ELO – Evil Woman

This is the first ELO song I remember being really popular on radio. The piano intro hooks me every time.

This song was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany in 1975. Jeff Lynne wrote the song on a piano in the studio on the last days of recording, writing it very quickly.

The band’s recording for all of the other songs for the Face The Music album had been completed when Jeff needed another song. One morning, while the rest of the band was out, he sat at the piano and played the opening piano riff, which became the basis of the song. Later that same day, the rest of the band came in and recorded the backing track. The lyrics were written and recorded the next day at Musicland.

The line “There’s a hole in my head where the rain comes in,” was inspired by the Beatles song, “Fixing a Hole.”

The song peaked at #10 in the Billboard 100, #6 in Canada, #10 in the UK, and #8 in New Zealand in 1976.

Evil Woman

You made a fool of me
But them broken dreams have got to end

Hey, woman, you got the blues
‘Cause you ain’t got no one else to use
There’s an open road that leads nowhere
So just make some miles between here and there
There’s a hole in my head where the rain comes in
You took my body and played to win
Ha, ha, woman, it’s a cryin’ shame
But you ain’t got nobody else to blame

Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman

Rolled in from another town
Hit some gold, too hard to settle down
But a fool and his money soon go separate ways
And you found a fool lyin’ in a daze
Ha, ha, woman, what you gonna do
You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you
It’s so good that you’re feelin’ pain
But you better get your face on board the very next train

Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman (hey hey hey)

Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman

Evil woman, how you done me wrong
But now you’re tryin’ to wail a diff’rent song
Ha, ha, funny, how you broke me up
You made the wine, now you drink a cup
I came runnin’ ev’ry time you cried
Thought I saw love smilin’ in your eyes
Ha, ha, very nice to know
That you ain’t got no place left to go

Evil woman
Evil woman
Evil woman (evil woman)
Evil woman

Evil woman (what an evil woman)
Evil woman (such an evil woman)
Evil woman (what an evil woman)
Evil woman (such an evil woman)

Evil woman (what an evil woman)
Evil woman (such an evil woman)
Evil woman (what an evil woman)
Evil woman (such an evil woman)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

27 thoughts on “ELO – Evil Woman”

  3. ELO rocks! One of my favorite bands. I love the production, the musicianship, the songwriting, the hooks! I recently saw them in concert on television. Huge crowd. They sounded just as good live as in the studio. The light show. The easy banter with the crowd. Jeff Lynn is a genius.

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    1. Thinking about them hurts…. I had tickets when they came to Bridgestone last July…I was in bed with the kidney stone…I’m still sad.

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      2. Last one I saw was Boston…we got free tickets at the Fontanel… Have you been there Pam? Its a relaxed place to go plus they have a restaurant, art gallery, and hiking. It’s outdoor and pretty cool to see a concert. The tickets are usually affordable also…we saw Dylan there also with Mavis Staples opening.

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      3. Our company has done a lot of events there, but I haven’t been there personally. I should go, it’s sounds like an atmosphere that is better suited to my vibe these days. Ahh…Mavis Staples! Now I’m jealous. Bob Dylan too, of course, but he’s hit or miss as far as I’m concerned. A genius. No doubt. A legend. But it depends on how inebriated he his…on the wagon? I’m in. Off the wagon? No way. He’s kind of like Jerry Lee Lewis that way.

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      4. You should go there and check it out Pam. Relaxed is the best way I have of descibing it. Jennifer and I hiked there a few times in 2010 before it became a concert venue.
        Mavis Staples was great…it was really hot that day and she was joking around…she talked about when she dated “Bobby” back in the 60s and now she was opening up for him.

        Far is I know he is on the wagon. He changes his songs up…Tangled Up In Blue may not sound like Tangled Up In Blue from the record when he gets done with it. It’s helped to keep him relevant…he is not an oldies show that is for sure. The young people there is incredible. I would say 70 percent under 30.

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      5. I will go. I’ll make a point of it.
        Mavis dating Bob Dylan back in the day, huh? Maybe she was kidding? At first I thought you might be talking about Bobby Womack. I thought…oh no! I thought Mavis was a nice lady. Ha! I’m thinking the same thing about her “dating” Dylan. Ha!
        I’m glad to hear he’s “on” the wagon. You never know with him.

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      6. From what I read in Dylan books Mavis turned him down for marriage…so they had to be pretty close. That would have been a match!
        She great onstage…and that voice…wow… just geat…very personable.

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  4. great song. Funny, I would have guessed it came out a little earlier than it did, but like you said, I think it was the first ELO song I heard. Only in recent years have I heard that Beatles influence in their music, always heard people say that when I was a kid and back then didn’t hear it. Now I do, but that’s quite a good thing.

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    1. I got some through Columbia House…many of them and the Moody Blues…I was talking to Deke and Dave about that these past weeks…I would sign a fictitious person get 6 free…it was all good fun until mom saw the bill to the John Jones with the same address as us…lol

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      2. No who knows if and when they will come back…I remember that week…I wanted to go but no way was that going to happen.

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