Top Ten Songs Buffett Covered: Brown Eyed Girl (#5)

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A big shout-out to @NJChicaa , who loves Jimmy Buffett! She gave me the inspiration to do this song of ten favorite original versions of Jimmy Buffett covers. It sort of ties in nicely with the other countdown I’m doing, featuring covers of Dylan songs. Or I’m crazy enough to make it tie in nicely! Here’s today’s great song. #5: Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison I love the stuffing out of this song. And I love Jimmy Buffett. But I think this was a little ill-advised. But that’s okay. Buffett’s version isn’t bad, but it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to the original. You may or may not know that they had an “edited” version of this song back when Van the Man’s version was a hit in 1967, removing the reference to “making love in the green grass.” Buffett took the “my, how you have grown” line (which some interpreted, especially in light of the aforementioned “controversial” line, to mean the girl was pregnant) to “my, where the time’s all gone.” He’s not trying to clean anything up: after all, this is the guy who wrote a song about sex in the drive-in (the classic “Grapefruit Juicy Fruit”)! The Buffett version isn’t bad, but it’s hard to beat Van the Man. Brown Eyed Girl Written by Van Morrison Recorded by Van Morrison From Blowin’ Your Mind!, 1967 Covered by Buffett on One Particular Harbour, 1983 Cast my memory back that long: