Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Nelson's First No. 1
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain was already 28 years old the first time Willie Nelson sang it.
Fred Rose had written it back in the 1940s, and at least four other artists had already recorded it.
Nelson cut his own version almost as an afterthought.
It was one track on a stark concept album his own label wasn't sure it wanted to release.
It became his first number one as a performer, arriving after nearly two decades of trying.
Built from this site's own Billboard data and outside chart history, here's how a three-decade-old cover finally made Willie Nelson a star.
More of that era's stories live at Music of the 70s.
Willie Nelson, Atlantic Records publicity photo, circa 1973.
Image credit: Atlantic Records, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A Song Nelson Didn't Write, and Wasn't the First to Record
Fred Rose wrote Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain in the 1940s, long before Willie Nelson ever touched it.
Rose was a Nashville songwriter and publisher, not a performer chasing his own hits.
By the time Nelson recorded his version in 1975, the song had already lived several lives on record.
Four Recordings Before Nelson Ever Sang a Note
This wasn't a forgotten deep cut Nelson dug up on his own.
It was a song that had already passed through country music's biggest names, decade after decade.
- Elton Britt recorded the first version in early 1947.
- Roy Acuff released his own version later that same year, and it became the more popular of the two.
- Hank Williams recorded it in 1951.
- Gene Vincent cut a version in 1958.
- Conway Twitty recorded it again in 1970, just five years before Nelson's take.
Nelson wasn't reviving an obscure song when he sat down to record it.
He was picking up a standard that had already been passed hand to hand for almost thirty years.
What he did with it next was the part nobody else had tried.
Red Headed Stranger: The Tape Columbia Thought Was a Demo
Nelson signed with Columbia Records in 1975, and the deal gave him full creative control over his own recordings.
No label had ever handed him that much say before.
He used it to record Red Headed Stranger, a concept album about a preacher on the run after a killing.
Just a Guitar, a Piano, and a Voice
The sessions ran from February 9 to 12, 1975, just a few days in the studio.
Nelson produced the record himself.
He stripped the arrangements down to almost nothing, mostly just his own guitar, some piano, and his voice.
Almost none of Nashville's usual string-heavy production made it onto the tape.
It's the kind of sparse, late-night sound the Mood Song Matcher tags as reflective rather than upbeat.
This album is exactly that mood, start to finish.
Executives Reportedly Thought It Was Unfinished
Columbia executives heard the stripped-down tapes and reportedly thought they sounded like an unfinished demo.
Nelson released the record exactly as recorded anyway.
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain went out as the album's single that July, months after the sessions wrapped.
Where Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Landed on the Charts
This site's own validated Billboard country chart data confirms the exact result.
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain topped the Billboard country chart for the weeks ending October 10 and October 17, 1975.
That's two consecutive weeks at number one.
It was Willie Nelson's very first number one single as a performer.
That arrived after nearly two decades of recording.
Outside chart history also credits the single with a run on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.
That crossover isn't one this site's own weekly Hot 100 file separately carries.
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| Billboard country chart | No. 1, weeks ending Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, 1975 (this site's own data) |
| Grammy Award | Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, 1976, Nelson's first of twelve career wins |
| Red Headed Stranger album | No. 1, Billboard Top Country Albums |
| Billboard Hot 100 (outside chart history) | Reported peak of No. 21, 1975, not in this site's own weekly Hot 100 file |
Try the Random 70s Song Generator to see other charting singles from the decade.
It's a good way to see how that two-week run stacks up against hundreds of them.
The First Domino in Willie Nelson's Biggest Run
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain didn't just give Willie Nelson a number one.
It set off a run that reshaped his whole career.
Wanted! The Outlaws Followed Within Months
In January 1976, Nelson appeared on Wanted! The Outlaws, a compilation alongside Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser.
That record became the first country album ever certified platinum.
Five more Nelson chart-toppers followed before the decade ended.
One of them was Georgia on My Mind, a cover he picked from an entirely different songbook of pop standards three years later.
None of those later hits happen the same way without this one going to number one first.
Rolling Stone Kept Ranking It Decades Later
The song's reputation only grew once the charts moved on to other records.
Rolling Stone has ranked it three separate times since 2004:
- No. 302 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, 2004.
- No. 48 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Songs, 2014.
- No. 27 on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Country Songs, 2024.
Its ranking has climbed each time, not faded, decades after its two weeks at the top ended.
Read more about the man behind it in Willie Nelson.
It's the full story of the songwriter who spent nearly fifteen years writing hits for others before this one made him a star himself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Willie Nelson write Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain?
No, Fred Rose wrote Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, and it was already three decades old by the time Willie Nelson recorded it.
Elton Britt cut the first version in early 1947, and Roy Acuff's recording later that same year became the more popular one.
Nelson turned it into a hit for himself on his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger, nearly 30 years after it was written.
Was Willie Nelson the first artist to record Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain?
No, several other artists recorded Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain before Willie Nelson's 1975 version.
Elton Britt released the first recording in 1947, followed by a more popular version from Roy Acuff that same year.
Hank Williams, Gene Vincent, and Conway Twitty each recorded their own versions in the decades that followed.
Nelson's take became the one most listeners now associate with the song.
Did Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain reach number one?
Yes, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain topped Billboard's country chart in October 1975, per this site's own validated chart data.
It held number one for two consecutive weeks, ending October 10 and October 17, 1975.
That made it Willie Nelson's first number one as a performer, after nearly two decades of recording.
Outside chart history also lists the single reaching number 21 on the Hot 100 that year.
What Grammy did Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain win?
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.
It was Willie Nelson's first Grammy win of what eventually became twelve career wins.
The award arrived the same year the song topped Billboard's country chart.
It cemented Nelson's turn from respected Nashville songwriter into a chart-topping performer in his own right.
What album is Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain from, and how was it recorded?
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain appeared on Willie Nelson's 1975 concept album Red Headed Stranger, recorded that February over just a few days in the studio.
Nelson produced it himself, using a stripped-down arrangement built around little more than his own guitar, piano, and voice.
Columbia Records executives reportedly thought the sparse tapes sounded like an unfinished demo.
Nelson released the album exactly as recorded anyway.
Willie Nelson, Columbia Records promotional photo, 1974.
Image credit: Columbia Records, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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