♫ Doctor My Eyes ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, music history

Last time I played this song, just over two years ago, it was at the request of Clive, and this time, it was mentioned during Eagles Week by both Keith and Pete!  So, naturally, I figure it’s time for a redux!

Jackson Browne is a singer/songwriter/musician who has sold over 18 million albums in the U.S., but quite honestly I cannot think of another song of his beyond this one.  No doubt that is only a result of my flawed memory.  This song, recorded and released in 1972, was written and performed by Jackson Browne and included on his debut album Jackson Browne.

Browne’s Southern California musical cohorts David Crosby and Graham Nash sang harmony vocals. Brown was signed to Asylum Records, which was owned by David Geffen. According to Jackson, Geffen asked Nash if he thought there was a single on the album (Browne’s first), and Nash picked this one, with the proviso that Browne add a high vocal part, which he did.

This was Jackson Browne’s first single. The song isn’t typical of his work; it runs just 2:55 and lacks the personal, introspective lyrics he’s known for. Still, the song did very well in the U.S., and remained a fan favorite, garnering lots of airplay on classic rock and adult contemporary radio, and often earning a spot on Browne’s setlists.

Getting that first hit under his belt was satisfying for Browne, whose first recorded album (in 1968) was never released.  The guitar solo on this song was played by Jesse Ed Davis, a brilliant but troubled musician who performed on albums by Willie Nelson, Marvin Gaye and John Lennon. Davis died in 1988 at age 43 in what appeared to be a drug overdose.

In the UK, it was The Jackson 5 who had a hit with this song; their 1973 cover went to #9. On their version, Jermaine Jackson came in too early and ended up repeating the first line. His error was allowed to remain in the final mix.  I had no idea until tonight that The Jackson 5 had even covered this!  It isn’t their best work, in my book, but I shall offer it tonight along with the Jackson Browne version, as I have almost as many in the UK who follow my music posts as in the U.S.

This reached #4 in Canada, #8 in the U.S., and as best I can tell, the Jackson Browne version did not chart in the UK.

Doctor My Eyes
Jackson Browne

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand

I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?

‘Cause I have wandered through this world
And as each moment has unfurled
I’ve been waiting to awaken from these dreams

People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That it’s later than it seems

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if it’s too late for me

Doctor, my eyes
They cannot see the sky
Is this the prize
For having learned how not to cry?

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jackson Browne
Doctor My Eyes lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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19 thoughts on “♫ Doctor My Eyes ♫ (Redux)”

    • I have to admit that I am one who either likes or dislikes a song because of its sound, not the lyrics or their meaning. Mostly that is probably because of my deafness, so I rarely actually understand the lyrics unless or until I look them up, but a song can grab me or make me run away screaming based on its sound alone. Some songs to which I do understand the lyrics are special because of the lyrics, but the song usually will have caught my eye (ear?) before I ever paid attention to the lyrics. Hugs

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I’ve never heard the J5 version before just now. It’s definitely different from any of Jackson Browne’s renditions. It’s not bad, to me, but at this late date for hearing it after so many years of the others, it sort of strikes me that J5 had a slot on their album, needed to fill it, had permission, so they used it. It doesn’t really have that J5 spirit, either. I’m glad I got to hear it their way, but I won’t rush to hear it again. Thanks, Jill!

    Liked by 3 people

  5. I have been a long time Jackson Browne fan, have seen him perform live in concert at least four times (including the one where the song “Running on Empty” was recorded. You should really take the time to get to know more of his music.

    Liked by 4 people

  6. Nothing to do with the song, except the line “They cannot see the sky.” My eyes cannot see the sky today. Nothing but smoke, wildfire smoke, and more wildfire smoke. At 10:40 PM last night the community of Chateh was evacuated again because if wildfires. It’s only 100 kilometres, 62,5 miles away from us. If the wind kicks up we could be next.
    On a better note, Gail goes for her knee replacement surgery Friday Oct. 6th. If a wildfire interferes with that I will be seeing red, and not flames!

    Liked by 4 people

  7. A great song, as done by Jackson Browne but not by the Jacksons – to my ears theirs is an abomination. It seems like only yesterday that I played a version of this on my blog. Oh, wait, it was!

    Jackson Browne week upcoming?

    Liked by 3 people

  8. Pingback: ♫ Doctor My Eyes ♫ (Redux) | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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