"Devil Woman" is a 1976 single by British singer Cliff Richard from his album I'm Nearly Famous.
A worldwide hit on its original release, the song saw a resurgence in popularity after appearing in the film I, Tonya (2017), as the theme for the character of LaVona Golden, played by Allison Janney.
The song was written by Terry Britten and Christine Authors (who was the singer of the Family Dogg under the name Christine Holmes). The song is told from the point of view of a man jinxed from an encounter with a stray cat with evil eyes, and his discovery that the psychic medium whose help he sought to break the curse was the one responsible for the curse in the first place. However, the nature of the curse is not made clear.
Original release Released in late April 1976, "Devil Woman" rose to #9 on the singles chart in the United Kingdom in June 1976. It became Richard's first single to reach the Top 20 in the US, making #6 on the Hot 100, Richard's highest-peaking single and biggest seller in the US. "Devil Woman" is the third biggest-selling Cliff Richard single, with over 2,000,000 copies sold worldwide. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in the US and the CRIA in Canada.
The musicians featured on the recording are Terry Britten on guitar, Alan Tarney on bass, Clem Cattini on drums, Graham Todd on keyboards, and Tony Rivers, John Perry, and Ken Gold on backing vocals, with string arrangements by Richard Hewson. The song is heavily guitar-driven, with soft-distortion lines doubling the melody in the chorus and long, high, sustained single notes providing atmosphere over the verses. A Rhodes electric piano, bass guitar, drums, and percussion are the only other instruments.
The chorus vocal line was mimicked on Black Sabbath's "Lady Evil".
Track listing 7": EMI / EMI 2458 "Devil Woman" – 3:41 "Love On (Shine On) – 3:04
7": Rocket / PIG-40574 (North America) "Devil Woman" – 3:35 "Love On (Shine On) – 3:04
Personnel Cliff Richard – vocals Terry Britten – guitar Alan Tarney – bass guitar Graham Todd – electric piano Clem Cattini – drums Tony Rivers – backing vocals John Perry – backing vocals Ken Gold – backing vocals
In popular culture Devil Woman is featured in the 2017 Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya starring Margot Robbie.
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1976)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)3Canada (CHUM)3Denmark (Danmarks Radio)Refer to the Top 20/30 tab: 12France (IFOP)8South Africa (Springbok Radio)As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion: 1US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)30US Cash Box Top 1005US Record World Top 1005
Year-end charts Chart (1976)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)26Canada (RPM)57New Zealand (RIANZ) 17South Africa (Springbok Radio)14US Billboard 55US Cash Box58
Certifications
References
External links In-depth Song Analysis at the Cliff Richard Song Database