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She's Always a Woman

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"She's Always a Woman" is a song by Billy Joel from his 1977 album, The Stranger. The single peaked at No. 17 in the U.S. in Oct. 1978, [2] and at No. 53 in the UK in 1986, when it was released as a double A-side with "Just the Way You Are". It re-entered the UK chart in 2010, reaching No. 29.

"She's Always a Woman"
A-side label of U.S. vinyl single
Single by Billy Joel
from the album The Stranger
B-side"Vienna"
ReleasedApril 1978
StudioA & R Recording Inc. (New York City)
GenrePop rock[1]
Length3:21
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"Only the Good Die Young"
(1977) 		"She's Always a Woman"
(1978) 		"The Stranger"
(1978)

Background

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It is a love song about a woman whom the singer has fallen totally in love with to the extent of falling for her endearing quirks as well as her flaws.

Joel wrote the song for his then-wife, Elizabeth Weber. Weber 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.[3] The two eventually divorced in 1982.

Composition

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Joel has said that he was influenced by Gordon Lightfoot and his mellow acoustic guitar ballads. He stated in an interview that he was attempting to replicate the fingerpicking common in folk guitar music.[4] He accomplishes this by playing arpeggiated triads in the right hand. He also notes that the production was purposely minimal to capture the purity of the tune as a folk song.

Joel claims that the meter of the song is 6/8. This splits each measure into two full triad ascending arpeggios. The song is in the key of E♭ major. It begins with singing over the chords each played without the arpeggio in the first verse, each chord lasting a full measure. In the second verse he begins arpeggiating, with each chord again lasting a full measure.

The choruses are in the relative minor of E♭ major, which is C minor. In the second part of each chorus Joel switches to the parallel minor of E♭ minor before returning to verse. The song features mellotron flutes, the only time Joel used this instrument in his career.

Reception

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Billboard described "She's Always a Woman" as a "dramatic ballad."[5] Billboard particularly praised the "subtle orchestration" and "sophisticated melody," which it found comparable to ballads by Bob Dylan and Paul Simon.[5] Cash Box said that "the tune is melodic and flows sweetly; the lyric is precise and has something to say" and praised Joel's singing.[6] Record World said that "it is much like a [natural] progression of the message in 'Just the Way You Are' and should pick up immediate pop and adult airplay."[7]

Jack Taliercio footage

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A Muzak version of "She's Always a Woman" can be heard playing in the background of a video recorded by a WNYW news crew with camera operator Jack Taliercio in the Austin J. Tobin Plaza of the World Trade Center complex in New York City on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, after two commercial airliners hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists were deliberately flown into each of the Twin Towers as part of a large-scale terrorist attack. The soundtrack dissonance of the song playing amidst falling debris and the noise of the blaze in the environment of the two burning skyscrapers was viewed as "surreal".[8]

Track listing

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7-inch single (1977)

  1. "She's Always a Woman"
  2. "Vienna"

Single (CBS)

  1. "She's Always a Woman"
  2. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"

Japanese 7-inch single

  1. "She's Always a Woman"
  2. "Only the Good Die Young"

Charts

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Chart (1978) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 17
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 2
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[9] 28
Canadian Singles Chart[10] 12
Canadian AC Chart[11] 7
Dutch Top 40[12] 15
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart 22
UK Singles Chart 53
Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 29
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart[13] 37

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Fyfe Dangerfield cover

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"She's Always a Woman"
 
Single by Fyfe Dangerfield
from the album Fly Yellow Moon
ReleasedMay 10, 2010
Length3:14
Label
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)Adam Noble
Fyfe Dangerfield singles chronology
"Faster Than the Setting Sun"
(2010) 		"She's Always a Woman"
(2010) 		"Barricades"
(2010)

Fyfe Dangerfield, 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.[16] Subsequently, the Billy Joel original re-entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 29 on May 1, 2010. On May 1, 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.[17]

Chart performance

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"She's Always a Woman" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on May 2, 2010, at No. 99. On its second week in the chart, the single climbed 85 places to No. 14, marking Dangerfield's most successful single to date. On May 16, 2010, the single climbed seven places to its peak of No. 7 before falling to No. 9 in its second week within the top 10.

Track listing

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Digital download[18]

  1. "She's Always a Woman" – 3:14

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2010) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[19] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[20] 7

Year-end charts

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Chart (2010) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[21] 116

References

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  1. ^ "POP MUSIC REVIEW : BILLY JOEL ON BRINK OF BEING 'INNOCENT MAN'?". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1986. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "US Top 40 Singles Week Ending 14th October, 1978," at https://top40weekly.com/1978-all-charts/
  3. ^ "Billy Joel's many songs about his many wives". Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "Billy Joel - Discusses writing - She's Always a Woman". YouTube. January 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. July 29, 1978. p. 78. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 29, 1978. p. 20. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Record World Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. July 29, 1978. p. 36. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Joseph Kellard's story on a news cameraman who captured the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11".
  9. ^ "Billy Joel - She's Always A Woman". Ultratop.be. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  10. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  11. ^ "RPM Magazine - September 30, 1978 - Page 33" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Jaarlijst 1978". Members.chello.ml. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  13. ^ Steffen Hung. "Billy Joel - She's Always A Woman". Austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  14. ^ "British single certifications – Billy Joel – She's Always a Woman". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "American single certifications – Billy Joel – She's Always a Woman". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "John Lewis Ad 2010 - Fyfe Dangerfield 'She's Always A Woman'". YouTube. April 27, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  17. ^ "Fyfe Dangerfield covers Billy Joel – "She's Always a Woman" in John Lewis Ad - Band Weblogs - the Music Blog | Music News". Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  18. ^ "She's Always a Woman (Bonus Track): Fyfe Dangerfield: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "End Of Year Charts: 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
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