1967 Rock Ballad About Cheating, Which Marked Gary Puckett’s Debut, Became an International Hit

“Woman, Woman” was the debut single from Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. The 1967 ballad, which was about a man who was worried that his partner was unhappy and going to start cheating on him, reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Cash Box. It ended up becoming an international success, selling over a million copies, and earning a gold record.

When speaking about the creation of the song with Spotlight Central, Puckett recalled his first meeting with Jerry Fuller from Columbia Records. “When I went into his office, he was hanging up the gold record for Ricky Nelson’s ‘Travelin’ Man,’ which was very impressive to me because I’d never seen a gold record before!” Puckett explained. “I thought, ‘Gee, whiz; this is really great,’ and I said, ‘That’s fantastic! Please, will you take a look at my portfolio?’ And fortunately, he was looking for me — and I say that insofar as he already had a song in mind that he wanted to record. It was called ‘Woman, Woman (Have You Got Cheating On Your Mind?),’ which was written by a couple of fellas from Nashville.”

Puckett continued, “Jerry loved the song, thought it was a hit, and was looking for someone who he thought would be the right singer for the song. And in this case, I happened to walk into his office at just the right time. Jerry heard me singing ‘My Prayer.’ He liked what he heard — he liked my voice — and he said, ‘Where can I see this band?’”

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Gary Puckett & The Union Gap had many other hits throughout the years, including “Young Girl,” “This Girl Is a Woman Now,” and “Lady Willpower.” Unfortunately, the band broke up in 1971 after growing tensions with Fuller. Puckett then launched his solo career and created hit songs like “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” and “Keep the Customer Satisfied.”

Puckett is currently 83. He is still actively performing across the country to this day.