About The Song
“Brown Eyed Handsome Man” is a song performed by Waylon Jennings, released in 1970 as a single on RCA Victor, later included on the album Waylon. Written by Chuck Berry in 1956, the song was originally a rock and roll hit by Berry, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard R&B chart. Jennings’ country-rock version peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on April 4, 1970, and charted for 13 weeks. The 2:34 track tells a playful story of charm and attraction, with lyrics like: “Arrested on charges of unemployment / He was sittin’ in the witness stand.”
Jennings recorded the song in 1970 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Danny Davis. The session featured The Waylors, with Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, Jerry Gropp on guitar, and Richie Albright on drums, alongside session musicians. The arrangement blends a rockabilly rhythm with country elements, incorporating Mooney’s steel guitar and a driving beat, complementing Jennings’ rugged vocals. The album Waylon reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 200,000 copies by 1972, per RIAA records, solidifying Jennings’ growing influence.
The song’s selection came as Jennings sought to pay homage to rock and roll influences while carving his place in country music. Berry’s original, with its witty narrative, appealed to Jennings’ love for storytelling, recorded during his transition toward the outlaw country sound. In a 1970 interview with Country Music magazine, Jennings said: “Chuck’s songs have a spirit that fits what I’m trying to do.” The track gained exposure through its inclusion in the 1970 television special Country Music Showcase, aired on CBS, featuring a live performance.
Covers of the song include Berry’s 1956 original and a 1960 version by Buddy Holly on Reminiscing. Jennings’ rendition inspired later covers, such as a 1975 version by Johnny Cash on John R. Cash, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1971 Grand Ole Opry appearance was released on the 2008 album Waylon Live: The Lost Nashville Sessions. The song appeared in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, used in a dance scene, and in a 2017 episode of The Ranch, featured during a bar sequence.
Jennings frequently included “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” in his live sets, notably at the 1970 Dripping Springs Reunion in Texas, where it energized the crowd. A 1978 recording with Willie Nelson was released on the album Waylon & Willie. The song was performed at the 1976 Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic in Gonzales, Texas, and featured in a 2019 documentary, Waylon Jennings: Rock & Country Fusion, aired on PBS, exploring his genre-blending legacy. The track remains a fan favorite in Jennings’ catalog, often paired with other upbeat songs.
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Lyric
Arrested on charges of unemployment
He was sittin’ in the witness stand
The judge’s wife called up the district attorney
Said, “You free that brown eyed man”If you want your job you better free that brown eyed handsome man
Flying across the desert in a TWA
I saw a woman walking ‘cross the sand
She been a-walkin’ thirty miles en route to Bombay
To meet a brown eyed handsome manHer destination was a brown eyed handsome man
Way back in history three thousand years
In fact ever since the world began
There’s been a whole lotta good women shedding tears
For a brown eyed handsome manIt was the trouble of a brown eyed handsome man
Well, the Milo Venus was a beautiful lass
She had the world in the palm of her hand
She lost both her arms in a wrestling match
To win a brown eyed handsome manShe fought and lost for a brown eyed handsome man
Two-three the count with nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stand
Rounding third he was headed for home
It was a brown eyed handsome manThat won the game, it was a brown eyed handsome man