Written by: Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
Recorded: 8 March; 12 May; 11 July 1973
Producer: Richard Perry
Released: 2 November 1973 (US), 23 November 1973 (UK)
Available on:
Ringo
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
Jimmy Calvert: guitar
Tom Hensley: piano
Tom Scott, Chuck Findley: horns
Klaus Voormann: bass guitar, vocals
Jim Keltner: drums
Milt Holland: percussion
Richard Perry: vocals
‘Devil Woman’ is the ninth song on Ringo Starr’s 1973 album Ringo.
It was co-written by Starr and Vini Poncia, one of two such collaborations on the album – the other being ‘Oh My My’.
We would sit around the piano and write songs. The songs would always come from someone saying something. Vini was so great, and he was very deep New York. We once went to the Bahamas to do some vocals – as you do – and we had this house on the beach. I saw Vini coming from the hotel, and he was like, ‘What’s all this f*****g sand?’ I loved Vini.
Photograph – The Very Best Of Ringo Starr
The song’s second verse contains a reference to The Beatles’ 1968 song ‘Sexy Sadie’:
Every time I see you in the neighbourhood
I say, you’re the kind of woman that makes me feel good
I want to beat you up then I want to be kind
And one of these days I’m going to make you mine
Sexy Sadie, you look like the devil to me
Devil woman, that’s not the way it should be
In the studio
‘Devil Woman’ was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles on 8 March 1973, with overdubs following on 12 May. Final touches were added on 11 July at Producers Workshop in LA.
As with ‘Oh My My’, the song features two drum tracks, by Starr and Jim Keltner, and backing vocals by Merry Clayton and Martha Reeves.
The release
The second single issued from Ringo was ‘You’re Sixteen’, with ‘Devil Woman’ on the b-side. It was released in the US on 3 December 1973, and 8 February 1974 in the UK.
In 1991 the album was released on compact disc with three bonus tracks: ‘Down And Out’ (the b-side of ‘Photograph’), ‘It Don’t Come Easy’ (1971 single), and its b-side ‘Early 1970’. The CD featured a crossfade from ‘Devil Woman’ to ‘You And Me (Babe)’.
