Remember the Strange Place Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings Wrote ‘Good Hearted Woman’?
Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were the best of friends, and they collaborated on hits more than once. One of the pair's biggest hits was "Good Hearted Woman," and they finished it in an unlikely setting — in the middle of one of Nelson's infamous private poker games.
Jennings had already written most of the song, but he was stuck on a spot in the chorus that he just couldn't work out on his own when he brought the song to Nelson during one of the country legend's high-stakes games. Nelson promptly added the line, "Through teardrops and laughter they'll pass through this world hand-in-hand," finishing the song.
"Good Hearted Woman" became the title song of Jennings' next album in 1971, and his solo version reached No. 3 when it was released as a single. In 1975, Jennings had Nelson add his voice to a new live version of the song that was released as a single from a compilation album titled Wanted: The Outlaws, which featured music from Jennings, Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser. The new version reached No. 1 in 1976 and took home Single of the Year at the CMA Awards, and Wanted: The Outlaws became the first country album ever to be certified platinum for selling one million units.
The origin of "Good Hearted Woman" is just one of the stories Taste of Country covered in a recent episode of The Secret History of Country Music devoted to Nelson's legendary poker games. Taste of Country News host Ania Hammar takes fans deeper inside the stories of country music's biggest hits, moments and figures in each weekly episode of the new online series.
Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Kid Rock are among the artists already featured, and episodes about the Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert and more are still to come. Be sure to subscribe to Taste of Country's YouTube channel so you never miss a new episode.
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