| "She's Always a Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 A-side label of U.S. vinyl single | ||||
| Single byBilly Joel | ||||
| from the albumThe Stranger | ||||
| B-side | "Vienna" | |||
| Released | April 1978 | |||
| Studio | A & R Recording Inc. (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:21 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Billy Joel | |||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
| Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"She's Always a Woman" is a song byBilly Joel from his 1977 album,The Stranger. The single peaked at No. 17 on the USBillboard Hot 100[2] and No. 18 on the USCash Box Top 100[3] in 1978 and at No. 53 in the UK in 1986, when it was released as adouble A-side with "Just the Way You Are". It re-entered the UK chart in 2010, reaching No. 29.
It is alove 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, who 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. Joel said of the song's depiction of Weber, "Yes, she can be difficult, she can be confounding, she can be impossible, but she's obviously a better businessperson than you are."[4] The two eventually divorced in 1982.
Joel has said that he was influenced byGordon Lightfoot and his mellowacoustic guitar ballads. He stated in an interview that he was attempting to replicate thefingerpicking common infolk guitar music.[5] 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.
Themeter 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 therelative minor of E♭ major, which is C minor. In the second part of each chorus Joel switches to theparallel minor of E♭ minor before returning to verse. The song featuresmellotron flutes, the only time Joel used this instrument in his career.
Billboard described "She's Always a Woman" as a "dramatic ballad".[6]Billboard particularly praised the "subtle orchestration" and "sophisticated melody", which it found comparable to ballads byBob Dylan andPaul Simon.[6]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.[7]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."[8]
7-inch single (1977)
Single (CBS)
Japanese 7-inch single
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[9] | 28 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] | 12 |
| Canadian AC Chart[11] | 7 |
| Dutch Top 40[12] | 15 |
| UK Airplay (Record Business)[13] | 46 |
| USCash Box Top 100[14] | 18 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[15] | 17 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[16] | 2 |
| 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[17] | 37 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[18] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[19] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[21] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "She's Always a Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byFyfe Dangerfield | ||||
| from the albumFly Yellow Moon | ||||
| Released | May 10, 2010 | |||
| Length | 3:14 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Billy Joel | |||
| Producer | Adam Noble | |||
| Fyfe Dangerfield singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fyfe Dangerfield, lead singer of the bandGuillemots, recorded a version of this song in 2010 which was used in an advertisement for the British department storeJohn Lewis.[22] Subsequently, the Billy Joel original re-entered theUK 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 onYouTube over 570,000 times (collectively from the top 3 results) since it aired on TV.[23]
"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.
Digital download[24]
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[25] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[26] | 7 |
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[27] | 116 |
