She's Always a Woman
Encyclopedia
"She's Always a Woman" is a song from Billy Joel
's 1977 album The Stranger
. It is a love song about a modern woman, with whom he falls in love for her quirks as well as her flaws. The single peaked at #17 in the U.S. and in 1986 peaked at #53 in the UK when released as a double A-side single with Just the Way You Are. On May 2, 2010 the song re-entered the UK chart at #29. The song is played in compound time signatures of 6/8 9/8 and 12/8.
, lead singer of the band Guillemots, recorded a version of this song in 2010 which was used in an advertisement for the British department store John Lewis
. Subsequently, the Billy Joel original re-entered the UK singles chart at number 29 on 1 May 2010. On 1 May 2010, a new version of the advert aired; which shows more of the song cover. In the annual ITV poll for 2010 advert of the year; "John Lewis - She's always a Woman" ranked fourth.
The advert has been viewed on YouTube
over 570,000 times (collectively from the top 3 results) since it aired on TV.
on 2 May 2010 at #99. On its second week in the chart, the single climbed 85 places to #14, marking Dangerfield's most successful single to date. On 16 May 2010, the single climbed 7 places to a current peak of #7 before falling to #9 in its second week within the Top 10.
released a cover of this song on the 2004 album Know Nothing Stays the Same
.
In 2006, saxophonist Michael Lington
covered the song from his renditions album "A Song for You".
British singer John Barrowman released a cover version of this song on his 2007 album Another Side
.
The King's Singers covered this song on their 2008 Grammy winning album "Simple gifts".
Bassist Jon Reshard released a cover version of this song on his eponymous 2009 album.
Actress and singer Lynda Carter released a cover version on her debut album Portrait
.
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
's 1977 album The Stranger
The Stranger (album)
The Stranger is the fifth studio album by musician Billy Joel, released in 1977 . While his four previous albums had been moderate chart successes, this was his breakthrough album, and is generally regarded by critics as his magnum opus, spending six weeks at #2 in the U.S. album charts...
. It is a love song about a modern woman, with whom he falls in love for her quirks as well as her flaws. The single peaked at #17 in the U.S. and in 1986 peaked at #53 in the UK when released as a double A-side single with Just the Way You Are. On May 2, 2010 the song re-entered the UK chart at #29. The song is played in compound time signatures of 6/8 9/8 and 12/8.
Chart positions
| Chart (1977) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
2 |
| Chart (1978) | Peak Position |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
12 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
15 |
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
22 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
53 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
29 |
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 37 |
Origin and meaning
The song was released in 1977, following several other hits from Billy Joel's successful album The Stranger including "Just the Way You Are", "Movin' Out" and "Only the Good Die Young". Musically, Joel has said that he was influenced by Gordon Lightfoot and his mellow acoustic guitar ballads. Lyrically, many people misinterpreted the words as being misogynistic or sarcastic, but it is a ballad, a love song that Joel wrote for his then wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth had taken over management of Joel's career, and was able to put his financial affairs in order after Joel had signed some bad deals and contracts. She was a tough and savvy negotiator who could "wound with her eyes" or "steal like a thief", but would "never give in". Because of her tough-as-nails negotiating style, many business adversaries thought she was "unfeminine," but to Joel, she was always a woman. The two eventually divorced in 1982.Fyfe Dangerfield Cover
Fyfe DangerfieldFyfe Dangerfield
Fyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots.-Early life:...
, lead singer of the band Guillemots, recorded a version of this song in 2010 which was used in an advertisement for the British department store John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
. Subsequently, the Billy Joel original re-entered the UK singles chart at number 29 on 1 May 2010. On 1 May 2010, a new version of the advert aired; which shows more of the song cover. In the annual ITV poll for 2010 advert of the year; "John Lewis - She's always a Woman" ranked fourth.
The advert has been viewed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
over 570,000 times (collectively from the top 3 results) since it aired on TV.
Chart Performance
"She's Always a Woman" first debuted on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on 2 May 2010 at #99. On its second week in the chart, the single climbed 85 places to #14, marking Dangerfield's most successful single to date. On 16 May 2010, the single climbed 7 places to a current peak of #7 before falling to #9 in its second week within the Top 10.
| Chart (2010) | Peak Position |
|---|
Other covers
The American indie rock band CopelandCopeland (band)
Copeland was an indie rock band, originally formed in 2001 by singer Aaron Marsh with his friend, bassist and backup singer James Likeness, in the city of Lakeland, Florida.-Inception:...
released a cover of this song on the 2004 album Know Nothing Stays the Same
Know Nothing Stays the Same
Know Nothing Stays the Same is the follow-up to Copeland's 2003 debut album Beneath Medicine Tree. Know Nothing Stays The Same is a 5 track cover EP.-Track listing:#"Another Day in Paradise" #"Coming Around Again"...
.
In 2006, saxophonist Michael Lington
Michael Lington
Michael Lington is a contemporary jazz saxophonist and recording artist.Lington plays a distinctive contemporary saxophone leaning strongly towards the pop side of jazz. He reaches a younger demographic than traditional jazz listeners and is emerging as a contemporary face of jazz.Born in...
covered the song from his renditions album "A Song for You".
British singer John Barrowman released a cover version of this song on his 2007 album Another Side
Another Side (John Barrowman album)
Another Side is an album released on the 12 November 2007 by John Barrowman. The album is made up entirely of cover versions of popular songs made famous by other artists...
.
The King's Singers covered this song on their 2008 Grammy winning album "Simple gifts".
Bassist Jon Reshard released a cover version of this song on his eponymous 2009 album.
Actress and singer Lynda Carter released a cover version on her debut album Portrait
Portrait (Lynda Carter album)
Portrait is the first album by the American actress Lynda Carter. It was released in 1978 on vinyl LP, 8-track and cassette as well as a limited edition picture LP. Carter co-wrote three of the songs: "Want to Get Beside You," "Fantasy Man" and "Toto "...
.