Doctor, My Eyes

"Doctor, My Eyes"
German cover
Single by Jackson Browne
from the album Jackson Browne
B-side"Looking into You"
ReleasedMarch 1972
Recorded1971
Genre
Length3:11 (Album Version)
2:55 (Single Version)
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)Jackson Browne
Producer(s)
  • Jackson Browne
  • Richard Sanford Orshoff
Jackson Browne singles chronology
"Doctor, My Eyes"
(1972)
"Rock Me on the Water"
(1972)

"Doctor, My Eyes" is a 1972 song written and performed by Jackson Browne and included on his debut album Jackson Browne. Featuring a combination of an upbeat piano riff coupled with lyrics about feeling world-weary, the song was a surprise hit, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in spring 1972, after debuting on the chart at number 80. Browne would not see the chart's Top 10 again until 1982's soundtrack hit "Somebody's Baby", although "Running on Empty" just missed the Top 10, reaching number 11.[2][3][4] Billboard ranked "Doctor My Eyes" as the No. 92 song for 1972. In Canada, the song peaked at number four.[5]

Jesse Ed Davis played the electric guitar (including a much-lauded solo) in the track, while David Crosby and Graham Nash sang backing vocals. Russ Kunkel played drums[3] and Leland Sklar played bass.[6] Kunkel and Sklar reunited with Browne in May 2021 to rerecord "Doctor My Eyes" for a charity project.[7]

"Doctor, My Eyes" became a concert mainstay for Browne, and was included on both his later compilation albums. A live version can be found on the 1996 Australia CD release Best of... Live, a double set with Looking East, and the 1997 Japan 2-CD release of Best of... Live, coupled with The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne.[8]

  1. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 318. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
  2. ^ Billboard.com. Jackson Browne Chart History. Accessed 2012-07-18.
  3. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts - The Seventies. Wisconsin: Record Research, 1990.
  5. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  6. ^ Johnson, Kevin (2013-03-07). "Stories Behind the Songs: Leland Sklar". No Treble. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  7. ^ Dresdale, Andrea. "Jackson Browne re-records "Doctor My Eyes" for a charity project". The Voice of LaSalle County since 1952!. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  8. ^ "Jackson Browne Complete Discography". jrp-graphics.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2012-07-13.