Kentucky Woman

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For the 1983 film, see Kentucky Woman (film).
"Kentucky Woman"
Single by Neil Diamond
B-side"The Time Is Now"
ReleasedOctober 1967 (1967-10)
GenrePop, country
Length2:34
LabelBang
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"Thank the Lord for the Night Time"
(1967) 		"Kentucky Woman"
(1967) 		"Some Day Baby"
(1967)

"Kentucky Woman" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond.

Background[edit]

Diamond recorded "Kentucky Woman" as his last hit single for Bang Records. 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[edit]

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]

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[edit]

"Kentucky Woman"
Single by Deep Purple
from the album The Book of Taliesyn
B-side"Wring That Neck"
ReleasedOctober 1968[7]
RecordedAugust 1968
GenreHard rock[8]
Length3:57
Label
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)Derek Lawrence
Deep Purple singles chronology
"Hush"
(1968) 		"Kentucky Woman"
(1968) 		"River Deep Mountain High"
(1968)
Audio sample

Another well-known version is the 1968 recording by Deep Purple. The group's cover had 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,[9] #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. Cash Box said that it has a "heavy dance beat and a splendid instrumental burst."[10] 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.[11] Both those versions end on a fadeout. The album version, which does not fade out at the end, is 5 minutes and 31 seconds in length.

Deep Purple played "Kentucky Woman" live on tour in 1968 and 1969, even after Ian Gillan and Roger Glover 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 and soundtrack for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Other covers[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Neil Diamond's charting singles Retrieved September 28, 2011
  2. ^ Neil Diamond's song chart entries Retrieved September 28, 2011
  3. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1967-11-18. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  4. ^ "Flavour of New Zealand, 19 January 1968". Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  6. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 22, 1967[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Billboard". 26 October 1968.
  8. ^ David Ewen (1987). American Songwriters: An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary. H.W. Wilson. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-8242-0744-1.
  9. ^ Deep Purple's charting singles Retrieved September 28, 2011
  10. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 26, 1968. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  11. ^ Deep Purple, The Very Best of Deep Purple Retrieved September 28, 2011
  12. ^ Waylon Jennings, Only the Greatest Retrieved September 28, 2011
  13. ^ Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, Woman Woman Retrieved September 28, 2011
  14. ^ Kentucky Woman by Neil Diamond and friends 1996, retrieved 2023-08-14
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