Alison Moyet - That Ole Devil Called Love (1985)

"That Ole Devil Called Love" is a song written in 1944 by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher. It was first recorded by Billie ...

"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.

Alison Moyet version

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. A music video was filmed to promote the single, which was directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton.

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. 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."

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". 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!"