Devil with a Blue Dress On

"Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly"
Single by Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels
from the album Breakout!
Released	September 1966[1]
Format	7"
Genre	Rock
Length	3:01 (with "Good Golly, Miss Molly")
Label	New Voice
Writer(s)	Frederick Long, William Stevenson
Producer(s)	Bob Crewe
Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels singles chronology
"Takin' All I Can Get" (1966) "Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" (1966) "Sock It to Me-Baby!" (1967)

"Devil with a Blue Dress On" (also known as "Devil with the Blue Dress On") is a song written by Shorty Long and William "Mickey" Stevenson, first performed by Long and released as a single in 1964. A later version recorded by Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels in 1966 peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Song information

"Devil with the Blue Dress On" was originally released as Shorty Long's debut single on Motown in 1964, but the single failed to chart.

Two years later, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels recorded the song as a medley with an original arrangement of Little Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly". Their version was notably more up-tempo than Long's more blues-influenced rendition.^[2] Reaching #4 on the Hot 100, their version of the track would end up becoming their most well-known and highest charting hit in the United States.

The Duke University band often plays the song at sporting events. Duke's athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils.

Cover versions

"Devil with a Blue Dress On" was also recorded by Pratt & McClain, who are best known for the theme from the television series Happy Days. Bruce Springsteen's version of the song "Devil with a Blue Dress On" was part of the No Nukes concert album in the early 1980s. A Spanish language version of the song was recorded by Los Lobos and released on the Eating Raoul film soundtrack in 1982.

References