Strange Kind Of Woman by Deep Purple

Album: Fireball (1971)

Charted: 8

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This song tells the story of a woman named Nancy whose face was nothing fancy, but she drives the guys wild anyway. Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan, who wrote the lyric, has given different accounts of the song's inspiration.

In one of his stories, the song is about one of his friends who went after an average-looking girl that didn't like him. He was able to woo her and they got married, but three days later she died.

Gillan has also said it's about a prostitute he tried to liberate from her profession, and has introduced that song as being about "my first girlfriend."
The band wrote this song under pressure to produce a hit, as they were following up their #2 UK hit "Black Night." Roger Glover of Deep Purple explained in an interview with Metal Hammer: "We wrote the song down in Devon at a house called The Hermitage, it was a mad time... lots of hauntings going on and séances – a great period in Purple's history and 'Strange Kinda Woman' was written there, in fact I've still got tapes of the first ever jam from which that song came from, and it didn't really change from the jam."

Comments: 10

David Boden from County DownI always asumed this was about a prostitute
Fred from Phoenix, AzAbsolutely it’s about a hooker, maybe that’s why it failed to become a hit in the puritanical United States. It did get radio play in Los Angeles and I bought the 45. It’s my personal favorite track from 1971. Great stuff from the mighty Purple MK II.
Phil56 from CaWe have all had or wanted "that type".... The average looking gal in high school / college / work who had a great bod, flirty, self confident and adventurous. Whatever she may have lacked in the "1-10" looks category, she more than made up for it in other ways...
John from Seattle Wa. UsaThe song is about a guy that is a friend of the band and the scenario that he finds himself in when he falls for an evil kind of hooker that dies soon after they are finally married.
Nancy from Isle Of Wight, United KingdomI hope she wasn't a hooker, women called Nancy never seem to do well in songs or literature. In this song she dies, in the Leonard Cohen song she shoots herself, in Oliver Twist she's a victim of domestic murder. Only songs by frank Sinatra bode well for girls called Nancy. :(
I'd like more information on how she died if anyone knows.
Phil from Fakeville, CanadaI stiill think it's about a hooker. It has to be.
Stefano from Rome, ItalyI agree: sad story. But a great rock track with evident bluesy flavour. Their 1971 album Fireball had another great song with these characters, The Mule.
Devon from Westerville, Ohgood song. but a sad story about the girl.
Dylan from Waxhaw, NcOn the CD sleeve for Fireball's 25th anniversry release, it says this song is about a hooker.
Jim from Aurora, CoAnd here I thought it was about a hooker...

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