"Evil Woman" is a song recorded by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and written by lead vocalist Jeff Lynne. It was first released on the band`s fifth album, 1975`s Face the Music.

Background

Lynne wrote the song quickly when Face the Music was almost complete but he didn`t think they had a good lead single.[3] Lynne said:

I wrote this in a matter of minutes. The rest of the album was done. I listened to it and thought, `There’s not a good single.` So I sent the band out to a game of football and made up `Evil Woman` on the spot. The first three chords came right to me. It was the quickest thing I’d ever done. We kept it slick and cool, kind of like an R&B song. It was kind of a posh one for me, with all the big piano solos and the string arrangement. It was inspired by a certain woman, but I can’t say who. She’s appeared a few times in my songs.[3]

Lynne described the structure saying it has a "repetitive chord sequence and then the melody turns into a chorus."[4]

When released as a single in late 1975, the song became the band`s first worldwide hit.[5] According to Lynne, this song was the quickest he had ever written, in 30 minutes, originally as `filler` for the group`s Face the Music album.[5] The song placed in the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic in early 1976. It was released again in 1978 on The ELO EP.[6]

The lyric "There`s a hole in my head where the rain comes in" in the song is a tribute to The Beatles` song "Fixing a Hole".[7]

Reception

Billboard praised the use of the title lyrics as a hook.[8] Cash Box noted the 20th-century influences and "commercial qualities" of the song, stating "from the classic hookline — a recurring four notes from `Anchors Aweigh,` through an electronic schism from a dramatic TV serial two-thirds of the way through."[9] Record World said that the song "puts rock within a classical frame and shows one of the few bands capable of a viable combination of experimentation with commerciality."[10]

Green Bay Press-Gazette critic Warren Gerds described it as "a blend of almost-rock and almost-classical music" and said that "Some may say it`s okay, even nice, rock but lousy classical music."[11]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it ELO`s 3rd best song, saying that it has "old-school strings and new-school keyboards...backing a funky dance-floor beat that drives the song all the way to pop glory."[12] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as ELO`s 4th best song, saying that "Jeff Lynne took a simple three-chord progression that Led Zeppelin utilized at the end of `Stairway To Heaven,` and added his own touch, melody and production to score a huge hit."[13] Stereogum contributor Ryan Reed rated it as ELO`s 7th best song.[5]

In 2022 Lynne listed it as one of his nine favorite ELO songs.[14]

Chart performance

Certifications

Jeff Lynne version

Jeff Lynne re-recorded the song in his own home studio. It was released in a compilation album, Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra, with other re-recorded ELO songs, under the ELO name.[30]

Cover versions

Duran Duran released a cover version of the song on 9th October 2024 as part of the "De Luxe" edition of their sixteenth studio album Danse Macabre.[31] This song reached number 32 in the Billboard Adult Top 40 Chart.