"Evil", sometimes listed as "Evil (Is Going On)", is a Chicago blues song written by Willie Dixon.[1] Howlin' Wolf recorded the song in Chicago for Chess Records in 1954.[2] It was included on the 1959 compilation album Moanin' in the Moonlight. When he re-recorded it for The Howlin' Wolf Album in 1969, "Evil" became Wolf's last charting single, reaching number 43 Billboard R&B chart.[3]
| "Evil Is Goin' On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Howlin' Wolf | ||||
| from the album Moanin' in the Moonlight | ||||
| B-side | "Baby How Long" | |||
| Released | 1954 | |||
| Recorded | 1954 | |||
| Studio | Chess, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Chicago blues | |||
| Length | 2:55 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Willie Dixon | |||
| Producer(s) | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon | |||
| Howlin' Wolf singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Howlin' Wolf first recorded the song at Chess' studio in Chicago on May 25, 1954,[4] with sidemen Hubert Sumlin and Jody Williams on guitars, Otis Spann on piano, Willie Dixon on double-bass, and Earl Phillips on drums.[5] Wolf achieves a coarse, emotional performance with his strained singing, lapsing into falsetto.[6] The song, a twelve-bar blues, is punctuated with a syncopated backbeat, brief instrumental improvisations, upper-end piano figures, and intermittent blues harp provided by Wolf.[6] The lyrics caution about the "evil" that takes place in a man's home when he is away, concluding with "you better watch your happy home".[6]
References
edit- ^ Muddy Waters' "Evil" is a different song, credited to Morganfield aka Waters (1957 Chess 1680)
- ^ Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Evil". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 447. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Howlin' Wolf". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 198. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ Segrest, James; Hoffman, Mark (2004). Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf. New York City: Pantheon Books. p. eBook. ISBN 0-375-42246-3.
- ^ Fancourt, Les; Morris, Chris; Shurman, Dick (1991). Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box (Box set booklet). Howlin' Wolf. Universal City, California: MCA Records/Chess Records. p. 28. CHD3-9332.
- ^ a b c Floyd, Samuel A. (1995). The Power of Black Music. Oxford University Press. pp. 176-177. ISBN 0-19-508235-4.