Inspiration can strike anywhere, meaning artists must always stay prepared. On this day (Feb. 22) in 1976, outlaw country powerhouses Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson topped the country charts with “Good-Hearted Woman,” a song with an unlikely subject. Keep reading to find out how Tina Turner inspired this timeless duet between Willie and Waylon.
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In 1969, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were staying at the Fort Worther Motel in Fort Worth, Texas, between touring gigs. While casually channel surfing, Jennings landed on a commercial promoting Tina Turner, a rising star who had recently wrapped a headlining tour in Las Vegas with her husband, Ike Turner. The advertisement described the “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” singer as “a good-hearted woman loving two-timing men.”
Something clicked in Jennings’ brain when he heard the phrase. “I thought, ‘What a great country song title that is!’” he said, according to Songfacts. So he set off to interrupt Nelson at a poker game. (Classic.) Jennings sat down to join the game, and the pair fleshed out the lyrics as Nelson’s then-wife, Connie Koepke, put them to paper.
Willie Nelson “Wasn’t Within 1,000 Miles” When Waylon Jennings Recorded This Song
Initially, Waylon Jennings recorded “Good-Hearted Woman” solo as the title track to his 1972 album. After the song peaked at No. 3 on the hot country singles chart, the “Luckenbach, Texas” crooner added Willie Nelson’s vocals to a concert version he had recorded for his 1976 album Waylon Live.
“I just took my voice off and put Willie’s on in different places,” Jennings explained. “Willie wasn’t within 10,000 miles when I recorded it.”
The duet made its debut on the 1976 compilation album Wanted! The Outlaws, with contributions from Jennings, Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter—Jennings’ then-wife. Selling a million copies in the U.S., Wanted! made history as the first-ever country album to earn a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Later, Tina Turner would record her own version of “Good-Hearted Woman” for her 1974 album of the same name.
Out of print for decades, Turner’s Good-Hearted Woman was re-issued last year on CD, vinyl LP, and digital formats.
Featured image by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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