Brown Eyed Girl

What makes Brown Eyed Girl so special, beyond its catchy melody, is the story behind its title and origin. Originally, Van Morrison conceived it as Brown-Skinned Girl, but in the middle of the recording, an unexpected twist transformed it. According to the artist himself, it was a slip, an influence of Jamaican and calypso rhythms that escaped him at the moment of writing. Upon reviewing the tape box after the session, he realized the title had changed to Brown Eyed Girl, and he simply accepted that it happened that way. This anecdote gives a touch of spontaneity to a song that, despite its apparent simplicity, evokes nostalgic landscapes and memories of past loves, with references to places like "the Hollow" in East Belfast, near where Morrison grew up on Hyndford Street.

The recording of this piece took place in March 1967, during an intense two-day session at A & R studios in New York City, under the production of Bert Berns. It was on the twenty-second attempt that the version we know was captured. Alongside Morrison, musicians such as Hugh McCracken and Al Gorgoni on guitars, Russ Savakus on bass, Garry Sherman on organ, and Gary Chester on drums participated, with the Sweet Inspirations providing backing vocals. Despite its success, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for sixteen weeks, Morrison has expressed that it is not one of his favorites, and that he even has about 300 songs he considers superior. The contract he signed with Bang Records, without legal advice, meant he never received royalties for this song, a fact that led him to write The Big Royalty Check. As a result of this agreement, the album Blowin' Your Mind! was assembled by Berns without Morrison's involvement, including Brown Eyed Girl as the main track.