i heard a great little songwriting anecdote today that shows the process up for what it often can be.
you’ll maybe know that song ‘don’t it make my brown eyes blue’
great song…
you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s title/hook is born out of the usual thing…
but it actually came when the writer had to let his dog out to urinate.
the writer richard leigh was sitting working away on his song when the dog looked up at him from the door..
he had the flesh of the lyric,but not the hook/title.
the thing is…his dog had cataracts …and when dogs get cataracts it produces a blue hue over the surface of the brown eye..
the writers dog looked up at him when he let him out into the garden,and click!…he’d found his hook and title.
i love that story…such a great song too..
i love those extra classy country songs that have an almost jazzy feel,
and ‘don’t it make my brown eyes blue” is a perfect example of it.
‘crazy’ by willie nelson would be another .
