Evil Hearted You

"Evil Hearted You" is a 1965 song by the English rock group the Yardbirds. It was written by future 10cc member Graham Gouldman, who also wrote the group`s two prior singles, "For Your Love" and "Heart Full of Soul".[1] It reached No. 3 on the main UK singles chart.[2]

Recording and releases

The Yardbirds recorded the song at Advision Studios, London, on 26 August 1965.[3][a] When it was released 1 October 1965 in the UK, "Evil Hearted You", along with the second side, "Still I`m Sad" became a double A-side hit.[6] The Record Retailer singles chart counted both sides and reported it reached number three.[6] The NME singles chart reported the two songs separately – "Evil Hearted You" at number ten and "Still I`m Sad" at number nine.[6] There was no single release in the US, but the song was included on the Yardbirds` second Epic Records album Having a Rave Up,[7] which was released 15 November 1965.

Critical commentary

In her pop music column in Disc Weekly, Penny Valentine thought the decision to release the single as a double A-side was "madness", since "Still I`m Sad" was "super" while "Evil Hearted You" was "so dull".[8]

Among retrospective reviewers, the music critic Cub Koda describes the song as a "minor-key pop classic" and the guitarist Jeff Beck`s solo as "equal parts classical and James Bond soundtrack".[9] The biographer Martin Power writes:

"Evil Hearted You" had a hint of Italian composer Ennio Morricone, with Beck`s contribution taking it to a whole new level of excitement, his clattering, heavily reverbed guitar and shimmering, two-octave slide solo sounding almost ghostly.[10]

In a review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger calls the song "one of the gloomiest hit singles in all of 1960s British rock" and adds:

[It] throws in all of Gouldman`s mid-`60s bag of tricks: multiple abrupt tempo changes, a haunting Middle Eastern-influenced melody extremely heavy on the minor chords, a lyric abjectly pining for a woman`s love, and adroit integration of several contrasting sections.[1]

Other versions

"Evil Hearted You" was recorded by the American group the Human Beinz, prior to changing their name.[1] Unterberger describes it as "a faithful version".[1]

American rock band Pixies recorded a version of the song in Spanish. It was released as a B-side on the "Planet of Sound" single.[11]

Footnotes

1. ^ Earlier sources, including Alan Clayson, give the recording date as 23 August 1965.[4] Greg Russo, in his 2016 updated Yardbirds` biography, lists it as "26 August 1965" with the explanation: "This information comes directly from the original tape box. These sessions were not recorded on 08/17/65 or 08/23/65 as stated in other publications."[5]