Brown Eyed Girl Question

BottleofRum · Post by **BottleofRum** » November 23, 2004 3:31 pm

Everyday (M-F) at about 5:50ishPM on a local radio station (The River 105.9 in CT) they play a Buffett song. They call it "The Parrothead Paradise Song of the Day" . Yesterday they played "Brown Eyed Girl" at the end the DJ comes says how the song was originally written by Van Morrison and says the originally title of the song was "Brown Skinned Girl" but Morrison decided to change it not long after he released it because he didn’t like the way it sounded!

Has anyone else heard of this?

A1A BOUND · Post by **A1A BOUND** » November 23, 2004 3:42 pm

VERY INTERESTING

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » November 23, 2004 3:43 pm

Its on the Internet, it must be true.
http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/ ... neyed.html

Van Morrison wrote:They put out publicity around that time to the fact that it was written specifically about somebody I knew, but it wasn't. Originally, it was called "Brown Skinned Girl" when I wrote the song. I just thought "Brown Eyed Girl" sounded better or something. I guess it really wouldn't have made much difference, but "Brown Skinned Girl" was the original title. After we'd recorded it, I looked at the tape box and didn't even notice that I'd changed the title. That's how spaced out it was. I looked at the box where I laid it down with my guitar and it said "Brown Eyed Girl" on the tape box. It's just one of those things that happen."

Also, similar info found at http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=2359

PA PAR8 HED · Post by **PA PAR8 HED** » November 23, 2004 3:45 pm

I can't say I've ever heard of any other version than Brown Eyed Girl, if it was recorded I doubt it was ever released. Good trivia if it is true!

Cubbie Bear · Post by **Cubbie Bear** » November 23, 2004 3:46 pm

has anyone informed Kath of this turn of events

bravedave · Post by **bravedave** » November 23, 2004 3:48 pm

Wow, if you came up with an outrageous tale (say, Paul McCartney died years ago) that was just within the shadow of a doubt, sufficient web placement would automatically make that story true. Weird, huh.

(heh heh, until http://www.snopes.com/ got ahold of it)

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » November 23, 2004 3:58 pm

bravedave wrote:Wow, if you came up with an outrageous tale (say, Paul McCartney died years ago) that was just within the shadow of a doubt, sufficient web placement would automatically make that story true. Weird, huh.

(heh heh, until http://www.snopes.com/ got ahold of it)

I just report the news. That's what we have fact checkers for!

ph4ever · Post by **ph4ever** » November 23, 2004 5:47 pm

PA PAR8 HED wrote:I can't say I've ever heard of any other version than Brown Eyed Girl, if it was recorded I doubt it was ever released. Good trivia if it is true!

you aren't serious are you???

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » November 23, 2004 6:00 pm

I was going through that harbor Van site not to long ago and read that also.

There are actually two versions of Van's original recording of this song. Somewhere along the line a DJ made an edit that took the line "laughin' and a runnin'" from the beginning of the song and pasted it over the line "makin' love in the green grass", creating some cheesy censorship. Someone must have goofed in compiling the original release of "The Best of Van Morrison", because that’s the version that went on there (and the one my dad has!). The compilation has been remastered since and the problem has been fixed.

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » November 23, 2004 7:13 pm

Cubbie Bear wrote:has anyone informed Kath of this turn of events

In the back of my head I seem to remember hearing somewhere that the song was actually written for a green eyed girl, but brown eyed sounded better...but who knows if that was true or not.

CaptainP · Post by **CaptainP** » November 23, 2004 7:31 pm

It's a true story, but not for the reasons stated. When he wrote the song, it was written as "Brown Skinned Girl". He didn't change it because of the way it sounded, but because his record label wouldn't release the song as it was. THis was before inter-racial relationships were common.

I got this from an interview with Van himself about 10 years ago.

FinsUp328 · Post by **FinsUp328** » November 23, 2004 7:47 pm

Cubbie Bear wrote:has anyone informed Kath of this turn of events

Ya mean we might have to start calling her BSG??!!

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » November 23, 2004 8:00 pm

FinsUp328 wrote:
Cubbie Bear wrote:has anyone informed Kath of this turn of events
Ya mean we might have to start calling her BSG??!!

Well I did have a pretty savage tan this summer...

land_shark3 · Post by **land_shark3** » November 23, 2004 8:39 pm

Brown Eyed Girl wrote:
FinsUp328 wrote:Ya mean we might have to start calling her BSG??!!
Well I did have a pretty savage tan this summer...

For me, that would mean RSG ~ Red Skinned Guy.

bumper · Post by **bumper** » November 23, 2004 8:47 pm

Brown Eyed Girl wrote:
FinsUp328 wrote:
Cubbie Bear wrote:has anyone informed Kath of this turn of events
Ya mean we might have to start calling her BSG??!!
Well I did have a pretty savage tan this summer...

yeah?

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » November 23, 2004 8:56 pm

bumper wrote:
Brown Eyed Girl wrote:
FinsUp328 wrote:
Cubbie Bear wrote:has anyone informed Kath of this turn of events
Ya mean we might have to start calling her BSG??!!
Well I did have a pretty savage tan this summer...
yeah?

yeah...ask the ATL/Mac crew

a1abob · Post by **a1abob** » November 23, 2004 9:02 pm

I'm listening to that song right now on Radio Margaritaville

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » November 23, 2004 9:10 pm

a1abob wrote:I'm listening to that song right now on Radio Margaritaville

I listened to it via cell phone and RM.

Dally · Post by **Dally** » November 23, 2004 9:14 pm

BSG Andretti....it just doesn't have the same ring to it!!!!!

Brown Eyed Girl · Post by **Brown Eyed Girl** » November 23, 2004 9:32 pm

Dally wrote:BSG Andretti....it just doesn't have the same ring to it!!!!!

No, it doesn't at all!

Thank goodness it was changed!