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"Lady in Black" is a song by the
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 ...
band Uriah Heep. It is the fourth track of their 1971 album ''
Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
''. The song is credited to
Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...
. It tells the story of a man wandering through war-torn darkness and encountering a goddess-like entity who consoles him. It is often praised, by fans and critics alike, as Hensley's most poetic work. There were many b-sides for this song as a single. The most famous was "Simon the Bullit Freak" but "
Bird of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
" has also been the b-side for the song. In 1981 the song was re-released as a single in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and in
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and the b-side was " Easy Livin'".


Background

A brief comment on the cover of the original vinyl release commented that for
Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...
inspiration was a real case: a surprise visit of a rural vicar's daughter at a moment when he was in a very depressed state. The result of this meeting, and - some kind of insight - was the song "Lady in Black": a philosophical parable that tells us that evil cannot be overcome by evil itself. Later in an interview Hensley said, though: "...And the girl that inspired it will never know. I saw her through my hotel room window, but we never met!"Ken Hensley: Demons & Wizards…
Looking back at the Best of Uriah Heep. By Jeb Wright.
According to Ken Hensley, he sang the lead vocals because David Byron did not like the song and refused to record it during the ''Salisbury'' sessions. Producer Gerry Bron proposed Hensley record the lead vocals, which he did.


History

"Lady in Black" has been performed in the form of rock ballads (and not having the traditional verse-chorus), and has become one of the most popular concert numbers of Uriah Heep. It achieved great success in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. While the song was never released as a single in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, it made it into the German singles charts three times during the seventies. The 1977 re-release, in particular, became a major hit. It spent nine weeks in the German Top 20 during 1977, peaking at number 5 and a further seven weeks in the Top 20 during 1978, maintaining the number 5 peak position. For this achievement Uriah Heep got the "Golden Lion" award, the German equivalent of a Grammy or
Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
. The song was subsequently rerecorded for two of their
greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
s: '' Totally Driven'' (2001) and ''
Celebration – Forty Years of Rock ''Celebration – Forty Years of Rock'' is a greatest hits album by British rock band Uriah Heep. It mainly features rerecorded classics – which, said bassist Trevor Bolder, "chose themselves, really. The likes of 'Sunrise', 'Gypsy' and ' ...
'' (2009).


Personnel

*
Mick Box Michael Frederick Box (born 9 June 1947) is an English musician who is the lead guitarist of rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron.Larkin, Colin (20 ...
– lead and acoustic guitar *
Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...
acoustic guitar, lead and backing vocals, mellotron, piano * Paul Newton
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
* Keith Bakerdrums


Cover versions

* Acts who have covered "Lady in Black" include the
Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...
project Gregorian on their 2006 album ''
Masters of Chant Chapter V ''Masters of Chant Chapter V'' is the seventh album by German band Gregorian. It was released on March 31, 2006. Note: Gregorian's album '' The Dark Side'' was also released in Oceania under the name ''Masters of Chant V''. Aside from the title ...
''. * Covered by Jack Frost on the band's 1999 album ''Glow Dying Sun''. * Finnish
folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
band Ensiferum covered the song, released as a bonus track on the 2007 album '' Victory Songs''. * The song was translated into Finnish and covered by another Finnish band
Lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
in 1972 as "Nainen tummissa". * In 1972
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
singer
Caterina Caselli Caterina Caselli (born 10 April 1946) is an Italian record producer, music executive, singer and bass player. Biography Caselli was born in Modena but grew up in Sassuolo. She started her music career by playing bass in local clubs. In 1966 s ...
covered the song in her album ''Caterina Caselli 1972'', with title ''L'uomo del Paradiso''; Italian translation has been made by Claudio Daiano and Ettore Carrera. * The song was covered by the Spanish
folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
group Mägo de Oz in a translated version as "Dama Negra". * Swiss garage band Die Zorros recorded an instrumental version entitled "Ahhh." * Serbian heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman recorded a cover version with Serbian lyrics entitled ''Slike'' on their 2000 album '' Izgubljen u vremenu''. * Czech version ''Slečna závist'' (Miss Envy) is by metal band
Arakain Arakain is a Czech heavy metal band founded in Prague in 1982 by former members of the band Apad, whose vocalist, Aleš Brichta, became the frontman of the new project and remained with the band until 2002. The other founding members were guitar ...
. It was huge hit in 1995 in Czech Republic. *
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
singer
Spagna Ivana Spagna (born 16 December 1954), also known simply as Spagna (), is an Italian singer and songwriter. She is best known for her worldwide hit song " Call Me" released in 1987. Career Spagna started her career singing in English and in the ...
covered the song in her 2002 album ''Woman''. * In 1989, the Russian band
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recorded a Russian version with different lyrics titled ''Vesely tanec sheik'', releasing it on their ''Let It Be'' album.. * There is also an Italian-language version, titled ''Di nero vestita'', included in ''Io sono il vampiro'', a 2005 album (O.S.T. of the homonymous 2002 horror movie) by the Italian
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
band Abiogenesi. * In 2002 the Romanian group
Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...
together with
Mick Box Michael Frederick Box (born 9 June 1947) is an English musician who is the lead guitarist of rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron.Larkin, Colin (20 ...
and Bernie Shaw from Uriah Heep made a new version of this song named "Doamna in negru". This new version was a collaboration between
Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...
and the two members of Uriah Heep and the lyrics are bilingual in Romanian and in English. *
Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...
also covered this song on his album ''The Wizard's Diary'' in 2004 and the version 8 minutes long while the original is no longer than 4 minutes and 44 seconds. * The song was covered and translated on Ukrainian by singer-songwriter Yuriy Veres 2012 album '' 60/70''. * John Lawton covered the song during one of his live concerts. * Blackmore's Night covered this song on their album '' Dancer and the Moon'' in 2013. * In 2020,
Vyacheslav Butusov Vyacheslav Gennadievich Butusov (russian: link=no, Вячеслав Геннадьевич Бутусов; born 15 October 1961) is a Russian singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of Nautilus Pompilius and U-Piter. Since 2019, he has been ...
released a cover version of this song, dedicated to the memory of
Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...
. * Damh The Bard covered this song on his album ''Sabbat'' in 2015.


Chart positions


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lady In Black (Song) Uriah Heep (band) songs 1971 singles Songs written by Ken Hensley Vertigo Records singles 1971 songs lt:Salisbury