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"Evie"
Single by Stevie Wright
from the album Hard Road
A-side"Evie" (part 1)
B-side"Evie" (part 2 and 3)
Released1974
Recorded1973
GenreRock[1]
Length11:11
LabelAlbert
Songwriter(s)Harry Vanda, George Young
Producer(s)Harry Vanda, George Young

"Evie" is a rock song performed by Australian singer and former frontman of the Easybeats, Stevie Wright. It was written by Harry Vanda and George Young and released as a single in 1974. It has been suggested that it is the first 11-minute song to chart at #1 anywhere in the world.[2] According to author Mark Juddery, the song was "the longest Australian single ever to make the charts."[3]

The song features three parts—Part 1, "Let your hair hang down"; Part 2, "Evie"; and Part 3, "I'm losing you"[4]—and some critics consider it as one of the most perfect rock n' roll songs ever.[5]

Part One (when they meet) is a guitar driven, hard rocking and bluesy, swaggering and swayful song. Part Two (the marriage) is more piano and string based, a much softer emotional ballad style. Part Three (the death of Evie in childbirth) is more of a disco-rock style, being quicker, relatively urgent and guitar driven track with a strong vocal.

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Evie" was ranked number 17.[6]

Background

[edit]

In 1973, Vanda & Young returned to Australia from the UK. Stevie Wright had found life difficult since the Easybeats disbanded and had developed a heroin addiction.[7]

"Stevie was still a great performer, still a great singer," George Young says. "So Harry and I got to work to see if we could come up with something that could put him back in the charts."[8]

Vanda and Young signed Stevie Wright and began working on the Hard Road album together.[9]

The song features Malcolm Young of AC/DC on guitar. Young plays the guitar solo in Part One, while the solo in Part Three is played by Harry Vanda.[2]

Reception

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The song was released in April 1974. The single version was divided across the A and B sides and peaked nationally during July.[9] It remained in the charts for 26 weeks, the biggest Australian single of the year and the only pop song over six minutes to reach No 1.[8]

Performances

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In June 1974, Stevie Wright performed the song at Sydney Opera House in front of 2,500 people, with over 10,000 having been turned away.[8] For this performance Wright's band included Harry Vanda, George Young and Malcolm Young. This was the first time that Wright, Vanda and George Young had appeared together after the breakup of the Easybeats five years previously.[9]

On 4 November 1979, Wright took part in the "Concert of the Decade". He performed the song on the steps of the Opera House in front of 100,000 people.[7]

Wright also performed the song during the 2002 Long Way to the Top tour.[citation needed]

Personnel

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Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "Evie"
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 1

Year-end charts

[edit]
Year-end chart performance for "Evie"
Chart (1974) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 3

The Wrights version

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"Evie"
Single by the Wrights
Released28 February 2005 (2005-02-28)
Length11:18
LabelFlashpoint, EMI
Songwriter(s)Harry Vanda, George Young
Producer(s)Harry Vanda, Glenn Goldsmith

Australian supergroup the Wrights recorded a cover version of the song and released it as a single on 28 February 2005.[12] It debuted at its peak of number two on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in March 2005 and spent 14 weeks in the top 50.[13] It was certified gold by the ARIA and was Australia's 47th-most-successful song of 2005.[14]

Track listing

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CD single

  1. "Evie (Part I (Let Your Hair Hang Down))" – 3:48
  2. "Evie (Part II (Evie))" – 3:27
  3. "Evie (Part III (I'm Losing You))" – 4:03

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "Evie" by the Wrights
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[15] 2
Year-end chart performance for "Evie" by the Wrights
Chart (2005) Position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 47

Certifications

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Certifications for "Evie" by the Wrights
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[17] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other cover version

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Suzi Quatro recorded a cover version of part one that appeared on the European version of her album If You Knew Suzi... in 1978.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Harrington, Jim (2015). "Stevie Wright - "Evie". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 340.
  2. ^ a b Tait, John (2010). Vanda & Young. University of New South Wales Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-74223-217-1.
  3. ^ Juddery, Mark (2005). 1975: Australia's Greatest Year. Milton: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. p. 126. ISBN 9781740311311. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  4. ^ Evie [music] / Harry Vanda & George Young. J. Albert & Son. 1974. Retrieved 29 April 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "MILESAGO - Groups & Solo Artists - Stevie Wright". Milesago.com. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Australian Story - So Much To Say - Transcript". Abc.net.au. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Stevie was still a great performer, still a great singer," Young says. "So Harry and I got to work to see if we could come up with something that could put him back in the charts."
  9. ^ a b c "It's All About The Song ..."Evie" | News | Alberts". Albertmusic.com. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 344. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. 30 December 1974. Retrieved 11 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  12. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th February 2005" (PDF). ARIA. 28 February 2005. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Australian-charts.com – The Wrights – Evie". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  14. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2005". ARIA. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  15. ^ "The Wrights – Evie". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  16. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 306.
  17. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
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