Kentucky Woman
"Kentucky Woman" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. Another well-known version is the 1968 recording by Deep Purple.
| "Kentucky Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Neil Diamond | ||||
| B-side | "The Time Is Now" | |||
| Released | October 1967 | |||
| Format | 7-inch single | |||
| Genre | Pop, country | |||
| Length | 2:34 | |||
| Label | Bang | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Neil Diamond singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Diamond recorded "Kentucky Woman" as his last hit single for Bang Records. Released in October 1967, it reached number 22 on the U.S. pop singles chart,[1] number 58 on the Australian charts, and number 6 on the Canadian charts.[2] The song was mixed in monophonic, which is the common version heard on all Neil Diamond compilations featuring original Bang singles. The only known stereo mix was done in 1978 for a Frog King/Columbia House album called Early Classics, which has never been released on CD.
Chart history
| Chart (1967-68) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 58 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles[3] | 29 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[4] | 10 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 22 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[6] | 12 |
Deep Purple cover
| "Kentucky Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Deep Purple | ||||
| from the album The Book of Taliesyn | ||||
| B-side | "Wring That Neck" | |||
| Released | 6 December 1968 | |||
| Format | 7-inch single | |||
| Recorded | August 1968 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[7] | |||
| Length | 3:57 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
| Producer(s) | Derek Lawrence | |||
| Deep Purple singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
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Recorded by Deep Purple with a vastly different instrumental feel, if not vocal line, it was their second single release in 1968. It managed to reach #38 on the Billboard Hot 100,[8] #21 Canadian RPM charts, and #27 on the Australian Singles Chart where it was released as a double A-Side with "Hush."
The single version is an edit of the album version and is four minutes and four seconds in length. A remastered version appears on the 30th anniversary album The Very Best of Deep Purple and runs a full four minutes and forty five seconds.[9]
Deep Purple played "Kentucky Woman" live on tour in 1968 and 1969, even after Ian Gillan joined the band in the summer of 1969. It has never been on Deep Purple's set list since. The song was also featured in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Other covers
Waylon Jennings also released a version on his 1968 album, Only the Greatest.[10] Gary Puckett & The Union Gap included a cover of the song on their first album, Woman, Woman.[11]
References
- Neil Diamond's charting singles Retrieved September 28, 2011
- Neil Diamond's song chart entries Retrieved September 28, 2011
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1967-11-18. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
- Flavour of New Zealand, 19 January 1968
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 22, 1967
- David Ewen (1987). American Songwriters: An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary. H.W. Wilson. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-8242-0744-1.
- Deep Purple's charting singles Retrieved September 28, 2011
- Deep Purple, The Very Best of Deep Purple Retrieved September 28, 2011
- Waylon Jennings, Only the Greatest Retrieved September 28, 2011
- Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, Woman Woman Retrieved September 28, 2011
