#48 – Brown Eyed Girl

Day #48 – Brown Eyed Girl

Jimmy wrote so very many songs that uplifted people when they heard it. I also think there were songs that were written by others that I feel uplifted Jimmy’s spirit, most likely when he heard it, but certainly when he performed it. Brown Eyed Girl is one of those special songs.

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Original post from 10/19/2023

Day #48 – Brown Eyed Girl

I am sharing another song that, while JB didn’t write it, I believe he certainly made it his own, and was a staple of his live shows. Brown Eyed Girl was released on the 1983 album One Particular Harbour.

In his Parrothead Handbook, Jimmy calls this one of his favorite songs, and recalls this song from his very early days playing on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. He said it was immensely popular and there was a rumor that Van Morrison had gone to school for a time at Louisiana State University (LSU) and that the stadium in the song was Tiger Stadium. Of course, Jimmy acknowledges that turned out to be a false rumor, but it doesn’t make the song any less great.

So, JB’s history with playing this song live goes way back into his early days, and he played it in concert often. Robert Greenidge, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, who plays steel drums for the Coral Reefers actually thought Van Morrison was from Trinidad, because of the island flare the song had.

Van Morrison, who neither went to school at LSU nor was from the island of Trinidad, wrote this song in 1967, and put it on his own record that same year. The record was called Blowin’ Your Mind, and it made a strong impression, certainly with American audiences.

Van was born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1945, making him about a year older than Jimmy. Van started in the London music scene but made his move to the US early in his career. I love Van Morrison’s music. This song certainly, but also Moondance, Caravan, Wild Night, with my favorite song of his being Into The Mystic… gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

Van said about Brown Eyed Girl that the original title and lyric was Brown Skinned Girl, that it was meant to have a Jamaican and Calypso feeling and was about being in the islands (no wonder Jimmy was drawn to it) but in the studio he changed Skinned to Eyed and states he didn’t even realize it until after it was recorded. I think that is very interesting, getting so caught up in your music that you change an integral part of your song. He’s an artist, no doubt.

I think Jimmy must have truly loved this song. I don’t believe I ever seen him in concert when he didn’t play it, and it certainly is a crowd favorite. I mean, it’s a great song! Great enough that Jimmy covered it in studio and put it on a couple live albums. And with a strong dose of steel drums included!

Please enjoy Jimmy’s version of Brown Eyed Girl! I will include the link in the comments below. 

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Part of me thinks this is more Jimmy’s song than Van’s. Of course, that is not precisely true. But Jimmy certainly made it special and, in many ways, made it his own, especially while performing it live. I have seen it live on several occasions and I have listened to and watched multiple concerts and recordings on the online platforms, and each time, there is a certain joy I see on Jimmy’s face when he sings this song, a certain delight in his body language as he performs, a certain happiness in his witnessing the reaction of the crowd. Jimmy and Brown Eyed Girl is a beautiful thing and I firmly consider this one of his songs.

Stacy

Please enjoy Brown Eyed Girl. I have included the link below. Enjoy!

The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.