"Green-Eyed Lady" is a popular single by the American rock band Sugarloaf. Written by Jerry Corbetta, J.C. Phillips and David Riordan,[2] it was featured on the band's debut album, Sugarloaf and was their first single. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970 and was RPM magazine's number one single for two weeks.[3] It has been featured on dozens of compilation albums.[4]

"Green-Eyed Lady"
Single by Sugarloaf
from the album Sugarloaf
B-side"West of Tomorrow"
ReleasedAugust 1970
Genre
Length6:53 (album version)
5:58 (long single version)
2:58 (radio edit)
3:33 (short single version)
LabelLiberty Records
Songwriter(s)Jerry Corbetta, J.C. Phillips & David Riordan[2]
Sugarloaf singles chronology
"Green-Eyed Lady"
(1970)
"Tongue in Cheek"
(1971)

Single versions edit

The single was released in the United States in three different versions sharing the same catalog number (Liberty 56183), but different matrix numbers on the record labels. The original single release (LB-2860-S) was a 5:58 version with no edits but an early fadeout, almost immediately after the last verse.[5] This was edited down to 2:58 on the mono/stereo promotional single (LB-2860-DJ/LB-2860-S-DJ) for radio airplay in which the entire organ and guitar solos are edited out.[6] When "Green-Eyed Lady" started climbing the charts, the recording was reworked one last time to include a shortened piece of the organ/guitar break on a single (LB-2860-S-RE) that has become the common 3:33 version used by radio stations today.[7] Aside from other minor edits, the two shorter tracks begin with the opening's third bar and also end with early fadeouts. The album version ended with a cadence in the organ.

Critical reception edit

"Green-Eyed Lady" received generally positive reviews. One reviewer called it "jazzy and memorable",[8] while John Laycock of the Windsor Star called it a "bewitching single".[9]

Chart performance edit

In popular culture edit

Four years after the release of the single, Sugarloaf described the process of recording "Green-Eyed Lady" and selling it to the recording industry (namely the failed attempt to get CBS Records to distribute the record) in their song "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," which also became a hit.[citation needed]

The song is featured in the 1997 comedy film Home Alone 3, starring Alex D. Linz and Rya Kihlstedt.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "Pomp Up The Jam". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 145. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.
  2. ^ a b "45cat - Sugarloaf - Green-Eyed Lady". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  3. ^ a b "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  4. ^ Stewart Mason. "Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  5. ^ "Green Eyed Lady (Long Version) / West Of Tomorrow". discogs.com. 1970. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Green-Eyed Lady". discogs.com. 1970. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Green-Eyed Lady / West Of Tomorrow". discogs.com. 1970. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. ^ "More than a green-eyed lady | The Midnight Tracker". Midnighttracker.wordpress.com. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  9. ^ Laycock, John (October 8, 1970). "Pop". The Windsor Star. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  10. ^ "Go-Set National Top 60, 16 January 1971". Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  13. ^ "Home Alone 3 Soundtrack (complete album tracklisting)". SoundtrackINFO.com. 1997-12-09. Retrieved 2016-10-03.