Download MP3s from Amazon.com:
By: Van Morrison (born George Ivan Morrison August 31, 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.)
Van Morrison is widely considered one of the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll. Famed critic Greil Marcus said, "No white man sings like Van Morrison."
"Brown Eyed Girl" was Morrison's first single as a solo artist after leaving the Northern Irish R&B group Them.
American producer Bert Berns (writer of "Twist and Shout" and "Piece of my Heart") paid for Van to record in New York. Berns applied his keen ear to Van's introspective and personal material, one of those songs being "Brown Eyed Girl." Berns immediately recognized its hit potential and it was rush-released as a single in America, where it became a hit, and established Van in the US.
Some of the song's lyrics were considered too suggestive at the time to be played on many radio stations. A radio-edit of the song was released which excised some lyrics, replaced by lyrics from a previous verse. Notwithstanding, "Brown Eyed Girl" has become widely familiar today because of its recurrence on most radio stations. By 2003, it had been played six million times on US TV and radio.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison at #109 on their list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In April 2005, the White House announced that "Brown Eyed Girl" gets regular rotation on George W. Bush's iPod. Morrison announced before a performance in England: "Yeah, it's good to hear things like that, you know. But I would have preferred if it was a new song."
In January 2007, Morrison's recording of "Brown Eyed Girl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
According to aperfectdj.com, "Brown Eyed Girl" was the seventh most-played song on radio in 2009.
Chart position: #10 (US).
The Top Ten Songs: September 30, 1967 (US Billboard Hot 100).
- "The Letter" (Box Tops)
- "Ode to Billie Joe" (Bobbie Gentry)
- "Never My Love" (Association)
- "Come Back When You Grow Up" (Bobby Vee and the Strangers)
- "Reflections" (Diana Ross and the Supremes)
- "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" (Jay and the Techniques)
- "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (Jackie Wilson)
- "Funky Broadway" (Wilson Pickett)
- "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" (Peter, Paul and Mary)
- "Brown Eyed Girl" (Van Morrison)
Written by: Van Morrison.
Morrison also wrote and recorded such songs as "Gloria" (with Them, a hit in 1964 during the British Invasion), "Domino" (#9 US), "Wild Night" (#28 US), "Tupelo Honey" (#48 US), and "Have I Told You Lately" (#12 US).
Morrison said, "Originally, it was called 'Brown Skinned Girl' when I wrote the song. I just thought 'Brown Eyed Girl' sounded better or something ... After we'd recorded it, I looked at the tape box and didn't even notice that I'd changed the title ... I looked at the box where I laid it down with my guitar and it said 'Brown Eyed Girl' on the tape box. It's just one of those things that happen."
Also by: Jimmy Buffett, on his 1983 album One Particular Harbor
.Download MP3s from Amazon.com:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be sure to leave a comment. If you love the oldies, then by all means, say so!