Evil Hearted You
| "Evil Hearted You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
double A-side) | ||||
| Released | 1 October 1965 | |||
| Recorded | 26 August 1965 | |||
| Studio | Advision Sound, London | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:24 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Graham Gouldman | |||
| Producer(s) | Giorgio Gomelsky | |||
| The Yardbirds UK singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Evil Hearted You" is a 1965 song by 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
Critical commentary
Music critic Cub Koda describes the song as a "minor-key pop classic" and guitarist Jeff Beck's solo as "equal parts classical and James Bond soundtrack".[8] 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.[9]
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]
Footnotes
- ^ 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]
References
- ^ a b c d Unterberger, Richie. "Evil Hearted You – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "The Yardbirds: Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ Russo 2016, p. 209.
- ^ Clayson 2002, p. 175
- ^ Russo 2016, p. 209
- ^ a b c Russo 2016, p. 50.
- ^ Clayson 2002, pp. 196–197.
- ^ Koda & Russo 2001, p. 33.
- ^ Power 2014, eBook
Bibliography
- Clayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds. San Francisco, California: ISBN 0-87930-724-2.
- OCLC 781357622. R2 79825.
- Power, Martin (2014). Hot Hired Guitar: The Life of Jeff Beck. London: ISBN 978-1-78323-386-1.
- Russo, Greg (October 2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up (6th ed.). West Caldwell, New Jersey: Crossfire Publications. ISBN 978-0-9791845-7-4.
