Evil Woman (Electric Light Orchestra song)

"Evil Woman"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Face the Music
B-side	"10538 Overture (Live)"
Released	October 1975 (US) November 1975 (UK)
Format	7"
Recorded	1975 at Musicland Studios
Genre	Symphonic rock
Length	4:19, (LP length): 4:12, (UK single edit) 3:15, (US single edit)
Label	Jet Records & United Artists Records
Writer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"Boy Blue" (1975) "Evil Woman" (1975) "Nightrider" (1976)

"Evil Woman" is a song written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra.

First released on the band's fifth album, 1975's Face the Music. Released as a single in late-1975, the song became the band's first worldwide hit. According to Jeff Lynne this song was the quickest he had ever written, in thirty minutes, originally as 'filler' for the group's Face the Music album. The song placed in the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic in early-1976. The song became a hit again in the UK in 1978 when it featured on the ELO EP. The lyric "There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in" is a tribute to The Beatles' song "Fixing a Hole".

Chart positions

Chart (1975/76)	Peak Position
Austrailian ARIA Singles Chart	23
Canadian RPM Top Singles	6
Dutch Top 40	20
French SNEP Singles Chart	2
Irish Singles Chart	10
UK Singles Chart	10
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	10
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles	9
U.S. Record World Singles	9

Other uses

In 1995, Michael Stipe imitated Jeff Lynne at an R.E.M. concert at Madison Square Garden on their Monster Tour, he wore a frizzy wig and sang "Evil Woman" before the show with Luscious Jackson playing the music.

In 2002, the song was used in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember during the jail scene with Doctor Evil receiving a visit from Mindy Sterling's character Frau Farbissina, the movie's soundtrack album featured a version sung by Diana King.

In 2006, a part of the song was sampled in the Pussycat Dolls single "Beep".

The band moe. covered the song three times in 2005.

In 2008, singer/songwriter Mike Posner included a remix of the song on his mixtape, "A Matter of Time."

The song is being performed as part of the 2007 Broadway musical Xanadu. The 1985 TV special DTV Monster Hits! also featured a short music video of the song, set to clips of all the female villains featured in Disney cartoons up to that point.

The song was also featured in a 2009 episode of the TV series Community.

The song appeared in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8

External links

• In-depth Song Analysis at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (jefflynnesongs.com)