“DEVIL IN HER HEART”

(Richard Drapkin)

“Because there were a lot of record companies in the US, lots of records seemed only to be distributed on a local basis...However, many of the small companies had been affiliated with major labels that had distribution in the UK, so some obscure US records ended up being sold in the UK but unknown in America.”

This explanation by George Harrison sheds a lot of light on how an obscure song such as “Devil In Her Heart” wound up on a million selling British and American LP. This song was originally titled “Devil In His Heart” and recorded by a young girl-group from Hamtramck, Michigan called The Donays. This record, the only record recorded by the group, first came out on a local Detroit label called “Correc-tone Records” in 1962. This small record company, as George referred to above, had an affiliation with the larger New York City label Brent Records, who picked up the record for national distribution. Although its b-side, “Bad Boy,” received substantial airplay in the Michigan area, the single missed the US Billboard Hot 100. The single did get picked up and released by the UK label Oriole Records, but it didn't chart in Britain either.

George added: “Brian (Epstein) had had a policy at NEMS (record department) of buying at least one copy of every record that was released. Consequently he had records that weren't hits in Britain, weren’t even hits in America. Before we were going to a gig, we’d meet in the record store, after it had shut, and we would search the racks like ferrets to see what new ones were there. 'Devil In Her Heart' and Barrett Strong’s ‘Money’ were records we picked up and played in the shop and thought were interesting." The Beatles found the record in October of 1962 and shortly thereafter incorporated it into their live performances. 

Songwriting History

The Donays had originally been a five piece singing group who were school friends. Its members were Janice Guinn, her sister Armie Guinn, Yvonne Symington, Michelle Ray and Mary (last name unknown). “We were discovered at a high school talent show, Hamtramck High,” Janice Guinn related. “The song was ‘Please Mister Postman,’” she said about their talent show offering. After the group acquired a manager, they were then booked as local performers, one notable show being at the “Twenty Grand” club in Detroit, Michigan. “According to our managers, after this concert, Berry Gordy was interested in signing us up with Motown. However, they decided to go with Correc-tone Studios’”

Richard Drapkin, the composer of "Devil In His Heart," was a songwriter and recording artist hailing from around Detroit. He worked with one of various up-and-coming labels of that area, "Correc-tone Recording." His professional songwriting career spanned from the time of “Devil In His Heart” (1962) through till the mid ‘70s. His songs were covered by R&B/Soul artists like Eddie Kendricks (“That’s All Behind You”), The Spinners (“Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music”), Larry Santos (“Now That I Have Found You”), Barbara Lewis ("That's The Way I Like It") and Spanky Wilson (“I Think I’m Gonna Cry”).

Richard Drapkin’s recording career has been under the alias Ricky Dee, such as his single “If That’s What Makes Her Glad” on the Big Sound label in 1965, among others.

The “Correc-tone” record label was launched in March 1962 with a single entitled “Let Me Be Your Boy” by an up-and-coming 21 year old vocalist named Wilson Pickett. A little bit later, The Donays become a new addition to the label's roster. With the departure of Mary (last name unknown) from The Donays, their group was now a quartet, but there was one more change to be made. “My sister Armie Guinn was our lead singer when we were discovered,” said Janice Guinn, “however Yvonne (Symington) was the lead singer on our record.” After their new personnel change was made, they were ushered into the recording studio to record two songs that Richard Drapkin wrote specifically for them, these being “Bad Boy” and “Devil In His Heart.” “We recorded another song called “You Always Talk About Tomorrow,” Janice Guinn recounted, “however it was never released because the group broke up."

After their original release of "Devil In His Heart" on the Correc-tone label, it was picked up by the New York City label Brent Records and was released by them on August 6, 1962. It seemed that yet another successful “girl group” was just born! “‘Bad Boy’ was being played a lot (on the radio) and they were talking about travelling,” explained lead singer Yvonne Symington. “The mothers wanted the girls to go to college. Michelle Ray's mother became leary about the music world, so they dropped out.”

Donays member Janice Guinn stated: “I was the youngest in the group, fifteen, still in high school. My parents were interested in our education so my sister Armie Guinn and I dropped out of the group. I completed high school and my sister moved to California to attend school there. Michelle Ray also quit the group to further her education. This only left Yvonne (Symington) who stayed with Correc-tone for a while.”

So ended the history of The Donays after only one single release. Although their record failed to chart in America, Oriole Records in Britain picked up the single for release overseas. If it weren’t for Brian Epstein purchasing a copy of the single for his NEMS record store in Liverpool, England, The Beatles wouldn’t have stumbled upon "Devil In His Heart" and become impressed enough to work up a rendition of the song, thereby making this the most successful composition in the Richard Drapkin songwriting catalog.

Yvonne Symington continued on with a singing career with Correc-tone, releasing three singles under her new name Yvonne Vernee, including the highly acclaimed Tony Clark song titled “Just Like You Did Me.” After retiring from the music business shortly thereafter, she was recruited to join the Motown group The Elgins in 1971 and toured Britain during their brief resurgence of popularity in that country.

“Unfortunately we never received any royalties for the song that came out on The Beatles LP,” Janice Guinne said. “We didn’t even know that they had recorded the song till one morning my sister Armie and I were watching The Beatles’ cartoons on television and we heard them play our song ‘Devil In His (Her) Heart.’ Boy, were we shocked!”

While “Devil In His Heart” by The Donays may never have been a hit anywhere, this has been a sought after record for decades because of The Beatles' version. It began to pop up in reissues in the '80s and can now be found on compilation discs, such as the 2000 ACE Records release “Rockin’ On Broadway: The Time, Brent, Shad Story.” 

Recording History

The first time The Beatles brought "Devil In Her Heart" into a professional studio was for a BBC radio show. On July 16th, 1963, Terry Henebery was the producer of their recording of the song at BBC Paris Studio in London between 8:45 and 10:30 pm for the tenth edition of the radio show “Pop Go The Beatles,” which aired on August 20th, 1963, between 5 and 5:29 pm and appears on the EP “Baby It’s You.” 

Having just recorded the song for the BBC and having it fresh in their minds, The Beatles thought it would be an excellent contender for possible inclusion on their second British album as they entered EMI Studios two days later, July 18th, 1963, which was the first session for recording the LP "With The Beatles." This evening session in EMI Studio Two, which ran from 7 to 10:45 pm, began with completely recording “You Really Got A Hold On Me” and then laying the groundwork for “Money (That’s What I Want).” At approximately 9, they began work on “Devil In Her Heart” as their third song of the evening. Three live takes were made of the complete song, all four group members playing their usual instruments with all lead and backing vocals. "Take three" was deemed the best.

Three overdubs were then performed on top of "take three," which included extra guitar flourishes from George Harrison, double-tracked lead vocals during the verses, and Ringo playing maracas. This brought it to "take six," thus finishing the song as we hear it today. The song was done by approximately 10 pm, which freed the band up to attempt their recording of the beautiful ballad “Till There Was You,” although they ultimately left this for another time.

The mono mix for "Devil In Her Heart" (from "take six") was performed on August 21st, 1963 in the control room of EMI Studio Three, as were all of the album tracks that were recorded by that point. Only producer George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick were in attendance at this session. This is the mono mix heard on the British "With The Beatles" album.

They brought "Devil In Her Heart" into Studio Two of London's Aeolian Hall on September 3rd, 1963 between 8 and 10:30 pm to record a second version of the song for BBC radio. This rendition was produced by Ian Grant and aired sometime between 5 and 5:29 pm on their 15th and final “Pop Go The Beatles” series program on September 24th, 1963. 

The official EMI stereo mix of this track, along with the remainder of the LP "With The Beatles," was made on October 30th, 1963, in the EMI Studio Three control room. George Martin and EMI engineers Norman Smith and A.B. Lincoln were the only attendees of this session. This stereo mix of "Devil In Her Heart" was used for both the stereo and mono versions of "The Beatles' Second Album" released in the US (as detailed below).

The Beatles touched on "Devil In Her Heart" again on January 7th, 1969 in Twickenham Film Studios during their rehearsals for the "Get Back/Let It Be" project. It was a quick impromptu run-through, only performed because the song they were rehearsing at that point, “Don’t Let Me Down,” featured a degree of phrasing by George on guitar that was similar to what he played on “Devil In Her Heart.” It therefore reminded them of this song and they reminisced, this version (emphasizing the misheard "no-no-nay" lyric) not being included in any official release of these sessions.

Song Structure and Style

The structure used in this song was unique for The Beatles up to this point. We see here a back-and-forth pattern between a refrain and a verse. Every refrain and verse features subtle changes in lyrics, so this song doesn't have a constant unchangeable bridge or chorus as we’re accustomed to hearing in the band's early music. This song is 'refrain/ verse/ refrain/ verse/ refrain/ verse/ refrain' (or abababa), the final refrain being extended out to work as an appropriate conclusion.

After a percussive count-in from Ringo and a four measure intro that features “Latin” sounding guitar phrases, we move in to the first eight-measure refrain with harmonic warnings from John and Paul to the lead singer (George) about the dangerous relationship he is in. George replies to every warning with disbelief, as he does twice in the first refrain alone. Also of note is their "break" that occurs before each refrain, something that is featured in most Beatles songs of this era.

The chord structure used in these verses actually acts as a bridge in-between the refrains. Bold background harmonies appear against Harrison’s double-tracked lead vocals throughout the verse until the final lyric, which brings all three vocalists in harmony together on the phrase “she’s an angel sent to me.” The verses are actually nine measures long, extended during the final lyric line to create an adequate segue back into the refrain.

This segues into another refrain that is identical in strucutre but includes different replies from George in his answer lyrics. Then the song moves into yet another verse which is also identical in structure and style apart from different lyrics. This time their background vocals chime in on the final line “listen can’t you see.”

A third refrain then happens, this one being identical structurally and lyrically to the second refrain except for a couple extra “no”s in George’s lead vocals. The third verse which follows changes things up a bit by having the backing singers (Paul to the fore) sing the first four measures by themselves while we get back to the usual format of three vocalists for the last five measures where they all revert back to the last phrase of the first verse, “she’s an angel sent to me.”

The last refrain is identical to the third refrain, with the exception being that it is extended to sixteen measures to act as a suitable conclusion. The final four measures continue the "warning / disbelief" dialog lyrically while witnessing the return of the introductory "Latin" guitar phrases at the same time. Instead of the fade-out ending of the original version by The Donays, the group brings the song to a complete conclusion similar to how they undoubtedly end the song when they performed it live on stage at The Cavern and elsewhere.

As detailed above, the lyrics are here depicting friends warning the vocalist that his new love interest has the reputation of breaking men's hearts, but the lead singer counters with disbelief and claims “she’ll never hurt me.” The clever use of lyrics was undoubtedly a feature that attracted The Beatles to the original recording, one example being all of their repeated “devil” and “angel” comparisons. Another is their clever rhyming of “don’t take chances if your romance is,” which was similar to various songs in the Lennon / McCartney catalog, such as “it won’t be long till I belong to you.”

Concerning the lyrics, the band purposely did the gender swap from "Devil in His Heart" to "Devil In Her Heart" with all their necessary alterations throughout this song. There was one inadvertent error, however, due to the band trying to decipher the lyrics from listening carefully to the original record. The lyric "no, not me will he deceive" was mistakenly interpreted to be "no-no-nay will she deceive." Interestingly, they sang the correct line during their BBC performance two days earlier, but changed it to “no-no-nay” when recording it properly in EMI Studios. And when The Beatles returned to the song six years later (January 7th, 1969) for an impromptu run-through of the song, Lennon is heard correcting McCartney's remembrance of the lyrics, still insisting these lyrics as "no-no-nay."

George Harrison gets the nod as the true highlight of their rendition, with his "Latin" guitar phrasings and suitable lead vocal work. Ringo also impresses with his Latin-sounding 'bam-boom-boom' drum fills that introduce the track as well as each refrain. His drum style throughout has a rumba rhythm which, with the maraca overdub, creates a convincing Latin feel. His open hi-hat sound, common with early Beatle tracks, gives the song the fullness and drive that is lacking on the original version.

Also of note are the backing vocals of Lennon and McCartney, which emphasize an effective 'nagging' quality that is appropriate to the lyrics of the composition. While the rhythm guitar and bass are rudimentary throughout, Lennon and McCartney provide these essential ingredients to create the full picture and round out an impressive cover rendition of an obscure song.

American Releases

“Devil In Her Heart” was premiered in America on April 10th, 1964, as the fourth track on side one of the million selling Capitol LP "The Beatles' Second Album." Mono copies of this album contained a "Type B" foldover mix of the song made by Capitol Records that combined both channels of the stereo mix instead of the EMI mono mix originally done by George Martin back in the UK, while Capitol's stereo copies featured a bit of added reverb. On January 21st, 2014, this album was released in the US on compact disc for the first time, the mono and stereo mixes being contained on a single CD.

A second release also happened in April of 1964 with Capitol's "Compact 33" EP rendition of the "Second Album" intended for juke box use throughout the country. This rare disc featured six songs from the album, the second track on side one being "Devil In Her Heart."

The first time their original UK "With The Beatles" LP was released in America was on the "Original Master Recording" vinyl edition that came out through Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab in January of 1987. This had been created using half-speed mastering technology from the original tapes on loan from EMI. This title had a limited production, reportedly because of a damaged metal part that was required for pressing the vinyl. Therefore, this album is considered the rarest and most valuable Beatles edition in the “Original Master Recording” series.

February 26th, 1987 saw the US release of the original British "With The Beatles" album on compact disc in mono, which featured this song. A vinyl edition of this album was released in America on July 21st, 1987. The original stereo version was eventually released on a remastered compact disc on September 9th, 2009 and eventually on vinyl on November 13th, 2012.

Since no Beatles' compilation album contained the song throughout the years, we had to wait until March 23th, 1995 to see another official release. As a promo tool for the recently released “Live At The BBC” album, Apple released a four song EP entitled “Baby It’s You.” This EP contained the rendition of “Devil In Her Heart” that The Beatles recorded for the BBC show “Pop Go The Beatles” on July 16th, 1963, two days before the band's official album version was recorded on July 18th. The EP, which highlighted the version of “Baby It’s You” that was featured within “Live At The BBC,” peaked at #67 on the Billboard singles chart.

Their EMI recording of "Devil In Her Heart" also appears on the November 15th, 2004 released box set “The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1,” in both stereo and "Type B" foldover mono as originally contained on "The Beatles' Second Album."

On September 9th, 2009, the CD box set “The Beatles In Mono” was released, which featured a clear mono remastered version of "Devil In Her Heart." The vinyl edition of this box set first came out on September 9th, 2014.

November 11th, 2013 was their release date for the album "On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2." Included here is the rendition of "Devil In Her Heart" recorded on September 3rd, 1963 for the BBC radio show "Pop Go The Beatles." Among the many differences here are how Harrison sang "no, not me will she deceive" at this point instead of "no-no-nay will she deceive" as heard on the group's version. Also, George repeated the lyrics of the first verse during the third verse, singing "but her eyes they tantalize...lips they really thrill me," a second time in the song unlike their original version. Finally, George held off his final guitar passage at the end of the song so he could sing his lyric "she's an angel sent to me" and then, when this segment was immediately repeated, he did not sing this final line but performed the guitar passage. This would appear to indicate that it was difficult to perform both at the same time during this live studio recording.

Live Performances

Beginning in October of 1962, shortly after purchasing the original record, The Beatles quickly included this in their set lists for live performances that year. They kept playing the song in early 1963 when they were on stage for longer periods of time, such as their more relaxed Cavern Club appearances in Liverpool earlier in the year. As for providing George Harrison a vocal spot in their stage shows later in 1963 and into 1964, the band chose instead to feature the other George cover song on their British “With The Beatles” LP, “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Conclusion

The Beatles, being aficionados of American "girl group" artists of the '60s, were attracted to this powerful but obscure example of songwriting craftsmanship. As you listen to the original version, you can experience what appealed to George Harrison in particular, especially the guitar flourishes as well as the fun interplay between the lead and background vocalists. Listening to The Beatles version, you can appreciate that the band put much thought, as well as time and effort, into depicting the true essence of the song in a fully convincing manner. 

Song Summary

"Devil In Her Heart”

Written by:  Richard Drapkin

• Song Written: May, 1962 (approx.)
• Song Recorded: July 18, 1963
• First US Release Date: April 10, 1964
• First US Album Release: Capitol #ST 2080 “The Beatles’ Second Album”
• US Single Release: Apple #58348 “Baby It’s You” EP
• Highest Chart Position: n/a
• British Album Release: Parlophone # PCS 3045 “With The Beatles”
• Length: 2:27
• Key: G major
• Producer: George Martin
• Engineers: Norman Smith, Richard Langham

Instrumentation (most likely):

• George Harrison – Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar (1962 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman)
• John Lennon - Harmony Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1958 Rickenbacker 325)
• Paul McCartney - Harmony Vocals, Bass Guitar (1961 Hofner 500/1)
• Ringo Starr – Drums (1963 Ludwig Downbeat Black Oyster Pearl), Maracas 

Written and compiled by Dave Rybaczewski

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