She's Always a Woman

"She's Always a Woman" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger. It is a love song about a modern woman, with whom he falls in love for her quirks as well as her flaws. The single peaked at #17 in the U.S. and in 1986 peaked at #53 in the UK when released as a double A-side single with "Just the Way You Are". On May 2, 2010 the song re-entered the UK chart at #29. The song is played in the compound time signature of 6/8. A Muzak version of the song was playing at the World Trade Center plaza moments before it was eventually destroyed[1]  during the September 11 attacks in 2001.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Track listing  ==Track listing[ edit] == ===7" single (1978)[ edit] === ===Single (CBS)[ edit]  === ===Japanese 7" single (CBS 06SP 248)[ edit]  === ==Chart positions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Origin and meaning<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The song was released in 1978, following several other hits from The Stranger including "Just the Way You Are", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "Only the Good Die Young". Musically, Joel has said that he was influenced by Gordon Lightfoot and his mellow acoustic guitar ballads. It is a love song that Joel wrote for his then wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth 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. She was a tough and savvy negotiator who could "wound with her eyes" or "steal like a thief", but would "never give in". Because of her tough-as-nails negotiating style, many business adversaries thought she was "unfeminine," but to Joel, she was always a woman.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height:1;font-size:11.1999998092651px;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]  The two eventually divorced in 1982. ==Fyfe Dangerfield cover<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">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.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[7]  Subsequently, the Billy Joel original re-entered the UK singles chart at number 29 on 1 May 2010. On 1 May 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.
 * 1.1 7" single (1978)
 * 1.2 Single (CBS)
 * 1.3 Japanese 7" single (CBS 06SP 248)
 * 2 Chart positions
 * 3 Origin and meaning
 * 4 Fyfe Dangerfield cover
 * 4.1 Track listing
 * 4.2 Chart Performance
 * 5 Other covers
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links
 * 1) "She's Always a Woman"
 * 2) "Vienna"
 * 1) "She's Always a Woman"
 * 2) "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"
 * 1) "She's Always a Woman"
 * 2) "Only The Good Die Young"

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The advert has been viewed on YouTube over 570,000 times (collectively from the top 3 results) since it aired on TV.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[8] ===Track listing<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Chart Performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">"She's Always a Woman" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 2 May 2010 at #99. On its second week in the chart, the single climbed 85 places to #14, marking Dangerfield's most successful single to date. On 16 May 2010, the single climbed 7 places to a current peak of #7 before falling to #9 in its second week within the Top 10. ==Other covers<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * Digital Download<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[9]
 * 1) "She's Always a Woman" - 3:14
 * Actress and singer Lynda Carter released a cover version on her debut album Portrait.
 * In 1980, Hana Zagorová made a Czech cover "Vím málo".
 * The American indie rock band Copeland released a cover of this song on the 2004 album Know Nothing Stays the Same.
 * In 2004, Zorán made a Hungarian cover "A nő", on his maxi single "A körben".
 * In 2006, saxophonist Michael Lington covered the song from his renditions album "A Song for You".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[12]
 * British singer John Barrowman released a cover version of this song on his 2007 album Another Side.
 * The King's Singers covered this song on their 2008 Grammy winning album "Simple gifts".
 * Bassist Jon Reshard released a cover version of this song on his eponymous 2009 album.
 * Celtic Thunder covered the song for their album Voyage
 * In 2013, Aaron Tveit covered the song on his concert recording The Radio In My Head: Live from 54 Below.