Someone said that we cannot stand to be around them, but we can't do without them either. Behind every great man hides an exceptional women, as someone else said. There is a risk to become a bit ridiculous trying to speak about women. So let's hear it from the songs...1. Woman – John Lennon
(John Lennon)
A great song, a hymn to Yoko Ono, as well to women in general, from Lennon's swan song, Double Fantasy (1980). Airy vocals, loose rhythm, plain sound and simple but touching lyrics in a song that proves the late was in a great shape and would have a lot more to give...
2. Evil Woman – The Electric Light Orchestra
(Jeff Lynne)
Here we have the first hit by the Englishmen from Birmingham. In to his own words, Lynne wrote it in just half an hour, intending it to 'fill' the upcoming fifth album of the band, entitled Face The Music (1975). But sometimes things turn out much better than expected... The lyrics “There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in” are a reference to the song Fixing A Hole by the Beatles.
3. Just Like A Woman – Bob Dylan
(Bob Dylan)
This great song from the masterpiece Blonde On Blonde in 1966 has divided the students of Dylan with its subject. Some consider it a reference to Edie Sedgwick, a habitue of Andy Warhol's studio Factory, while others think it was written about Dylan's relationship with Joan Baez. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly due to songs like this that this songwriter has been established in the conscience of music fans as one of the greatest in modern music history.
4. L.A. Woman – The Doors
(Jim Morrison-Robby Krieger-Ray Manzarek-John Densmore)
The song after which the sixth album - the last one with Morrison as a frontman - of the Americans was entitled, is a long blues rock track, with beautiful solos, full-hearted performance and uplifting rhythm. The phrase “Mr. Mojo risin’” that is repeated, is an anagram of Jim Morrison.
5. Wonderful Woman – The Smiths
(Morrissey-Johnny Marr)
This is the fourth song included in the 12’’ single, the second by the British, This Charmless Man, released in 1983. It is rather one of their least known moments, which nevertheless has its own grace, with its mid-tempo character, the always even guitars by Marr and Morrissey's melancholic performance.
6. I Got A Woman – Ray Charles
(Ray Charles-Renald Richard)
Single that was released in December 1954 and is based on the gospel hymn Jesus Is All The World To Me. Its phrenetic rhythm and its jazz and blues references brought it out as a musical standard that a few years later was named soul. It became the first #1 hit by Charles in the R&B category.
7. Black Magic Woman – Santana(Peter Green)
As a single by Fleetwood Mac, this song met some success but it took the recording by the Santanas two years later, in 1970, for it to gain the status it has nowadays. Mixing a lot of contradicting elements (blues, rock, jazz, latin), the band created here one of the most classical guitar moments of the previous century.
8. Have You Ever Loved A Woman – Derek And The Dominos
(Billy Myles)
Derek And The Dominos were no others than Eric Clapton with a company of musicians from Delaney And Bonnie band. The only studio album they recorded was the famous Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (1970) in which the great Duane Allman also participated. Out of that I have chosen this wonderful cover of the blues standard by Billy Myles that was initially recorded by Freddie King in 1960.
9. Evil Hearted Woman – Lightnin’ Hopkins
(Lightnin’ Hopkins)
Another electric blues, with the somewhat more raw approach by a legendary representative of this idiom this time. Here one can hear Hopkins' characteristic style, who used solely fimgerism and played in a quite liberal way acords and phrases.
10. Cocoanut Woman – Harry Belafonte
(Harry Belafonte-Irving Burgie)
We close with something more light by the activist, humanist musician and actor, the so-called 'king of Calypso', Harry Belafonte. A track taking us straight to the Carribean seas, the homeland of the archetypal exotic woman...
* Photos from http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/04/23/jessica-rabbit-1.jpg και www.wikipedia.org
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