The Essential Willie Nelson
Encyclopedia
The Essential Willie Nelson is a two-disc compilation of Willie Nelson
songs. This digitally-remastered compilation covers five decades of Nelson's recording career, and is part of Sony's Essential series of compilation albums.
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
songs. This digitally-remastered compilation covers five decades of Nelson's recording career, and is part of Sony's Essential series of compilation albums.
Disc one
- "Night Life"
- "Hello WallsHello Walls"Hello Walls" is an American country music song recorded by Faron Young. It became a massive hit in 1961, reaching #1 country and #12 pop, and introduced its songwriter – Willie Nelson – to a national audience....
" - "CrazyCrazy (Willie Nelson song)"Crazy" is a ballad composed by Willie Nelson. It has been recorded by several artists, most notably by Patsy Cline, whose version was a #2 country hit in 1962....
" - "Funny How Time Slips AwayFunny How Time Slips Away"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and also performed by Willie Nelson. The song was included as a track on Willie Nelson's 1962, debut album, And Then I Wrote.-Cover versions:...
" - "The Party's Over"
- "Good Times"
- "Me and Paul"
- "Shotgun Willie"
- "Bloody Mary Morning"
- "Blue Eyes Crying in the RainBlue Eyes Crying in the Rain"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a song written by songwriter Fred Rose. Originally performed by Roy Acuff, the song was later recorded by Willie Nelson as part of his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger. Both the song and album would become iconic in country music history, and jump start Nelson's...
" - "Good Hearted WomanGood Hearted Woman (song)"Good Hearted Woman" is the title track from Waylon Jennings' 1972 album. "Good Hearted Woman" was written by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson and performed by Waylon Jennings, the song spent eighteen weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart, reaching a peak of #3 in March 1972...
" (with Waylon JenningsWaylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
) - "If You've Got the Money I've Got the TimeIf You've Got the Money I've Got the Time"If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" is a 1950 song by Lefty Frizzell, who co-wrote the song with Jim Beck, and it was his debut single. The single stayed at No. 1 for three weeks on the Most Played C&W Jukebox Records and peaked at number two on the C&W Best Seller list. The Frizell...
" - "Uncloudy Day"
- "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (with Waylon JenningsWaylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
) - "Georgia On My MindGeorgia on My Mind"Georgia on My Mind" is a song written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell . It is the official state song of the U.S. state of Georgia. Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael. However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state or...
" - "Blue SkiesBlue Skies (song)-History:The song was composed in 1926 as a last minute addition to the Rodgers and Hart musical, Betsy. Although the show only ran for 39 performances, "Blue Skies" was an instant success, with audiences on opening night demanding 24 encores of the piece from star, Belle Baker. During the final...
" - "All of MeAll of Me (song)"All of Me" is a popular song and jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931.First performed by Belle Baker over the radio and recorded in December 1931 by Ruth Etting, it has become one of the most recorded songs of its era, with notable versions by Russ Columbo, Bing Crosby,...
" - "Help Me Make It Through the NightHelp Me Make It Through the Night"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country music ballad composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson.Kristofferson said that he got the inspiration for the song from an Esquire magazine interview with Frank Sinatra...
" - "Whiskey RiverWhiskey River"Whiskey River" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Bush. He released the song in 1972 through RCA Victor and included it on his album Whiskey River...
" (live, April 1978) - "Stay a Little LongerStay A Little Longer"Stay a Little Longer" is a Western swing dance tune written by Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan. The title comes from a refrain in the chorus:*Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Billboard Books, 2006. ISBN 0-8230-8291-1...
" (live, April 1978)
Disc two
- "My Heroes Have Always Been CowboysMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (song)"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" is the title of a song from the soundtrack to the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, and which was released as a single in 1980. It was his first release in the 1980s. "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" was written by Sharon Vaughn and performed by Willie Nelson...
" - "Faded LoveFaded Love"Faded Love" is a Western swing song written by Bob Wills, his father John Wills, and his brother, Billy Jack Wills. The tune is considered to be an exemplar of the Western swing fiddle component of American fiddle.The melody came from an old fiddle tune Bob learned from his father, John Wills....
" (with Ray PriceRay Price (musician)Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
) - "On The Road AgainOn the Road Again (Willie Nelson song)"On the Road Again" is a song made famous by country music singer Willie Nelson, and is part of the soundtrack to the 1980 movie Honeysuckle Rose....
" - "Angel Flying Too Close to the GroundAngel Flying Too Close to the Ground"Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" is a 1981 single from the film Honeysuckle Rose. "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" was written and performed by Willie Nelson...
" - "Always on My MindAlways on My Mind"Always on My Mind" is an American country music song by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, originally recorded by Brenda Lee in 1972.Allmusic lists over 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers...
" - "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This MorningLast Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning"Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning" is a single by American country music artist Willie Nelson. Released in October 1982, it was the third single from his album Always on My Mind. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and #1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in...
" - "Pancho and LeftyPancho and Lefty"Pancho and Lefty" is a song written by country singer and songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Van Zandt first recorded it for his 1972 album, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt...
" (with Merle HaggardMerle HaggardMerle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
) - "To All The Girls I've Loved BeforeTo All the Girls I've Loved Before"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" was a 1984 cover of Albert Hammond's song by singers Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, which appeared on Iglesias's album 1100 Bel Air Place. A breakthrough for Iglesias in the English language market, the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the...
" (with Julio IglesiasJulio IglesiasJulio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
) - "City of New OrleansCity of New Orleans (song)"City of New Orleans" is a folk song written by Steve Goodman , describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans via the Illinois Central Railroad in bittersweet and nostalgic terms. Goodman got the idea while traveling on the eponymous train for a visit to his wife's family...
" - "Seven Spanish AngelsSeven Spanish Angels"Seven Spanish Angels is a 1984 single written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser and recorded by Ray Charles with Willie Nelson. "Seven Spanish Angels" would be the most successful of Ray Charles' eight hits on the country chart...
" (with Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
) - "Forgiving You Was EasyForgiving You Was Easy"Forgiving You Was Easy" is a 1985 single written and recorded by Willie Nelson. "Forgiving You Was Easy" was Willie Nelson's tenth number one single as a solo artist. The single went to number one for one week and spent fourteen weeks on the country chart ....
" - "HighwaymanHighwayman (song)"Highwayman" is the title of a song written by American songwriter Jimmy Webb, about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history, a highwayman, a sailor, a construction worker on the Hoover Dam, and finally as a star ship captain....
" (with Waylon JenningsWaylon JenningsWaylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
& Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
) - "Living in the PromiselandLiving in the Promiseland"Living in the Promiseland" is a 1986 single written by David Lynn Jones and recorded by Willie Nelson. "Living in the Promiseland" was Willie Nelson's twelfth number one single on the country chart as a solo artist, spending one week at number one and twenty weeks on the chart.In 1988, Jones...
" - "Nothing I Can Do About It NowNothing I Can Do About it Now"Nothing I Can Do About It Now" is a 1989 single written by Beth Nielsen Chapman and recorded by Willie Nelson. It was Nelson's fourteenth number one single on the U.S. Country Singles chart. The single spent one week at number one and a total of fifteen weeks on the chart.-Chart performance:...
" - "Graceland"
- "Everywhere I Go" (with Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
) - "Mendocino County Line" (with Lee Ann WomackLee Ann WomackLee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
) - "One Time Too Many" (with AerosmithAerosmithAerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
)
Chart performance
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 24 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 179 |