Good Hearted Woman (song)

"Good Hearted Woman" is a song written by American country music singers Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.

Writing
In 1969, while staying at the Fort Worther Motel in Fort Worth, Texas, Jennings saw an advertisement in a newspaper promoting Tina Turner as a "good hearted woman loving two-timing men", a reference to Ike Turner. Jennings went to talk to Nelson, who was in a middle of a poker game, about writing a song based on that phrase. Joining the game, he and Nelson expanded the lyrics as Nelson's wife Connie Koepke wrote them down.

Recording
Jennings recorded the song for the first time as the title track of his 1972 album Good Hearted Woman, the single peaked at number three on the Billboard's Hot Country Singles. Jennings had recorded a concert version for Waylon Live, which served as a basis for the duet with Nelson. "I just took my voice off and put Willie's on in different places," he explained. "Willie wasn't within 10,000 miles when I recorded it." He also added canned crowd noises to add to the live feel for the album Wanted: The Outlaws!. The album cemented the pair's outlaw image and became country music's first platinum album. The song peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Country Singles and at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song won the Single of the Year award in the 1976 Country Music Association Awards, and took Jennings and Nelson to the mainstream audiences, giving them nationwide recognition.

Cover versions

 * In 1976, a duet version of "Good Hearted Woman" performed by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson became the first of three number ones on the country chart for the duo.
 * The 2005 album Texas Fed, Texas Bred: Redefining Country Music, Volume 1 includes a cover version performed by Guy Clark.
 * LeAnn Rimes recorded a version of the song for her 2011 release, Lady & Gentlemen.
 * Hank Williams III recorded a version of the song, later released in Long Gone Daddy.
 * Tina Turner recorded song for her 1988 album Goes Country.
 * George Jones recorded it and included in his 1980 album I Am What I Am.
 * Mel Street recorded a version for his 1972 album, Borrowed Angel.
 * Micky and the Motorcars (with Cody and Willy Braun) recorded a version for Cross Canadian Ragweed's "The Red River Tribute" to Waylon Jennings (2003)
 * Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt performed the song for Jerry Bradley at the induction ceremony of Jerry Bradley into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
 * In 1981 Michal Tučný created Czech version under name Báječná ženská.
 * Marty Robbins recorded a version for his 1981 album, The Legend.