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Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 - September 9, 1981 was an American jazz and blues singer. Humes was successively a teenaged blues singer, band vocalist with Count Basie, saucy R&B diva and a mature interpreter of the classy popular song.
"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" is an American popular song published in 1932. The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Ted Koehler.
"Between the Devil..." was originally recorded by Cab Calloway in 1931. It is now considered a standard, with recordings by many artists, such as George Harrison. The Boswell Sisters recorded the song with The Dorsey Brothers in 1932. Frank Sinatra also recorded the song in 1959. Ella Fitzgerald recorded it for her 1961 Verve album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook. Thelonious Monk plays it on his 1967 album, Straight, No Chaser.
The Italian black metal band Aborym also named a song "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" on the album "Generator", and Brendan Perry has a song named "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" on his 2010 album Ark.
The phrase also pops up in the Billy Bragg song "The Short Answer" from his 1988 album Workers Playtime, and in Van Morrison's Stranded, from his 2005 album Magic Time. And in Bad Religion's "Heaven is Falling" from their 1992 album Generator. It is also referenced in the songs "Love Song For A Witch" by Dog Fashion Disco on their Committed To A Bright Future album from 2003, "Spaceman" by The Killers from their 2008 release Day & Age, "The Other Side" by Aerosmith, "Living Proof" by Wishbone Ash and Return Of The Fisherman by ex-The Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, The Police also use the phrase in "Wrapped Around Your Finger" from their Synchronicity album. The phrase is also referenced in the song Looking As You Are by Embrace, in the line "I told the devil and the deep blue sea to hide". The line also appears in the chorus of "A Rock and a Hard Place" by The Sisters of Mercy on their album First and Last and Always The term is also used in "Open Water" by Thrice from their album The Alchemy Index: Vol. 2- Water. The Living End have a line with this phrase in their self-titled song.
Sydney, Australia band XL Capris used the expression in their song AMP from the album Weeds (1981).
The Bee Gees also used the phrase 'between the devil and the deep blue sea' in their song 'For whom the bell tolls'.
The band Black Stone Cherry released their 3rd studio album called 'Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea' in May 2011.