Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Encyclopedia
"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" is a popular country-pop music song by Crystal Gayle
(Crystal has blue eyes), younger sister of Loretta Lynn
. The song was written by Richard Leigh
and first appeared on Gayle's 1977 album, We Must Believe in Magic
.
hits the third of which: "I'll Get Over You" had reached #1. According to Gayle's regular producer Allen Reynolds
he was advised by Leigh's landlady: songwriter Sandy Mason Theoret, that Leigh was "a little down in the dumps lately because nothing much [was] happening" after the success of "I'll Get Over You": at Theoret's suggestion Reynolds visited Leigh to cheer him up. Reynolds - "we were sittin' on the floor...singing songs to one another. [Leigh] mentioned a song that his publisher was gonna get to Shirley Bassey
...[and] sang it for me, 'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue'. I said: 'Shirley Bassey, my ass, I want that song!'" Reynolds recalls that when he played "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" for Gayle "she was just as excited [by the song] as I was."
The track was recorded at Jack's Tracks in Nashville on 27 October 1976: as Reynolds' regular session keyboardist Charles Cochran had suffered a stroke with some resultant numbness in his hands Reynolds hired Hargus "Pig" Robbins to play keyboards and Robbins instantly devised the song's signature acoustic piano
riff
; Cochran was also featured on the session playing the horn parts on a Wurlitzer
. Reynolds - "it was just one of those charmed sessions...[After] we presented the song to the musicians...it was about the third time running [through] that song that we ran tape...[Gayle] sang [the song] wonderfully. It came so fast that she wasn't sure that she had done her best job. I had to let her try to sing it again on two or three different occasions until she was comfortable with the original [vocal take], and that's what we went with. Everything on that recording was the original take as it went down, except the string section I added later."
In a 2004 Country Music Television
interview, Gayle stated that Leigh wrote the song because his dog had one brown eye and one blue eye.
and became Gayle's first, (and biggest), crossover pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
for 3 weeks, behind Debby Boone
's smash hit, You Light Up My Life
. The album received Platinum status, the first by a female country singer. The song became Gayle's signature piece throughout her career. In 1978, the song won Gayle a Grammy Award
for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In 1999, the song was recognized by ASCAP as one of the ten most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song has a jazzy feel to it when compared to many other country songs of that era. Gayle had many more hit singles for the next ten years, such as "Talking in Your Sleep
", "Half the Way
" "You and I
" (a duet with Eddie Rabbitt
) and "I'll Get Over You
", but none have achieved the same level of success as "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue".
, Laura Fygi
, the Nolans
, Tessanne Chin
, Alison Statton
(aka Devine & Statton), Wendy Van Wanten and Dana Winner
. Mireille Mathieu
has recorded the song in German as "Tränen Würden Mir Nicht Stehn" while the French rendering "Mes yeux blues son gris" was recorded by Michèle Torr.
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
(Crystal has blue eyes), younger sister of Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
. The song was written by Richard Leigh
Richard Leigh (songwriter)
Richard Leigh is an American country music songwriter and singer. He is best known for penning "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" . In 1978 he received a Grammy Award for "Best Country Song" for the popular song...
and first appeared on Gayle's 1977 album, We Must Believe in Magic
We Must Believe in Magic
We Must Believe In Magic is the fourth studio album by the American country music singer Crystal Gayle. Released in 1977, it became Gayle highest selling album, reaching #2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and #12 on the main Billboard album chart...
.
Background
"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" composer Richard Leigh had been responsible for all three of Crystal Gayle's previous Top Ten C&WHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
hits the third of which: "I'll Get Over You" had reached #1. According to Gayle's regular producer Allen Reynolds
Allen Reynolds
Allen Reynolds is an American record producer and songwriter who works primarily in the country music field.Reynolds was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas and started writing songs during his college years...
he was advised by Leigh's landlady: songwriter Sandy Mason Theoret, that Leigh was "a little down in the dumps lately because nothing much [was] happening" after the success of "I'll Get Over You": at Theoret's suggestion Reynolds visited Leigh to cheer him up. Reynolds - "we were sittin' on the floor...singing songs to one another. [Leigh] mentioned a song that his publisher was gonna get to Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
...[and] sang it for me, 'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue'. I said: 'Shirley Bassey, my ass, I want that song!'" Reynolds recalls that when he played "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" for Gayle "she was just as excited [by the song] as I was."
The track was recorded at Jack's Tracks in Nashville on 27 October 1976: as Reynolds' regular session keyboardist Charles Cochran had suffered a stroke with some resultant numbness in his hands Reynolds hired Hargus "Pig" Robbins to play keyboards and Robbins instantly devised the song's signature acoustic piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
; Cochran was also featured on the session playing the horn parts on a Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
. Reynolds - "it was just one of those charmed sessions...[After] we presented the song to the musicians...it was about the third time running [through] that song that we ran tape...[Gayle] sang [the song] wonderfully. It came so fast that she wasn't sure that she had done her best job. I had to let her try to sing it again on two or three different occasions until she was comfortable with the original [vocal take], and that's what we went with. Everything on that recording was the original take as it went down, except the string section I added later."
In a 2004 Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
interview, Gayle stated that Leigh wrote the song because his dog had one brown eye and one blue eye.
Reception
The song became a worldwide hit single. In the United States, it topped the Billboard country music chartHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
and became Gayle's first, (and biggest), crossover pop hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for 3 weeks, behind Debby Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
's smash hit, You Light Up My Life
You Light Up My Life
You Light Up My Life is a 1977 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Joseph Brooks. The picture stars Didi Conn, Stephen Nathan and Michael Zaslow, and follows a girl named Laurie , who wants to be a singer. Soon, she finds herself pressed by young friends to sing and her father, who...
. The album received Platinum status, the first by a female country singer. The song became Gayle's signature piece throughout her career. In 1978, the song won Gayle a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In 1999, the song was recognized by ASCAP as one of the ten most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song has a jazzy feel to it when compared to many other country songs of that era. Gayle had many more hit singles for the next ten years, such as "Talking in Your Sleep
Talking in Your Sleep (Crystal Gayle song)
"Talking in Your Sleep" is a song written by Roger Cook and Bobby Wood, that was the second single released by Country-Pop crossover singer, Crystal Gayle, to become a hit on both the country and pop charts. It was a hit in 1978...
", "Half the Way
Half The Way
"Half the Way" is the name of Country-Pop crossover single, Crystal Gayle's third crossover Pop hit, released in 1979.After recently achieving major Country crossover success in 1977 with "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." , followed by a Top 20 Pop hit and No...
" "You and I
You and I (Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle song)
"You and I" was a duet by Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle that became a big hit in 1982. In 1982, the two singers joined to record the song "You and I". When released to the public in 1982, "You and I" became a big country pop crossover hit for both singers, showing to the public they could be just...
" (a duet with Eddie Rabbitt
Eddie Rabbitt
Edward Thomas "Eddie" Rabbitt was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His career began as a songwriter in the late 1960s, springboarding to a recording career after composing hits such as "Kentucky Rain" for Elvis Presley in 1970 and "Pure Love" for Ronnie Milsap in 1974...
) and "I'll Get Over You
I'll Get Over You
"I'll Get Over You" is a song made famous by country music singer Crystal Gayle. Written by Richard Leigh, the song was Crystal Gayle's seventh chart hit and her first number-one country hit in 1976....
", but none have achieved the same level of success as "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue".
Cover versions
The song has been covered by Lorrae DesmondLorrae Desmond
Lorrae Desmond, MBE is a Australian singer, entertainer, and character actress, with a career spanning over 50 years...
, Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi
Laura Fygi is a Dutch singer.- Background and career :For the first eight years of her life, she lived with her parents in South America...
, the Nolans
The Nolans
The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish all-female band consisting of a group of sisters. The group, best known for their song "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous television shows in the United Kingdom...
, Tessanne Chin
Tessanne Chin
Tessanne Chin is a Reggae fusion recording artist, best known for her hit singles Hideaway and Messenger. Hideaway was featured on VP Records' Reggae Gold 2007...
, Alison Statton
Alison Statton
Alison Statton is a Welsh singer. She presently works as a chiropractor in Cardiff, Wales, where she was born. Fans of the singer have included Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Belle and Sebastian and Renato Russo.-Musical career:...
(aka Devine & Statton), Wendy Van Wanten and Dana Winner
Dana Winner
Dana Winner is the stage name of Chantal Vanlee . She is a Belgian singer who is famous especially in Flanders and the Netherlands.-Biography:...
. Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu is a French chanteuse, and pop singer. Hailed in the French press as the successor to Édith Piaf, she has achieved great commercial success, recording over 1200 songs in nine different languages, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide.-Childhood to early...
has recorded the song in German as "Tränen Würden Mir Nicht Stehn" while the French rendering "Mes yeux blues son gris" was recorded by Michèle Torr.
Chart performance
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 9 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 10 |