"Walkaway Joe" is the title of a country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 song written by Vince Melamed

Vince Melamed

Vince Melamed is an American keyboardist and songwriter who currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He was born in New York, and moved to Los Angeles at an early age. Vince has appeared with many bands as keyboardist...

 and Greg Barnhill. It was recorded by American singer Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood

Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...

 on her 1992 album Hearts in Armor

Hearts in Armor

Hearts in Armor is the second studio album by country singer Trisha Yearwood.Four of its tracks found spots in the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1992 and 1993: "Wrong Side of Memphis" rose to #5, "Walkaway Joe" to #2, "You Say You Will" to #12, and "Down on My Knees" to #19...

, with background vocals from Don Henley

Don Henley

Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...

 of the Eagles. Yearwood released it in early 1993 as the second single from the album, reaching #2 on the U.S. Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

country charts with it. A young Matthew McConaughey appears as the male lead in the music video.

Content

"Walkaway Joe" is a mid-tempo ballad describing a failed relationship initiated by an over-eager 17-year-old girl ("Such are the dreams of an average Jane / Ninety miles an hour down lovers' lane") and an uninterested male (presumably embarking on a life of crime, as evidenced in the song's second verse), or "Walkaway Joe."

After a performance on The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

, Yearwood met Don Henley

Don Henley

Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...

 of the Eagles and, after being invited to sing on her second album, he traveled to Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 and recorded background vocals for the song.

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...

 appears in the music video.

The song appeared in the CBS show Touched By An Angel. Episode 512 of the show entitled "Fool For Love" was based on the song.

Critical reception

Thom Jurek described the song favorably in his review of Hearts in Armor,saying, "Yearwood's telling the story she tells best, working-class love gone bad." In a review of Yearwood's 1997 greatest-hits package (Songbook) A Collection of Hits

(Songbook) A Collection of Hits

-Australian and Japanese track listing:-Chart performance:-Certifications:...

, Gordon Ely of the Richmond Times said, "It's not just a great song. It's memorable and only a shade shy of pure poetry. And it will be with us for a long time."

The song was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1994 Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

s.

Chart performance

Chart (1992-1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	2
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	2
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary	30