 February 2 — UK — Sony/BMG 88697046492)
- Playlist: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2008 August 19 — USA — Epic/Legacy 88697 29802 2)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra eco-friendly CD album (2009 March 3 — USA — Sony/BMG 88697 48046 2)
- The Collection CD album (2009 — UK — Camden 88697480462)
- Flashback CD album (2010 November 8 — UK — Sony Music 88697807792)
- The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2011 May 30 — UK — Sony 88697920962)
- The Essential Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2011 October 10 — UK — Epic/Legacy 88698983612)
- The Essential Electric Light Orchestra digital album (2011 October 10 — UK — Epic/Legacy 886443171084)
- The Essential Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2011 October 24 — USA — Epic/Legacy 88697977522RE1)
- The Essential Electric Light Orchestra digital album (2011 October 10 — UK — Epic/Legacy 886443171084)
- The Classic Albums Collection CD boxed set (2011 November — USA — Epic 8 89978 73262 0)
- The Classic Albums Collection CD boxed set (2011 November 14 — UK — Epic 8 89978 73262 0)
- Out Of The Blue LP album (2012 August 13 Europe Music On Vinyl MOVLP383)
- The Classic Albums Collection digital album (2014 June 10 — UK — Epic/Legacy 886444622653)
- The Classic Albums Collection digital album (2014 June 10 — USA — Epic/Legacy 886444622660)
- Flashback digital album (2014 June 27 — Worldwide — Sony Music 886444707701)
- Out Of The Blue digital album (2015 November 13 Europe Epic/Legacy 886445593945)
- Out Of The Blue digital album (2015 November 13 — USA — Epic/Legacy 827969427224)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra digital album (2014 December 12 — Worldwide — Sony 5099752012923)
- The Collection digital album (2015 November 27 — USA — Legacy Recordings 5099751866527)
- Out Of The Blue LP album (2015 December 18 — Worldwide — Epic 88875152421)
- Out Of The Blue LP album (2016 May 27 — Worldwide — Epic 88875175261)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra LP album (2016 June 10 Europe Epic/Legacy 88985312351)
- All Over The World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra CD album (2016 June 10 Europe Epic/Legacy 520129 2)
- Studio Albums 1973 - 1977 CD boxed set (2016 June 10 — UK — Epic 88985324162)
- Out Of The Blue LP picture disc album (2017 November 24 — Worldwide — Sony 88985456161)
- The UK Singles Volume One 1972-1978 7" single box set (2018 September 28 — Worldwide — Epic Records 88985424617)
[Sweet Talkin' Woman 7" single (Jet JET 121)]- ELO 50th Anniversary Vol. 1 digital album (2021 November 5 — USA — ?)
- The Vocoder digital album (2022 October 22 — Worldwide — ?)
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 7" promo 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 Arena, 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 — V.C.L. 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)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Stereo Mix Wembley 1978)
- Released On:
- Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley DVD album (2006 March 20 — UK — Eagle Vision EREDV556)
- Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley DVD album (2006 June 27 — USA — Eagle Vision USA 801213303793)
- Out Of The Blue - Live At Wembley Blu-ray album (2015 March 14 — UK — Eagle Rock ERSBD3017)
- Out Of The Blue - Live At Wembley Blu-ray album (2015 March 14 — USA — Eagle Rock ERSBD3017)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (5.1 Mix Wembley 1978)
- Released On:
- Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley DVD album (2006 March 20 — UK — Eagle Vision EREDV556)
- Out Of The Blue Tour - Live At Wembley DVD album (2006 June 27 — USA — Eagle Vision USA 801213303793)
- Out Of The Blue - Live At Wembley Blu-ray album (2015 March 14 — UK — Eagle Rock ERSBD3017)
- Out Of The Blue - Live At Wembley Blu-ray album (2015 March 14 — USA — Eagle Rock ERSBD3017)
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)
Pop Medley: Sweet Talkin' Woman/Confusion (Heartbeat 86, March 15 1986)
- Running Time: 4:33 (approximate)
- 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 (bootlegged)
E.L.O. Megamix (featuring a Sweet Talkin' Woman sample)
- Running Time: 10:08
- Written By: Jeff Lynne
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Mack (original recordings), unknown (remix)
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, piano), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Richard Tandy (keyboards, piano, sequence programming)
- Released On: Getting To The Point 12" single (1986 July — UK — Epic TA 7317)
Hits Medley: 10538 Overture/Showdown/Sweet Talkin' Woman/Confusion (Balance Of Power Tour)
- Running Time: 6:47 (approximate)
- Record Date: July 1986
- Record Location: London, UK and Germany
- 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)
E.L.O. Mega-Hits (featuring a Sweet Talkin' Woman sample)
- Running Time: 4:58
- Written By: Jeff Lynne (except for Roll Over Beethoven, which is by Chuck Berry)
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion), Richard Tandy (piano, synthesizer, electric piano, guitar), Kelly Groucutt (bass)
- Released On: E.L.O. Mega-Hits 12" promo single (1990 Spain Spanien Epic MELP 3003)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Los Angeles, May 2001)
- Running Time: 3:15
- 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: Ryan Ulyate & Marc Mann
- 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:
- Electric Light Orchestra Live CD album (2013 April 17 — Japan — Avalon MICP-30043)
- Electric Light Orchestra Live CD album (2013 April 22 Europe Frontiers Records FR CD 595E)
- Electric Light Orchestra Live digital album (2013 April 22 — USA — Frontiers Records 886446781273)
- Electric Light Orchestra Live CD album (2013 April 23 — USA — Frontiers Records FR CD 595E)
- Electric Light Orchestra Live digital album (2013 May 11 Europe Frontiers Records 886446781273)
- Electric Light Orchestra Live LP album (2013 July 22 — UK — Let Them Eat Vinyl LETV096LP)
- Original Album Classics CD album (2018 September 14 Europe Sony 1 90758 81832 0)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Hyde Park - September 14, 2014)
- Running Time: 3:54
- Record Date: September 14, 2014
- Record Location: Hyde Park, London
- Produced By: Jeff Lynne
- Engineered By: Unknown
- Performed By: Jeff Lynne (guitar, vocals), Richard Tandy (piano, keyboards, vocoder), Milton McDonald (guitars, backing vocals), Mike Stevens (guitars, backing vocals), Marcus Byrne (keyboards, Pro Tools), Bernie Smith (keyboards), Lee Pomeroy (bass), Donavan Hepburn (drums), Mick Wilson (percussion, backing vocals), Chereene Allen (violin), Melanie Lewis-McDonald (backing vocals), Iain Hornal (backing vocals), BBC Concert Orchestra (strings [18 violins, 6 violas, 6 violins])
- Released On:
- Live In Hyde Park DVD album (2015 September 11 — Europe — Eagle Rock EREDV1185)
- Live In Hyde Park DVD album (2015 September 11 — USA — Eagle Rock EV307199)
- Live In Hyde Park Blu-ray album (2015 September 11 — Europe — Eagle Rock ERBRD5268)
- Live In Hyde Park Blu-ray album (2015 September 11 — USA — Eagle Rock EVB335149)
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.
The song was played at the 2014 Hyde Park show, where it was the same basic album/single arrangement. A slight variation occurs on the verses where Jeff answers the "Where could she be?" line by singing "I don't know."
Pictures
Cover Versions
- Frank Chacksfield Orchestra on the Volume 2 album (1979)
- The Cadets on their Un Tributo a Electric Light Orchestra album (1981)
- Jack Livingston Orchestra and Singers on their A Tribute To ELO album (early 1980s)
- OrKestra during live performances from 1987 to 1991
- King on an album of unknown origin (199?)
- Electric Light Orchestra Part II on their One Night - Live in Australia album (1997)
- Paul McNulty on the Into The Red tribute album (1999)
- Five Iron Frenzy on their Quantity Is Job 1 EP
- J Church on their Meaty, Beaty, Shitty Sounding album (2001)
- The Orchestra from live performances (2000s)
- P. Hux on his Homemade Spaceship: The Music Of ELO Performed By P. Hux album (5/2005)
- Drew Hinze on the What's In A Song? album (2006)
- Ed Harcourt on the live "Guilty Pleasures" BBC concert (3/2007)
- Tufts Beelzebubs during a live performances as part of a medley (9/2007)
- How I Became The Bomb and Kindercastle during a live tribute concert (June 2009)
- acting troupe in the Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour stage play (2015)
Use in Movies and TV Programs
- Homicide: Life on the Street episode entitled The Gas Man (1995)
- Villians Chicago stage play (2008)
Use in Advertising
- This song has not been used in any known advertisements
Sample Uses
- Schlangen by Bushido on the King of KingZ single (2004)
- Si Je Les Avais cout s by Fonky Family on the Si Je Les Avais cout s album (2011)
Sheet Music
Sheet music as published in the UK (with alternate covers).
Sheet music as published in the USA.
Sheet music as published in the Australia.
Promotional Videos and TV Performances
The video for Sweet Talkin' Woman is another mimed stage performance, but it features several blue laser effects across the stage, as would later be seen on the Out Of The Blue spaceship tour. During the first chorus and briefly before the final vocodor part, there are several split camera tricks, showing four or eight duplicate images. This video is also unique in that it uses the regular album version of the song but mysteriously cuts the first half of the fifth chorus (starting directly with the guitar backing only line "Hold on, sweet talkin' lover..."). This odd edit may be a result of the video being reviewed from the Out Of The Blue promo movie (more on that below) only. It remains uncertain if the regular video truly had this edit as the as the regular promo video for Sweet Talkin' Woman is not available for review.
This video was also used as part of the Out Of The Blue promo movie, released to support the Out Of The Blue album and featuring several videos from the album, including Turn To Stone and Mr. Blue Sky (and probably, although unconfirmed, Wild West Hero). This promo movie is sometimes referred to as the "Out Of The Blue Video EP." In it, Sweet Talkin' Woman is prefaced by cartoon images of the ELO logo zooming into frame while portions of The Whale and the "Concerto" thunder from Standin' In The Rain (but not the "for a rainy day" bit) play over it. The video is ended by an animated ELO spaceship, as seen on the Out Of The Blue album cover with a space plane flying into the dock (but stopping before it completely enters) while more excerpts from The Whale play.
All known airings of the Sweet Talkin' Woman promo video are lifted from the Out Of The Blue promo movie, so it remains unclear if a non-promo movie version of the video exists and if it does, if it includes the aforementioned edit. The Sweet Talkin' Woman promo video, as extracted from the Out Of The Blue movie, can be seen HERE.
The promo video was shown on the BBC's popular Top Of The Pops on October 5, 1978 (David Jensen hosting) and October 12 (Jimmy Savile hosting). The October 26 episode of Top Of The Pops with Tony Blackburn hosting featured, rather than the promo video, the dance troupe Legs & Co. dancing to the song while the single was played. These are the only appearances of the song on Top Of The Pops.
Fan Comments
Enter comments only about this song. (Inappropriate comments will be removed.)
I remember listening to 'Sweet Talkin' Woman' in the summer of 1979 after playing football in the street with my friends. I was 13 then, it was the time of my life.
Of the versions that are currently available-in CD format or an an HD download-which version would likely have the best overall sound quality?
Another aspect that sticks out like a sore thumb - The second half of each verse that goes: "Don't know what I'm gonna do", is absolutely identical in all three verses. Only in the third verse does that part really feel at home. In the first verse we hear Jeff sing: "Oh no no, s....", before launching into that instance of: "Don't know what I'm gonna do". It is a true example of a song literally held together with spit and gaffa tape. I could go into detail on Abba's Dancing Queen, but that's another matter entirely!
Ray, Oundle UK
This is the most outstanding and detailed fan song page I have ever seen. I have been listening to this song for decades, and discovered more information than I ever knew about the lyrics, production, recording of this song! Outstanding work by the page author.
I guess I'm not the only one who heard the similaities to HL's song. I wonder why JL didn't sue. I heard somewhere that JL was actually behind the lawsuit against Sam Smith.
-AnonymousEditor's Note: It was not Jeff or Tom that brought up the legal action with Sam Smith. It was the publishing company, Sony, I believe, that brought the legal action.
The intro to Sweet Talkin' Woman isn't just Mik. That's Hugh and Mel too.
-Anonymous
This was the very, very first 45 I purchased. It was the purple version and I bought at my local convenience store that housed some great pinball machines out back and this sign that I did not realize was a joke until years later: If you want credit please see our credit manager. If you want to purchase something on credit please go to Helen Waite.
-Anonymous
My wife, whose name is Lola, swears there's someone singing "Sweet Talkin' Lola" on the choruses — and now I cannot un-hear that! Perhaps it's the vocoder, but it sure does sound like there's a Lola in there. When I read there was a slight Kinks connection in the song (the title "Dead End Street" was already used in a song on their "Face to Face" l.p.), I thought maybe Lynn was making a little joke by slipping in the title of a bigger Kinks hit. Ever come across any musings on this?
-Anonymous
Wow - this is an amazing site, and the amount of research that you have put into documenting this material is impressive. As a fellow ELO/Jeff Lynne fan, my sincere thanks for your hard work.
Michael Brooks
Toledo, OH
http://historymike.blogspot.com
One of my favorites. I love it.
-Anonymous
-Fan artwork by Lynnette "Cicky" Johansson
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 jefflynnesongs@gmail.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.
"Other completely mechanized cuts [on Out Of The Blue] include Sweet Talkin' Woman, Jungle and Birmingham Blues..."
Owen Gleiberman (November 19, 1977 - The Michigan Daily review of Out Of The Blue)"Originally called Dead End Street but we changed it when Jeff re-wrote the lyrics.""Sweet Talkin' Woman... The second single from this consistent group's Out Of The Blue double LP is another catchy rocker characterized by semi-classical elements. The multi-tracked vocals add a powerful choral effect."
Bev Bevan (1977 - Japanese Out Of The Blue LP liner notes (United Artists GXG 25/26))
Unknown (February 18, 1978 - Billboard magazine)"Tour or no tour, Out Of The Blue continues to sell at a consistent pace, already producing two hit singles: Turn To Stone and the current Sweet Talkin' Woman.""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.+ "
Steve Wosahla (April 10, 1978 Good Times #194)
Bev Bevan (1980 - The Electric Light Orchestra Story)"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'.' [...] Despite the sometimes simple world Jeff paints for us, he has on occasion used 'big' words where usually shorter ones may be. Clearly, they're there purely because they fit - and nicely too, it must be said. Take, for example, the phrase 'communication breakdown all around' in Sweet Talkin' Woman."
Neil Frost (1987 - Face The Music fanzine #3)"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.""The side's best moment comes in the shape of what was to become one of the band's anthems, namely Sweet Talkin' Woman. Originally to have been titled Dead End Street, which also crops up later in the song, lyrically and musically it's the antithesis of 1975's Evil Woman, and was a perfect excuse for Jeff to show off all the tricks he'd leant in between. Mik's violin intro is the cherry on top of a deliciously gooey multi-layer chocolate cake of a production that also sees ELO's first use of the strange (and very 70's) voice-distorting instrument, the Vocoder, rumbling basso vocals that punctaute a truly inspired chorus ('You got me runnin', you got me searchin'') and enough hooks to set off another Cod War, were the song to be employed as part of Britain's f ishing fleet! (Or as Q magazine said recently, doesn't the man ever write B-sides?). Sweet Talkin' Woman also posesses possibly ELO's finest ever acapella chorus, comng right at the very end of the song when other producers would be reaching for the fader knob. Its sudden appearance gives the song a completely new dimension, as does the electric guitar which heralds the return of the other instruments and propels the song into the great fade-out in the sky. Utterly joyous."
Jeff Lynne (June 23, 1990 - Timothy White's Rock Stars: Jeff Lynne's Musical Chairs)
Andrew Whiteside (1990 - Face The Music fanzine #7)"...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.""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."
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)
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.""Sweet Talkin' Woman, where classical meets futuristic, like 10CC soundtracking Kate and Leopold, only not."
Jeff Lynne (2000 - Flashback)
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.""If you went to DJ Sean Rowley's London club night few Saturdays ago, you'd have been treated to the sight of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson 'grooving like dervishes' - as Rowley puts it - to ELO's Sweet Talking Woman. 'We had Terry Hall [of Specials/Fun Boy Three fame] on the decks,' recalls the Cockney DJ."
David Cheal (December 8, 2005 - The Daily Telegraph)
Paul Lester (November 11, 2006 - The Scotsman)"Sweet Talkin' Woman is a single most should be familiar with.""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.'"
Dan MacIntosh (February 15, 2007 - Out Of The Blue reissue review on popmatters.com)
Rob Caiger (February 26, 2007 - Out Of The Blue remaster liner notes)"Out of the Blue has its share of greatest hits regulars sprinkled across its four vinyl sides: Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin' Woman, Wild West Hero. ""Listen out for the edit points on Sweet Talkin' Woman and Wild West Hero - very noticeable to me from the first time I bought the original LP but does anyone else notice these (and others)?"
Rob Mitchum (March 1, 2007 - Pitchfork Media Out Of The Blue remaster review)
Rob Caiger (March 3, 2007 - Showdown mailing list)"The hits that made this collection [Out Of The Blue] such a success are all here: the exuberant Sweet Talkin' Woman, the jittery Mr. Blue Sky and the Abbey Road- flavored Big Wheels.""Sweet Talkin' Woman remains Lynne's most perfect hit. From its George Martin-homage string intro to the massed acoustic guitars, it's a rollercoaster of sweetness."
Jesse De Leon (March 9, 2007 - Corpus Christi Caller-Times's Out Of The Blue remaster review)
Keith Scott (March 2007 - Out Of The Blue album review for BBC)"The [Out Of The Blue] album's two biggest hits, Turn To Stone and Sweet Talkin' Woman, boast the insanely catchy melodies and punchy rhythms common to the band's singles, which have always been more accessible than their regular album tracks.""The fourth single from the band's double album Out of the Blue features the LP's biggest pop explosion. Sweet Talkin' Woman is all strings, synths, guitars and call-and-response backing vocals before effortlessly gliding into that one-of-a-kind chorus. It's also one of ELO's greatest group performances."
Tierney Smith (May 11, 2007 - Goldmine (Out Of The Blue reissue review))
Michael Gallucci (December 30, 2012 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine article 'Top 10 Electric Light Orchestra Songs')"ELO ruled the 1970s, with multi-platinum albums such as Out Of The Blue, and US and UK Top 20 hits with the likes of Livin' Thing, Sweet Talkin' Woman and Turn To Stone.""ELO belonged to the now, when I could buy Sweet Talkin' Woman on thrilling grape-coloured vinyl. [...] Sweet Talkin' Woman is perhaps the ultimate ELO song, super-dramatic pseudo-classical intro, killer call-and-response verses, hysteric falsetto chorus, and countless breakdowns and reprises custom-built for singalongs and overhead handclaps."
Mark Blake (December 2012 - Classic Rock magazine)
Simon Price (September 16, 2014 - The Quietus article entitled The Jesus Of Uncool Has Risen: ELO Live)"The [Out Of The Blue] album's third hit single was Sweet Talkin' Woman of which Lynne has recalled, 'It was a song called Dead End Street. 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. Which is exactly what Mack did. 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. I tried them the next day and they worked. But it also meant changing the arrangement slightly. So a lot of pairs of scissors were used that day.'""The crisp, irresistibly commercial Sweet Talkin' Woman, which had initially been named Dead End Street after a phrase from the first line, opened with a nifty mockclassical violin intro. [...] Ironically, in a sense Out Of The Blue was not a full group album. Mik Kaminski only played on Sweet Talkin' Woman, Across the Border, and Wild West Hero... [...] However, the following year [1978] Mr Blue Sky, followed in turn by Wild West Hero and then Sweet Talkin Woman, all reached No. 6, the last three all being issued on coloured as well as black vinyl."
Johnny Black (July 2015 - Hi-Fi News)
John Van der Kiste (August 2015 - Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After)"AM and FM radio were saturated with ELO hits. Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin Woman, and Rockaria! an aria... made of rock! You just couldn t get them out of your head.""The verses and chorus of Sweet Talkin Woman are comprised of call and ornamental response. In the verse, the response (shown in parenthesis) is the repetition of the immediately preceding word and note with added chord tones stacked above it. The highest note in the response, a C5, represents one full octave above the lowest note in the melody, a C4. The chorus of the song features ornamental response, first beginning an octave below the initial 'slow down,' shown in the second measure of Example 1-8. The next measure sees the melody lower in pitch as the response raises, leading to the voice crossing heard in the fourth measure of the example. This section of the song also shows how these traits are inherently linked to another, as the response and melody come together in an example of voice layering... [...] Perhaps one of the most recognizable qualities of ELO s music is the use of voice alteration affects produced by the Vocoder and the talk box. The Vocoder (a portmanteau of the words 'voice' and 'encoder') is a system that allows input (the voice) to be passed through a series of filters and modified electronically. A talk box allows input (an instrument such as guitar or keyboard) to be passed through an airtight tube, which is placed in the musician s mouth. This allows the musician to modify the sound by changing the shape of his mouth. Both effects essentially produce the same result: a robotic, other-worldly sounding voice (Goetzman 2009). While the 'robot voice' is only featured in five of the songs in this study, in each of those instances it is a very prominent feature of the song. In four of the songs Mr. Blue Sky, Confusion, All Over The World, and Sweet Talkin Woman the altered voice sings the title of the song. [...] In Sweet Talkin Woman... the hook is slightly modified via added or reduced instrumentation. [...] In each song, the introduction is followed by the first of several verses, which recur between chorus sections. The labeling of a section as verse is linked more to the music than to the text, as each verse has a similar melody, rhythm, and harmonic progression accompanying different text, although slight variations in the melody from verse to verse is common. In eight of the songs, the verses and chorus are divided by a brief transitional section that can be characterized by a shift in the musical material (such as harmonic progression, rhythm, etc.) as well as by its location. Examples of a typical transition can be found in... Sweet Talkin Woman."
Marc Spitz (November 27, 2015 - Salon website)
Kayla Roth (2015 - South Central Music Bulletin XII-XIII (2013-2015))"An art-disco anthem so perfectly sculpted that Mutt Lange blatantly pilfered it for Huey Lewis 1982 hit Do You Believe In Love, Out Of The Blue standout Sweet Talkin Woman is four minutes of blissful melodic sass. The verses are as catchy as the chorus, which is as catchy as any chorus Lynne ever wrote, with its galloping groove and spiraling strings. But dude rarely stopped at a simple verse-chorus pattern: The dreamy pre-chorus breakdown and vocoder-heavy bridge illustrate the intricacy of Lynne s songwriting and his ambition to fashion pop songs as works of high art.""Alongside Sweet Talkin Woman, [Turn To Stone] marked ELO s sideways shimmy into the disco era."
Ryan Reed (January 7, 2016 - Stereogum online magazine article entitled 'The 10 Best ELO Songs')
Mark Beaumont (March 30, 2016 - The Guardian)"There were hit singles aplenty: Livin' Thing, Telephone Line, Sweet Talking Woman [sic] and his own anthem Mr. Blue Sky kept the chart compilers busy.""Out Of The Blue was a commercial monster, shipping quadruple platinum and spinning off the hit singles Turn To Stone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDhJU_cNCZE) and Sweet Talkin Woman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v2r_VnmL6A), as well as the deathless movie-trailer staple Mr. Blue Sky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPqsDU0j2I). "
Mark Magill (April 2, 2016 - Southport Visitor)
Steven Hyden (April 25, 2017 - Uproxx website)"The hits Turn to Stone and Sweet Talkin' Woman, in particular were dizzyingly high.""And the effect sounded lush and wondrous. Musical trends come and go. Bands can stick to their guns and cycle in and out. So while ELO s symphonic disco rock from the 70s did its part to birth the glossiest of 80s pop (listen to Sweet Talkin Woman and then Hall & Oates You Make My Dreams a song I love, I should add) it was in the 90s regarded as a dated relic and tossed to the side with its musical brethren."
Nick DeRiso (October 19, 2017 - Ultimate Classic Rock online magazine)
Andrew Dansby (August 10, 2008 - Houston Chronicle)"After another tour of the US they released the multi-platinum double album and arguably their best: Out of the Blue with the hits Turn to Stone, Sweet Talkin Woman, Mr Blue Sky and Wild West Hero being some of their most celebrated and iconic songs.""Sweet Talkin' Woman is one of the first records to use a vocoder. My love of vocoders comes from a song called Sparky's Magic Piano, which I used to listen to as a kid. They used to play it on a children's radio show and it's absolutely beautiful. Sweet Talkin' Woman was possibly the first song to use the vocoder since Sparky's Magic Piano. IN 1977, we were in Munich recording Out Of The Blue. As luck would have it, a prototype vocoder was being built at the time in Stuttgart, which wasn't that far away. It had just been finished so our girlfriends went over to Stuttgart, picked it up and brought it back. There was no manual-- the vocoder came with plugs, but that was it-- so it took about two days to learn how to use it. It was magic, I couldn't believe it. Richard Tandy would play and I'd sing in sync with him. Mr. Blue Sky is probably the best example."
Andrew Gutteridge (September 5, 2018 - Counteract website)
Jeff Lynne (November 2018 - Wembley Or Bust book)"[Out Of The Blue] is the ultimate realisation of Lynne s vision to carry on where The Beatles left off, containing sparkling pop gems like Turn To Stone, Sweet Talkin Woman and unofficial Brummie national anthem Mr Blue Sky the Fab Four would be proud.""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."
Stephen Pennell (February 5, 2019 - Counteract website)
Dave Osborn (April 17, 2019 - Naples Daily News)
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."Bassist Kelly Groucutt sang consistently impressive harmonies, especially for Strange Magic and the joyous Sweet Talkin' Woman."
Bruce Westbrook (July 5, 1978 - The Oklahoman review of Oklahoma City concert)"Mik's lone figure dominates the stage for the (taped) intro to Sweet Talkin' Woman, and again the band play live over a backing track (if you want easy confirmation, just watch Jeff try to sing overlapping lead and backing vocals or when he exhorts the crowd to clap, his guitar mysteriously playing 'by itself'}, but in this case, the joyous sound of Jeff's fully cranked Gibson even makes you forget the tapes, and just lose yourself in this most perfect of plastic pop songs.""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..."
Andrew Whiteside (1990 - Face The Music fanzine #7)
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.""Sweet Talkin' Woman ([backup tapes were used for the] complete song as back up, band playing and singing live)"
Rob Caiger (March 30, 2002 - Showdown mailing list)
Rob Caiger (July 20, 2003 - Showdown mailing list)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Stereo Mix Wembley 1978)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (5.1 Mix Wembley 1978)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Time Tour)
E.L.O. Megamix (featuring a Sweet Talkin' Woman sample)
This is a mix of portions of the songs (in order) Don't Bring Me Down [0:00 to 1:05], Sweet Talkin' Woman' [1:05 to 2:29], Livin' Thing [2:29 to 3:34], Calling America [3:34 to 4:39], So Serious [4:39 to 5:24], Shine A Little Love [5:24 to 6:35], Twilight [6:35 to 7:44], Turn To Stone [7:44 to 8:39], and Hold On Tight [8:39 to 10:08]. Although this song saw official release, it is clearly not made from the original master tapes. Sound quality even on the official release is inferior. Remixed by Dakeyne of Disco Mix Club (UK)."The [Calling America] 12-inch (TA 7317) did however contain probably the strangest ELO 'release' of all: the ELO Megamix. Mixed by one Dakeyne of Disco Mix Club (UK), its [sic] nine minutes and fifty-seven seconds contain snippets from nine of ELO's old songs, segueued together to the beat of a drum machine. A desecration? Well, Jeff apparently wasn't too happy about it (his permission wasn't asked), bit certainly was different. The combination of the Megamix and the scarcity of the 12-inch due to the dispute and the poor sales of the limited number of copies that did get out makes this one of ELO's most sought-after items, and it can easily fetch 10, with even the 7-inch rated at 5. GTTP [sic] was of course the last ever official ELO release...."
Andrew Whiteside (1994 - Face The Music fanzine #17)"The [Getting To The Point] 12-inch features an ELO Mega Mix [sic] by Dakeyne of Disco Mix Club UK. After the single is in the shops, it turns out that Jeff did not give his permission!""...the 12 inch [single of Getting To The Point] with the ELO Megamix was only available in the UK which meant that all foreign collectors were hunting after the few records sold in Great Britain."
Rob Caiger (1994 - Face The Music fanzine #17)
Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 - Unexpected Messages)"Matter Of Fact and the Megamix [sic] will not be on the remastered edition [of Balance Of Power]."
Rob Caiger (March 22, 2005 - Showdown mailing list)"The ELO Megamix was unapproved.""[If ELO Megamix is ever released, it will be released] as is, I would think - if it does - it should never have come out in the first place."
Rob Caiger (April 3, 2008 - Showdown mailing list)
Rob Caiger (April 6, 2008 - Showdown mailing list)
Pop Medley: Sweet Talkin' Woman/Confusion (Heartbeat 86, March 15 1986)
Hits Medley: 10538 Overture/Showdown/Sweet Talkin' Woman/Confusion (Balance Of Power Tour)
E.L.O. Mega-Hits (featuring a Sweet Talkin' Woman sample)
This curious remix was officially released on a Spanish issue promo only 12" single, thought to be part of the Spanish only The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra promotion (which was a trimmed down Spanish version of the USA-issued Afterglow set). It begins with some strange, spacey keyboards with an unknown sample of a man saying, "I mean, come on! Give me a break!". The keyboards are mixed with the opening violin from Livin' Thing. The mix contains a mix of the ELO songs Livin' Thing [0:11 to 1:35], Don't Bring Me Down [1:25 to 1:55], Sweet Talkin' Woman [1:55 to 2:16], I'm Alive [2:16 to 3:04], Shine A Little Love [3:04 to 3:54], and Roll Over Beethoven [3:54 to 4:58] and in that order. Of interest is that the songs in the mix are sometimes edited and rearranged, with the most noteable section being sections from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony that are used to end the song Roll Over Beethoven are used to begin the sample in this mix, then the normal guitar that starts the song and the first verse, then a section of the chorus, then the Beethoven's Fifth Symphony ending is repeated to end the mix. The same mix is on both sides of the 12" single. The remix is by two Spanish DJs, calling themselves "Rebeldes Sin Pausa" (which translates to English as "Rebels Without Pause").
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Los Angeles, May 2001)
Sweet Talkin' Woman (Hyde Park - September 14, 2014)
"...towering versions of Livin' Thing, Strange Magic, Mr Blue Sky (it sounded just fine in the dark) and a headspinning Sweet Talkin' Woman hammered home Lynne's claims for greatness again and again. How could anyone have possibly regarded these majestic heart-tuggers as naff?"
John Aizlewood (September 15, 2014 - London Evening Standard Hyde Park performance review)"From Can't Get it Out of My Head and Sweet Talkin' Woman to Don't Bring Me Down and Rock 'n' Roll is King-- from Mr. Blue Sky to Strange Magic-- these are the sounds that have stuck in the collective consciousness for decades and still live as breathing objects. This was a reverberating chunk of the Festival in a Day, a living thing that will last a lifetime, for evermore.""Gorgeous guest violinist Chereene Allen joins Jeff for several songs, soloing from the front line on Sweet Talkin' Woman and Rock and Roll is King."
Alan Haber (September 16, 2014 - Pure Pop Radio Hyde Park performance review)
Unknown (September 15, 2015 - Examiner.com)
Robert Porter
October 2023