(You're the) Devil in Disguise

"(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
Single by Elvis Presley
B-side	"Please Don't Drag That String Around"
Released	June 1963
Format	7"
Recorded	May 26, 1963, RCA Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	2:17
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, Florence Kaye
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"One Broken Heart for Sale" (1963) "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" (1963) "Bossa Nova Baby" (1963)
Guitar Solo by Grady Martin

"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" is a UK number one single by Elvis Presley which was written by the songwriters Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye. It was published by Elvis Presley Music in 1963. This song peaked at number three in the US on the Billboard singles chart and number nine on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues singles chart, becoming his last top ten single on the Rhythm and Blues charts.^[1] The single was certified "Gold" by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units in the US. The song also topped Japan's Utamatic record chart in the fall of 1963.

In 1963, when the song was debuted to a British audience on the BBC television show Juke Box Jury, the celebrity guest John Lennon voted the song "a miss" stating on the new song that Elvis Presley was "like Bing Crosby now". The song went on to reach number 1 in the UK^[2]

Presley originally recorded the song May 26, 1963, at RCA Studios in Nashville. "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" and its flipside, "Please Don't Drag That String Around", was recorded for a full-length album that was scheduled for release in 1963, but RCA chose instead to release the album piecemeal on singles and as soundtrack album bonus tracks.^[3]

Bass singer J.D. Sumner is featured in the song, singing in a low register to represent the Devil with the repeated phrase "Oh, Yes, You Are", before the song's fade.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1963) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[4] 1 Canada (CHUM Chart)[5] 1 Finland (Finnish Singles Chart) 1 French Singles (SNICP)[6] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[7] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 1 New Zealand Singles (NZFPI)[5] 3 Norway (VG-lista)[10] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 3 US Hot R&B Sides[13] 9 Chart (2005) Peak position Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[14] 11 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 23 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 58

Year-end charts Chart (1963) Rank US Singles (Cash Box)[17] 76 Decade-end charts Chart (1960-69) Rank German Singles (Boxen-Schlager)[5] 107 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments United States (RIAA)[18] Gold 500,000 ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart succession

Other versions

A cover version by Trisha Yearwood appears on Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack, which consists mainly of covers of Presley songs. Punk rock band The Misfits covered the song on the extended edition of Project 1950, an album which also contained a cover of Presley's Latest Flame. Swedish comedian Robert Gustafsson made a cover in the 90 's.

In popular culture

"(You're the) Devil in Disguise" is featured in Kenneth Anger's short film Scorpio Rising.

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 468.
2. Norman, Philip (2008). John Lennon: The Life. Doubleday Canada. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-385-66100-3.
3. Christopher Niccoli (1991), liner notes for The "Lost" Album (BMG-RCA 61024-2), 1991
4. "Ultratop.be – Elvis Presley – (You're the) Devil in Disguise" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
5. Steve Hawtin; et al. (2013-01-27). "Song artist 2 - Elvis Presley". Tsort pages. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
6. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 60". Syndicat National de l'Industrie et du Commerce Phonographiques (in French). Infodisc.fr. 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Elvis Presley – (You're the) Devil in Disguise". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. 2008. To use, type "Devil Disguise" in the "Search by Song Title" search var and click search. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Elvis Presley – (You're the) Devil in Disguise" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
10. "Topp 20 Single uke 30, 1963 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
11. "Archive Chart: 1963-08-03" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
12. "Elvis Presley – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Elvis Presley.
13. "Elvis Presley - Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
14. "Elvis Presley – Chart history" European Hot 100 for Elvis Presley.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Elvis Presley – (You're the) Devil in Disguise" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – Elvis Presley – (You're the) Devil in Disguise". Singles Top 100. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
17. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1963". Cash Box Magazine. 1963-12-28. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
18. "American single certifications – Elvis Presley – Devil in Disguise". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH