Good Hearted Woman (song)
| "Good Hearted Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Waylon Jennings 'Good Hearted Woman' 1972 single.jpg | ||||
| Single by Waylon Jennings | ||||
| from the album Good Hearted Woman | ||||
| B-side | "It's All Over Now" | |||
| Released | December 14, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | September 1, 1971 | |||
| Genre | Country, country rock | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Waylon Jennings Willie Nelson | |||
| Producer(s) | Ronny Light | |||
| Waylon Jennings singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Waylon Jennings - Good Hearted Woman" | ||||
"Good Hearted Woman" is a song written by American country music singers Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
Writing
In 1969, while staying at the Fort Worther Motel in Fort Worth, Texas,[1] Waylon Jennings was inspired to start writing the song when he saw an advertisement on a newspaper promoting Tina Turner as a "good hearted woman loving two-timing men", a reference to Ike Turner.[2] Jennings went to talk to Nelson, who was in a middle of a poker game. He joined the game, and told Nelson about his idea. While they kept playing, they expanded the lyrics as Nelson's wife Connie Koepke was writing them down.[1]
Recording
Jennings recorded the song for the first time as the title track of his 1972 album Good Hearted Woman,[1][3] the single peaked at number three on the Billboard's Hot Country Singles.[4] In 1975, Jennings remixed the song, adding vocals from Willie Nelson (and adding fake crowd noise to give it a live feel) for the album Wanted: The Outlaws!. The album cemented the pair's outlaw image and became country music's first platinum album.[5] The song peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Country Singles and at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] The song won the Single of the Year award in the 1976 Country Music Association Awards,[7] and took Jennings and Nelson to the mainstream audiences, giving them nationwide recognition.[8][9]
Cover versions
- In 1976, a duet version of "Good Hearted Woman" performed by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson became the first of three number ones on the country chart for the duo.
- The 2005 album Texas Fed, Texas Bred: Redefining Country Music, Volume 1 includes a cover version performed by Guy Clark.
- LeAnn Rimes recorded a version of the song for her 2011 release, Lady & Gentlemen.
- Tina Turner recorded a version on Soul Deep.
- Hank Williams III recorded a version of the song, later released in Long Gone Daddy.
- George Jones sang it in 1980.
- Mel Street recorded a version for his 1972 album, Borrowed Angel.
- Micky and the Motorcars (with Cody and Willy Braun) recorded a version for Cross Canadian Ragweed's "The Red River Tribute" to Waylon Jennings (2003)
- Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt performed the song for Jerry Bradley at the induction ceremony of Jerry Bradley into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
Charts
Waylon Jennings
| Chart (1971-1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 25 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] | 16 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 6 |
References
- ^ a b c Horstman, Dorothy 1996, p. 104.
- ^ "Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - Good Hearted Woman". New Musical Express. IPC MEDIA. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- ^ Horstman, Dorothy 1996, p. 426.
- ^ "Billboard Hot Country Singles". Billboard. 84 (10). Nielsen Business Media, Inc.: 52 March 11, 1972. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ Hartman, Gary 2008, p. 175.
- ^ "Wanted! The Outlaws". Allmusic. Allrovi. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ "Country's Toppers Honored by CMA". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 23, 1976. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- ^ Larkin, Colin 2002, p. 196.
- ^ Busby, Mark 2004, p. 332.
- ^ a b "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
Works cited
- Busby, Mark (2004). The Southwest. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313328053.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Hartman, Gary (2008). The History Of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 9781603440028.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Horstman, Dorothy (1996). Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy. Country Music Foundation. ISBN 9780915608195.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Larkin, Colin (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music. Virgin. ISBN 9781852279479.
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