"Evil Hearted You" is a 1965 song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

the Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

. It was written by future 10cc member

Graham Gouldman Graham Keith Gouldman (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10cc ...

, who also wrote the group's two prior singles, "

For Your Love "For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots ...

" and "

Heart Full of Soul "Heart Full of Soul" is a song recorded by English rock group the Yardbirds in 1965. Written by Graham Gouldman, it was the Yardbirds' first single after Jeff Beck replaced Eric Clapton as lead guitarist. Released only three months after "F ...

". It reached No. 3 on the main UK singles chart.

Recording and releases

The Yardbirds recorded the song at Advision Studios, London, on 26August 1965. When it was released 1October 1965 in the UK, "Evil Hearted You", along with the second side, "Still I'm Sad" became a double

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

hit. The '' Record Retailer'' singles chart counted both sides and reported it reached number three. The ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' singles chart reported the two songs separately – "Evil Hearted You" at number ten and "Still I'm Sad" at number nine. There was no single release in the US, but the song was included on the Yardbirds' second Epic Records album '' Having a Rave Up'', which was released 15November 1965.

Critical commentary

Music critic

Cub Koda Michael "Cub" Koda (born October 1, 1948 – July 1, 2000) was an American rock and roll singer, guitarist, songwriter, disc jockey, music critic, and record compiler. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine considered him best known for writing the song " ...

describes the song as a "minor-key pop classic" and guitarist Jeff Beck's solo as "equal parts classical and James Bond soundtrack". Biographer Martin Power writes: In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

calls the song "one of the gloomiest hit singles in all of 1960s British rock" and adds:

Other versions

"Evil Hearted You" was recorded by the American group

the Human Beinz The Human Beinz ( ) is an American rock band from Youngstown, Ohio. Originally known as The Human Beingz, the band initially featured John "Dick" Belley (vocals, guitar), Joe "Ting" Markulin (vocals, guitar), Mel Pachuta (vocals, bass), and Gary ...

, prior to changing their name. Unterberger describes it as "a faithful version".

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{authority control 1965 songs 1965 singles The Yardbirds songs Songs written by Graham Gouldman Columbia Graphophone Company singles