Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes

The brilliant and varied career of country singer Crystal Gayle can be summed up in three truths. She’s another Coal Miner’s Daughter from one of country music’s most influential families, her ankle-length hair may be as iconic as Willie Nelson’s headbands and her 1977 hit single “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” sounds as fresh now as Linda Ronstadt’s color-coded hit from the same year, “Blue Bayou.” Of course, there’s more to Gayle’s story than being born into the same Butcher Hollow household as older sister Loretta Lynn. She’s not just someone who’s fashion-forward in both Nashville and Hollywood, either. And like Johnny Paycheck and others with a career-defining song, she’s responsible for numerous country hits, including a “You and I,” a memorable duet with Eddie Rabbitt. Yet it’s worth exploring the story behind “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” and its crossover success.he jazz-tinged ballad in question reached Gayle’s already blue eyes for approval after producer Allen Reynolds claimed the song from its writer, Richard Leigh. Initially, Leigh envisioned it as a Shirley Bassey song. It remains the best-known country song written by Leigh, the songwriter behind Reba McEntire’s “The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” Steve Wariner’s “Life’s Highway,” Gayle’s “Wrong Road Again” and a handful of other memorable singles. “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” became the first single off Gayle’s 1977 album We Must Believe in Magic.