3 Songs Written by Willie Nelson That Became Incredible Hits for Other Artists

Almost everyone knows Willie Nelson as the artist who released hit songs like “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”, “On The Road Again”, “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground”, and others. But Nelson is also a prolific songwriter who has written plenty of songs for other artists, including these three incredible hits.

“Crazy” by Patsy Cline

Perhaps Nelson’s most notable credit as a songwriter is “Crazy” by Patsy Cline. The song, out in 1961, is part of Cline’s sophomore Showcase album.

“Crazy” starts with, “Crazy / I’m crazy for feeling so lonely / I’m crazy / Crazy for feeling so blue.” As the story goes, Cline almost passed on this song after her husband, Charlie Dick, presented it to her. Nelson pitched Dick his demo of “Crazy”, which did not resonate with Cline.

“It almost didn’t happen because Patsy, who recorded it in a Nashville studio, tried singing like me,” Nelson recalled. “Big mistake. No one should ever try to follow my style of phrasing. Not that I don’t like my style. I do. I believe it’s natural, at least for me. But it’s offbeat.”

“Crazy” is Cline’s only hit from Showcase. After this song, Cline released “She’s Got You”. That song became her final No.1 hit before she was killed in a plane crash in 1963.

“Funny How Time Slips Away” by Al Green

Al Green includes “Funny How Time Slips Away” on his Call Me record. 

“Funny How Time Slips Away” says, “You’re gonna love him till the end of time / I remember that’s the same thing / That you told me yesterday / Ain’t it funny how time slips away.”

This is one of only two songs that Green did not write on Call Me. Ironically, the only other song he didn’t write is Hank Williams’ classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”.

“Funny How Time Slips Away” was first recorded by Billy Walker in 1961. Numerous other artists also recorded this song, including Joe Hinton, Ray Price, and Dorothy Moore. In 1994, Green and Lyle Lovett released a duet version of this song, as part of the Rhythm, Country And Blues compilation album.

“Hello Walls” by Faron Young

Nelson is the sole writer of “Hello Walls”, a No. 1 hit for Faron Young. Out in 1961, “Hello Walls” is the title track of a record Young also released that same year.

A sad song about loneliness, “Hello Walls” says in part, “Hello walls, how things go for you today / Don’t you miss her since she upped and walked away / And I’ll bet you dread to spend another lonely night with me / But lonely walls I’ll keep you company.”

Interestingly, Nelson also wrote “Congratulations” on Hello Walls for Young. “Hello Walls” hit the Top 15 on both Billboard’s Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts. This song remains Young’s most successful crossover hit.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images

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