That Ole Devil Called Love
1944 song first performed by Billie Holiday
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"That Ole Devil Called Love" is a song written in 1944 by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher. It was first recorded by Billie Holiday, who released it as the B-side of her hit "Lover Man" in 1945.[1][2]
In 1985, the song was recorded by Alison Moyet, whose version, produced by Pete Wingfield, topped the chart in New Zealand for three weeks[3] and reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[2][4]
Alison Moyet version
| "That Ole Devil Called Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Alison Moyet | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" | |||
| Released | 8 March 1985[5] | |||
| Genre | Pop, jazz | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Songwriters | Allan Roberts, Doris Fisher | |||
| Producer | Pete Wingfield | |||
| Alison Moyet singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "That Ole Devil Called Love" on YouTube | ||||
In 1985, Alison Moyet released her own version of the song as a non-album single. It reached No. 2 in the UK and remained in the charts for ten weeks.[6] A music video was filmed to promote the single, which was directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton.[7]
Moyet's version was recorded following the success of her debut album Alf. When CBS suggested releasing a fourth single from the album, Moyet spoke against the idea and suggested she record a cover of "That Ole Devil Called Love" in order to give fans something new.[8] Speaking to the BBC in 2004, Moyet commented on the song: "After my versions of "That Ole Devil Called Love" and "Love Letters" did well, there was definite pressure for me to become some sort of jazz diva."[9]
Reception
Upon release, Marshall O'Leary of Smash Hits did not consider the song to be "one of [her] favourites" but described it as a "smoochy number" and "one to play while you're with your loved one".[10] Peter Trollope of the Liverpool Echo commented: "[Moyet] gets the blues and coaxes it into another smash single that has the look of a number one about it!"[11]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 46 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] | 10 |
| Europe (European Top 100 Singles)[14] | 36 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] | 6 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] | 5 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] | 1 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] | 21 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[20] | 2 |
| West Germany (GfK)[21] | 29 |
Year-end charts
Other versions
Other artists who have recorded the song include Tony Bennett,[1] Ella Fitzgerald, Diane Schuur,[27] Jeri Southern and Susannah McCorkle.