On this day in 1967, Van Morrison recorded Brown Eyed Girl in New York

After Morrison’s contract with Decca Records ended, as well as the 1966 break-up of his band Them, he returned to Belfast to look for a new record company. He received a call from Bert Berns, the owner of Bang Records and flew to New York where he swiftly signed a contract with the company. Shortly after, he headed to A&R Studios for a two-day recording session, where he recorded eight songs to be used as four singles for Bang Records. 

A number of session musicians were hired for the recording, including guitarists Eric Gale, Hugh McCracken and Al Gorgoni, bassist Russ Savakus, organist Garry Sherman and drummer Gary Chester. Brown Eyed Girl was captured on the first day, on the 22nd take, and was originally titled “Brown-Skinned Girl”. It was released later that year, in June, and immediately started charting, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics of the song were at the time considered to be too suggestive, and an edited version was circulated for radio play, which has appeared on some subsequent compilation albums.

Brown Eyed Girl has become one of Morrison’s signature songs, and is probably his most well-known track. It has since appeared on numerous lists of greatest rock and roll songs, including earning number 110 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Incredibly, Morrison has since stated that due to his hastily signed contract with Bang Records without legal advice, he has never received any royalties for the writing or recording of the song, as well as claiming that it is not one of his favourites. His frustrations with Bang Records would later be vented in the sarcastic song The Big Royalty Check. Regardless, Brown Eyed Girl helped propel his career to superstardom, and would lead to his relocation to the United States and an eventual deal with Warner Brothers Records.