"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song written and recorded in 1967 by Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison and produced by Bang Records chief Bert Berns. It was first released in May 1967 on the album Blowin' Your Mind! and as a single entered the Cashbox charts on July 22nd where it eventually rose to No. 8 and to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.^[1]It featured the Sweet Inspirations singing back-up vocals and is one of Van Morrison's signature songs.^[2] A song is a relatively short musical composition. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Blowin Your Mind! is the solo debut album by Irish musician Van Morrison recorded on the 28th and 29th of March 1967. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Neshui Ertegun and Jerry Wexler (Gerald). ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 - December 30, 1967) (a/k/a Bert Russell and Bert Berns) was one of the great American songwriters and record producers of the 1960s. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Cash Box magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industry. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Northern Ireland is an administrative region and one of four parts of the United Kingdom. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Neshui Ertegun and Jerry Wexler (Gerald). ... Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 - December 30, 1967) (a/k/a Bert Russell and Bert Berns) was one of the great American songwriters and record producers of the 1960s. ... Blowin Your Mind! is the solo debut album by Irish musician Van Morrison recorded on the 28th and 29th of March 1967. ... Cash Box magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industry. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Sweet Inspirations were founded by Emily Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney Houston, and sister of Lee Warrick (herself the mother of well-known sisters Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick). ... A signature song is the one song (or, in some cases, one of a few songs) that a popular and well-established singer, or band, is most closely identified with, even if they have had success with a variety of songs. ...

Recording History

After finishing out his contract with Decca Records and the break up of his band Them, Van Morrison was back in Belfast seeking a new recording company. After receiving a phone call from Bert Berns owner of Bang Records he flew to New York City and hastily signed a contract (that biographer Clinton Heylin says probably still gives him sleepless nights.)^[3] During a two day recording session starting March 28, 1967, he recorded eight songs intended to be used as four singles.^[4] The recording session took place at A & R Studios and "Brown Eyed Girl" was captured on the 22nd take on the first day.^[5] Of the musicians Berns had assembled there were three guitarists, including Eric Gale and Al Giorgioni, bassist Russ Savakus, pianist Paul Griffin.^[6]and drummer Gary Chester ^[7]It was released as a single in mid-June 1967.^[8] It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... Them was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, best known for the garage rock standard Gloria and launching singer Van Morrisons career. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Northern Ireland County: District: Belfast UK Parliament: Belfast North Belfast South Belfast East Belfast West European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 posttown = Belfast Postal District(s): BT1-BT17, BT29 (part of), BT58 Area: 115 km² Population (2001) Website: www. ... Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 - December 30, 1967) (a/k/a Bert Russell and Bert Berns) was one of the great American songwriters and record producers of the 1960s. ... Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Neshui Ertegun and Jerry Wexler (Gerald). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Eric Gale (b 20 September 1938, Brooklyn, New York - d 25 May 1994, Baja, California) was a leading American jazz and session guitarist. ...

Song History

The song was originally titled "Brown-Skinned Girl" but Morrison later changed it to "Brown Eyed Girl" because he felt it sounded better.^[9] The song's nostalgic lyrics about a former love were considered too suggestive at the time to be played on many radio stations. A radio-edit of the song was released which excised the lyrics "making love in the green grass," replacing them with "laughin' and a-runnin'" from a previous verse. This edited version appears on some copies of the compilation album The Best of Van Morrison. However the remastered CD seems to have the bowdlerized lyrics in the packaging but the original "racy" lyrics on the disc. Morrison's original recording of "Brown Eyed Girl" remains widely familiar today, as it seems to be firmly ensconced in the playlists of most "oldies" and "classic rock" radio stations (these days usually in the uncensored version). All songs by Morrison unless stated otherwise Bright Side Of The Road – 3:45 Gloria – 2:37 Moondance – 4:31 Baby Please Dont Go (Big Joe Williams) – 3:03 Have I Told You Lately – 4:18 Brown Eyed Girl – 3:03 Sweet Thing – 4:22 Warm Love – 3:21... Thomas Bowdler (July 11, 1754 – February 24, 1825), an English physician, has become (in)famous as the editor of a childrens edition of William Shakespeare, the Family Shakespeare, in which he endeavoured to remove every thing that could give just offence to the religious and virtuous mind. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-1980s. ...

Morrison, due to the contract he signed with Bang Records without legal advice, has never (in his own words) received any royalties for writing or recording this song.^[10]The contract made him liable for virtually all recording expenses incurred for all of his Bang Records recordings before royalties would be paid and later, after the expenses were recouped, they would become be the "subject of some highly creative accounting."^[11]Morrison had vented his frustration in a wryly humorous and sarcastic nonsense song "The Big Royalty Check", on his 1968 Contractual Obligation Album.^[12] A contract is a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce. ... Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Neshui Ertegun and Jerry Wexler (Gerald). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Neshui Ertegun and Jerry Wexler (Gerald). ...

In November 2005, Van Morrison was awarded a Million-Air certificate by Broadcast Music Incorporated for reaching 7,000,000 US radio and television airplays for Brown Eyed Girl.^[13] Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is a collecting society that protects composers intellectual property in the communications business, especially radio. ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ...

After many years of not performing "Brown Eyed Girl" in concert, in 2006 and 2007, Morrison added it to most of his concerts along with "Gloria" as a closer or encore. Gloria is a rock song written by Van Morrison and originally recorded by Morrisons band Them in 1964 as the B-side of Baby Please Dont Go, which reached #10 on the UK charts. ... The encore is an additional extra performance of a musical piece at the end of the regular concert, which is not listed in the event setlist. ...

Critical acclaim and influence

• In January 2007, "Brown Eyed Girl" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
• In November 2004 "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison was listed at No. 109 on the Rolling Stone Magazine list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[14]
• It is also one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
• "Brown Eyed Girl" was rated at No. 386 on Dave Marsh's 1989 book, The Heart of Rock and Soul, The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever.^[15]
• It was chosen as #131 in 2001 as one of the RIAAs Songs of the Century a list of the top 365 songs of the 20th century chosen with historical significance in mind.^[16]
• It was listed as #79 on the All Time 885 Greatest Songs compiled in 2004 by WXPN from listener's votes.^[17]
• Paul Williams in his book, Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles,^[18] includes "Brown Eyed Girl" and remarks:

The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have qualitative or historical significance. Alphabetical listing by title: List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients A-D List of Grammy Hall... This article is about the magazine. ... ... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll is based on the permanent exhibit of the same name. ... Dave Marsh (born 1950) is an American music critic. ... The RIAA Logo. ... The Songs of the Century list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... WXPN (88. ... Paul Williams (born May 19, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts) created the rock music magazine Crawdaddy! in 1966 in New York City, and had to end it in 2003 due to financial difficulties. ...

Cultural references

At the televised memorial for Laci Peterson, Morrison's original version of "Brown Eyed Girl" was played as the closing music. Laci Peterson, born Laci Denise Rocha (May 4, 1975 – ca. ...

In April 2005, the White House announced that "Brown Eyed Girl" gets regular rotation on George W. Bush's iPod. Morrison announced before a university 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."^[19] Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... iPod (fifth generation) in Apple Universal Dock, iPod nano (second generation) and iPod shuffle (second generation) iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in 2001. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130...

"Brown Eyed Girl" was part of the soundtrack for the 1989 movie, Born on the Fourth of July, and as such was one of the nineteen songs featured on Van Morrison's 2007 compilation album, Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits. The version on the compilation is a recent re-recording of the original version of the song. Born on the Fourth of July (ISBN 1888451785) is the best selling autobiography of Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war activist. ... Van Morrison at the Movies - Soundtrack Hits is a 2007 compilation album by Van Morrison comprised of 19 songs as featured in various movies. ...

Covers

• Aki Sirkesalo (in Finnish as Punatukkainen)
• Barenaked Ladies
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Bob Dylan
• Bruce Springsteen
• Busted
• Buster Poindexter
• Creedance Clearwater Revival
• Del Amitri
• Everclear
• Green Day
• Howie Day
• Ian Matthews
• Indigo Girls
• Jimmy Buffett
• Jimmy Eat World
• John Anderson
• John Mayer
• John Valby (obscene parody)
• Ka'au Crater Boys
• Lagwagon (studio and live)
• Laurel Aitken
• Less than Jake
• Lynch Mob
• McFly
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
• Moxy Früvous
• MxPx
• N.O.T.A (as "Skinhead Girl")
• Normaal
• Pennywise
• Els Pets
• Rockapella
• Rolling Stones
• Ronan Keating (live tours only)
• Skatallica (Commonly mislabeled as Reel Big Fish)
• Steel Pulse
• Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Voice Male
• Weezer
• Ziggy Marley
• Sex Pistols

Finnish musician Aki Sirkesalo (b. ... Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL or occasionally BnL) is a Canadian alternative rock band currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart, and formerly Andy Creeggan. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... For the Joanne song, see Busted (song). ... Buster Poindexter, is a musician, better known for its collaborations with the Saturday Night Live band. ... Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly referred to by their initials CCR or simply Creedence, was an American swamp rock band, fronted by John Fogerty. ... The original Del Amitri line-up as seen on the cover of Melody Maker magazine in February 1985 Del Amitri are a British pop-rock guitar band, formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1982. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... Howie Kern Day (born January 15, 1981 in Bangor, Maine) is an American singer-songwriter. ... Iain Matthews (known in the 1960s first as Ian MacDonald, and from the late 1960s until 1989 as Ian Matthews) is a British musician and songwriter. ... Indigo Girls are an American folk rock duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... John Anderson is a common name shared by a number of individuals: John HD Anderson (1726-1796), a Scottish scientist. ... John Clayton Mayer (born October 16, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... John Valby (1945 in Rochester, New York – ) is a musician and comedian who plays in barrooms and college campuses across the east coast. ... -1... Laurel Aitken (April 22, 1927–July 17, 2005) became famous as one of the originators of Jamaican ska music in the late 1950s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lynching is murder (mostly by hanging) conceived by its perpetrators as extra-legal execution. ... McFly are an English pop rock band who were successfully launched into the music scene in early 2004 with their number one single, 5 Colours in Her Hair. The band was founded by Tom Fletcher (born July 17, 1985) and also consists of Danny Jones (born March 12, 1986), Dougie... Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock cover band that formed in 1995. ... Moxy Früvous is a folk-pop/geek-rock band from the Toronto, Ontario area. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Normaal, Parkpop 2006 Normaal is a rock band from the Netherlands, more specifically from the Achterhoek, which is what they base their image on, singing in local dialect. ... For the Stephen King creature, see It (monster). ... Els Pets is a Catalan pop rock band with lead singer, composer and guitarist Lluís Gavaldà from the village of Constantí (Tarragona). ... Rockapella on the set of the show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (Top row, L-R: Carl, Altman; Center: Leonard; Bottom row, L-R: Kerman, Thacher) Rockapella is a five-man a cappella musical group, known best for the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? theme song... This article is about the rock band. ... Ronan Patrick John Keating (born March 3, 1977 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland) is an Irish pop singer. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Steel Pulse is a well-known roots reggae musical band. ... Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ... Voice Male is a six-man contemporary a cappella group based in Utah. ... Weezer are an American Grammy-nominated rock band from Los Angeles, California. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Sex Pistols were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ...

Sample

Image File history File links Van_Morrison-Brown_Eyed_Girl. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
• Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison:No Surrender, London:Vintage Books ISBN 9780099431831
• Turner, Steve (1993). Too Late to Stop Now, Viking Penguin, ISBN 0-670-85147-7
• Williams, Paul (1993). Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles, Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., ISBN 0881849669
• Yorke, Ritchie (1975). Into The Music, London:Charisma Books , ISBN 0-85947-013-X

External links

• Lyrics Brown Eyed Girl
• Music & Lyrics The Big Royalty Check
• All Music Guide Review