She's Always a Woman
| "She's Always a Woman" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Vienna" |
"She's Always a Woman" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger. It is a love song about a modern woman, whom he falls in love with for her quirks as well as her flaws. The single peaked at #17 in the U.S. and in 1986 peaked at #53 in the UK when released as a double A-side single with Just the Way You Are. On May 2, 2010 the song re-entered the UK chart at #29. The song is played in compound time signatures of 6/8 9/8 and 12/8.
Track listing
7" single (1977)
- "She's Always A Woman"
- "Vienna"
Chart positions
| Chart (1977) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 2 |
| Chart (1978) | Peak Position |
| Dutch Top 40 | 12[1] |
| Chart (1986) | Peak Positon |
| UK Singles Chart | 53 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak Positon |
| UK Singles Chart | 29 |
Origin and meaning
The song was released in 1977, following several other hits from Billy Joel's successful album The Stranger including "Just the Way You Are," "Movin' Out," and "Only the Good Die Young." Musically, Billy has said that he was influenced by Gordon Lightfoot and his mellow acoustic guitar ballads. Lyrically, many people misinterpreted the words as being misogynistic or sarcastic, but it is a ballad, a love song that Billy wrote for his then wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth had taken over management of Billy's career, and was able to put his financial affairs in order after Billy had signed some bad deals and contracts. She was a tough and savvy negotiator who could "wound with her eyes" or "steal like a thief," but would "never give in." Because of her tough-as-nails negotiating style, many business adversaries thought she was "unfeminine," but to Billy, she was always a woman. Billy and Elizabeth eventually divorced in 1982.[2].
Fyfe Dangerfield Cover
| "She's Always a Woman" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
Fyfe Dangerfield, lead singer of the band Guillemots, recorded a version of this song in 2010 which was used in an advertisement for the British department store John Lewis.[3] Subsequently, the Billy Joel original re-entered the UK singles chart at number 29 on 1 May 2010. The advert is said to be one of the most powerful of the year so far. On 1 May 2010, a new version of the advert aired; which shows more of the song cover.
The advert has been viewed on YouTube over 570,000 times (collectively from the top 3 results) since it aired on TV.[4]
Track listing
- Digital Download[5]
- "She's Always a Woman" - 3:14
Chart Performance
"She's Always a Woman" first debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 2 May 2010 at #99. On its second week in the chart, the single climbed 85 places to #14, marking Dangerfield's most successful single to date. On 16 May 2010, the single climbed 7 places to a current peak of #7 before falling to #9 in its second week within the Top 10.
| Chart (2010) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 7 |
Other covers
The American indie rock band Copeland released a cover of this song on the 2004 album Know Nothing Stays the Same.
John Stevens performed the song on the American Idol semi-finals.
In 2006, saxophonist Michael Lington covered the song from his renditions album "A Song for You."[7][8]
British singer John Barrowman released a cover version of this song on his 2007 album Another Side.
Bassist Jon Reshard released a cover version of this song on his eponymous 2009 album.
The King's Singers covered the song for their album "Simple Gifts."
References
- ^ Dutch Top 40 1978. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
- ^ http://www.shesalwaysawoman.com
- ^ "John Lewis - Woman's Life", TV Ad Music, 24 April 2010.
- ^ http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2010/04/28/fyfe-dangerfield-covers-billy-joel-shes-always-a-woman-in-john-lewis-ad/
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shes-Always-A-Woman/dp/B003JVLVFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1272895396&sr=8-1
- ^ "Fyfe Dangerfield: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "A Song for You overview". Allmusic.com.
- ^ "Michael Lington - A Song for You". SmoothViews.com.
