Brown Eyed Girl: quick facts
- Singer: Van Morrison, born in east Belfast in 1945.
- Released: June 1967, his first single as a solo artist, recorded in New York.
- Charts: number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- Original title: “Brown-Skinned Girl”. Morrison changed it before it was released.
- Since then: a radio favourite for nearly 60 years and a wedding and party staple everywhere.
Put this on at an Irish wedding and watch the floor fill, from the grandparents to the kids. It is nearly 60 years old, and it was recorded by a 21-year-old from east Belfast.
Here is the official audio, from Van Morrison’s own channel.
Who is Van Morrison?
George Ivan Morrison was born in 1945 and grew up on Hyndford Street in east Belfast, surrounded by his father’s collection of American blues, jazz and country records. In the mid-1960s he fronted the Belfast band Them, who had hits with Gloria and Here Comes the Night. Then he went solo and headed for New York.
The song
In March 1967 Morrison recorded Brown Eyed Girl in New York for Bang Records. The song looks back on a young romance, all transistor radios, laughing and running in the sun. He originally called it “Brown-Skinned Girl” and changed the title before it came out, in part because the new title stood a better chance of getting played on American radio.
It was released that June and climbed to number ten in the US. Morrison has said he never thought it was one of his best songs, but audiences never agreed.
The man who kept going
Brown Eyed Girl was only the start. A year later came Astral Weeks, now regarded as one of the greatest albums ever made, then Moondance and decades of records after that. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and knighted in 2016 for services to music and to tourism in Northern Ireland.
Brown Eyed Girl FAQ
Is Van Morrison Irish?
Yes. He was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
What year was Brown Eyed Girl released?
1967.
What was Brown Eyed Girl originally called?
“Brown-Skinned Girl”.
How high did Brown Eyed Girl chart?
Number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100.
More Irish music
- Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars
- Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town
- U2’s rooftop gig
- You Raise Me Up: the Irish story behind the hit
- The best viral Irish videos of all time
Featured image: still from Van Morrison’s official YouTube channel (album art for Blowin’ Your Mind!).
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