Song · ELO
“Evil Woman” by ELO
“Evil Woman” by ELO appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1997 and 2006. Its best result is #224 on the KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,650 alternative song of all time.
"Evil Woman" came late to ELO's fifth album, Face the Music, in 1975, and it came fast. Jeff Lynne, the band's singer and the song's sole writer, decided the finished record lacked a proper single, packed the others off to kick a football around and knocked the tune together in minutes, the opening chords arriving almost unbidden. He wanted it slick and cool with an R&B lean, then dressed it up with big piano solos and a string arrangement; he has said a real woman inspired it, though he won't say who.
The rush job paid off. Out as a single in late 1975, it became the band's first hit around the world and landed in the top 10 on either side of the Atlantic early in 1976; The ELO EP brought it back in 1978.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 296 | 102.3 WBAB | WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) | 1023 |
| 2002 | 224 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2005 | 457 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 457 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
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