"Devil with a Blue Dress On" (also known as "Devil with the Blue Dress") is a song written by Shorty Long and William "Mickey" Stevenson, first performed by Long and released as a single in 1964. A later version recorded by Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels in 1966 peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
| "Devil with the Blue Dress" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Shorty Long | ||||
| B-side | "Wind It Up" | |||
| Released | 1964 | |||
| Genre | R&B[1] | |||
| Length | 2:49 | |||
| Label | Soul | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Frederick Long, William Stevenson | |||
| Shorty Long singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels | ||||
| from the album Breakout...!!! | ||||
| B-side | "I Had It Made" | |||
| Released | September 1966[2] | |||
| Studio | Bell Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:01 (with "Good Golly, Miss Molly") | |||
| Label | New Voice | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Frederick Long, William Stevenson / John Marascalco, Robert Blackwell | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Crewe | |||
| Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Song information
edit"Devil with the Blue Dress" was originally released as Shorty Long's debut single on Motown in 1964, but the single failed to chart. The song describes a femme fatale in a blue dress and not an actual devil.[3]
Two years later, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels recorded the song at Bell Sound Studios in New York City[4] as a medley with an original arrangement of Little Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly". Their version was notably more up-tempo than Long's more blues-influenced rendition.[3] Reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100, their version of the track would end up becoming their most well-known and highest charting hit in the United States. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it No. 428 on their list of Top 500 Songs of All Time.[5]
Later versions
edit"Devil with a Blue Dress On" was also recorded by Pratt & McClain, who are best known for the theme from the television series Happy Days. Bruce Springsteen's version of the song was part of the No Nukes concert album in 1980, and he has performed it regularly in concert from the 1970s to the present as part of his Detroit Medley. A Spanish language version of the song was recorded by Los Lobos and released on the Eating Raoul film soundtrack in 1982. The Duke University basketball pep band plays this song during Blue Devil home games and after Blue Devil victories at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. A version of the song was recorded by Nicholas O'Har for the 1990 spoof of The Exorcist, Repossessed. In 2007, Bill Kirchen recorded a version on his, 'Hammer Of The Honky Tonk Gods' CD
References
edit- ^ a b c Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 168. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
- ^ "Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels - Devil With A Blue Dress On And Good Golly Miss Molly / I Had It Made - New Voice - USA - 817". 45cat.com. 1966-10-01. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- ^ a b "Devil With A Blue Dress On by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- ^ Davies, Bren (September 2005). "Jim Czak: NOLA studios: From Steinways to Streisand..." tapeop.com. Tape Op. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Rolling Stone - 500 Greatest Songs (Music Database :: Dave Tompkins)". cs.uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
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