Writer: Van Morrison
Producer: Bert Berns
Recorded: Spring 1967, New York City
Released: June 1967
| Players: | Van Morrison — vocals Eric Gale or Hugh McCracken — guitar Other players unknown |
| Album: | Blowin' Your Mind (BANG, 1967) |
Morrison's entire first album was recorded with session men in just three days.
Though it was once reported that “Brown Eyed Girl” was recorded in one take, it actually required 22 takes. An earlier version can be heard on Bang Masters, mostly notable for a different guitar part and outro.
The song started out as a Latin arrangement.
Morrison had hit the charts already with his group Them, whose hit “Here Comes The Night” was also produced (and written) by Bert Berns, famous for writing “Twist And Shout.” The 21-year-old Morrison moved to New York in early 1967 to record for Berns' Bang Records. The singles were lumped with outtakes, without Morrison's permission, and became his debut album when released in January 1968.
Berns died of a heart attack in December 1967.
The single version of “Brown Eyed Girl” was censored because of the line “makin' love in the green grass/behind the stadium.”
Morrison has released several live albums, but “Brown Eyed Girl” has never appeared on them.
