‘Evil Ways’ is a song made famous by Mexican-American rock band Santana from their 1969 self-titled debut album. It was written by Clarence "Sonny" Henry and originally recorded by jazz percussionist Willie Bobo on his 1967 album Bobo Motion. Bobo was a big influence on Santana and played on some of their tracks in the late '70s. "He was one of the first guys who tried to merge Latin music and blues together on record," Carlos Santana said in The Guitar Greats by John Tobler and Stuart Grundy. "He did it before us, because we were doing it on the street, and he was already doing it on records."
Alongside Santana's release in 1969, ‘Evil Ways’ was also recorded by the band The Village Callers. The lyrics of the song are written in simple verse form. The song is about a woman who makes the singer feel like a fool - he seems jealous and upset that she is hanging out with her friends while he doesn't get any attention, and warns her that he will leave if this behavior continues.
Santana made a huge impact at the Woodstock festival, where they included ‘Evil Ways’ in their set. They hadn't released their first album yet, but had made a name for themselves playing live shows on the West Coast. Their manager, Bill Graham, got them on the bill, playing the same day as their San Francisco cohorts The Grateful Dead. Their first album, Santana, was released two weeks later amid the raft of positive press from Woodstock. The rhythmic chant track ‘Jingo’ was issued as the first single from the album, reaching #56 in the US. ‘Evil Ways’ was the next single, and it climbed to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of March 21, 1970.
Gregg Rolie, who joined Journey in 1973, performs the lead vocals and plays a Hammond organ solo in the middle section. The double-time coda includes a guitar solo performed by Carlos Santana, who also does the backing vocals.
Label – Columbia
Songwriter – Clarence "Sonny" Henry
Producers – Brent Dangerfield, Santana
SONG LYRICS
[Intro][Verse 1]
You've got to change your evil ways, baby
Before I stop lovin' you
You've got to change, baby
And every word that I say is true
[Chorus]
You got me runnin' and hidin' all over town
You got me sneakin' and a-peepin' and runnin' you down
This can't go on
Lord knows you got to change, baby
Baby
[Verse 2]
When I come home, baby
My house is dark and my pots are cold
You're hangin' round, baby
With Jean and Joan and-a who knows who
[Chorus]
I'm gettin' tired of waitin' and foolin' around
I'll find somebody that won't make me feel like a clown
This can't go on
Lord knows you got to change
[Instrumental Break 01:25-02:25]
[Organ Solo]
[Verse 2]
When I come home, baby
My house is dark and my pots are cold
You're hangin' round, baby
With Jean and Joan and-a who knows who
[Chorus]
I'm gettin' tired of waitin' and foolin' around
I'll find somebody that won't make me feel like a clown
This can't go on
Yeah, yeah, yeah
[Instrumental Outro]
[Guitar Solo]