Good Hearted Woman (song)

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"Good Hearted Woman"
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"
ReleasedDecember 14, 1971
RecordedSeptember 1, 1971
GenreCountry, country rock
Length3:01
LabelRCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Waylon Jennings
Willie Nelson
Producer(s)Ronny Light
Waylon Jennings singles chronology
"Cedartown, Georgia"
(1971) 		"Good Hearted Woman"
(1971) 		"Sweet Dream Woman"
(1972)
Audio sample
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"Waylon Jennings - Good Hearted Woman"
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"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

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1976) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 2

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Horstman, Dorothy 1996, p. 104.
  2. ^ "Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - Good Hearted Woman". New Musical Express. IPC MEDIA. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  3. ^ Horstman, Dorothy 1996, p. 426.
  4. ^ "Billboard Hot Country Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 84 (10): 52. March 11, 1972. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  5. ^ Hartman, Gary 2008, p. 175.
  6. ^ "Wanted! The Outlaws". Allmusic. Allrovi. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  7. ^ "Country's Toppers Honored by CMA". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 23, 1976. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin 2002, p. 196.
  9. ^ Busby, Mark 2004, p. 332.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1976". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2021.

Works cited

  • Busby, Mark (2004). The Southwest. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313328053.
  • Hartman, Gary (2008). The History Of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 9781603440028.
  • Horstman, Dorothy (1996). Sing Your Heart Out, Country Boy. Country Music Foundation. ISBN 9780915608195.
  • Larkin, Colin (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of 70s Music. Virgin. ISBN 9781852279479.


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