About The Song
“Kentucky Woman” is a 1967 song by Neil Diamond. It went to number 22 in the United States, number 10 in New Zealand, number 6 in Canada and number 58 in Australia.
Diamond recorded “Kentucky Woman” as his last hit single for Bang Records. The song was mixed in monophonic, which is the common version heard on all Neil Diamond compilations featuring original Bang singles. The only known stereo mix was done in 1978 for a Frog King/Columbia House album called Early Classics, which has never been released on CD.
Diamond wrote this country-tinged song while he was on a 32-city tour with the Dick Clark Caravan, sharing a bill with Tommy Roe, Billy Joe Royal and P.J. Proby. In the liner notes to Diamond’s anthology In My Lifetime, he wrote: “We attracted teenage girls almost exclusively and the house, usually a high school auditorium, was filled to the rafters with screaming females night after night. The song was written in the back of a limo as we approached the outskirts of Paducah, Kentucky.”
Diamond liked this song, but he wanted the more personal “Shilo” released as the single. Bert Berns of Bang Records felt “Kentucky Woman” was the hit, and released it against Diamond’s wishes. This caused a rift which led to Diamond’s departure from the label a year later. Bang Records lost their young star, but capitalized on Diamonds success over the next few years by continuously repackaging and releasing the songs he recorded with them. They eventually did release “Shilo” in 1970, and it went to #24.
Deep Purple covered this song and released it as a single in 1968, charting at #38 in the US. We asked David Wild, who interviewed Diamond on several occasions and wrote the book He Is…I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond, if there were any cover versions of his songs that Diamond particularly likes or dislikes. Says Wild: “He is very gallant, and seems thankful that others have embraced his songs. I think hearing Sinatra and Elvis sing his songs was a thrill, and I remember him telling me that he once got a private recording of Dylan singing ‘Sweet Caroline.’ The only cover I remember him being slightly confused by was Deep Purple’s heavy metal retooling of ‘Kentucky Woman.'”
Video
Lyrics
Kentucky woman
She shines with her own kind of light
She’d look at you once
And a day that’s all wrong looks all right
And I love her
God knows, I love her
Kentucky woman
If she get to know you
She goin’ to own you
Kentucky woman
Well, she ain’t the kind
Makes heads turn at the drop of her name
But something inside
That she’s got turn you on just the same
And she loves me
God knows, she loves me
Kentucky woman
If she get to know you
She goin’ to own you
Kentucky woman
I don’t want much
The good Lord’s earth beneath my feet
A gentle touch from that one girl
And life is sweet and good
Ain’t no doubt
I’m talkin’ about
Kentucky woman
If she get to know you
She goin’ to own you
Kentucky woman
I don’t want much
The good Lord’s earth beneath my feet
A gentle touch from that one girl
And life is sweet and good
Ain’t no doubt
I’m talkin’ about
Kentucky woman
If she get to know you
She goin’ to own you
Kentucky woman
Kentucky woman
Kentucky woman