8 Songs You Didn't Know Were Written By Willie Nelson

An American icon and legendary figure in country music, Willie Nelson's career stretches over an astonishing seven decades. During this time, he recorded countless acclaimed records.

Not everyone, however, will be aware that Nelson began his professional life as a songwriter for other artists. Even in cases where Nelson recorded his own versions, some of his original songs have become more associated with other musicians or have become even bigger hits for them. You might be surprised to learn that the songs listed below were originally penned by the outlaw country master himself.

“Crazy”
“Funny How Time Slips Away”
“Night Life”
“Hello Walls”
“Pretty Paper”
“Yesterday's Wine”
“Family Bible”
“My Own Peculiar Way”

“Crazy”

Nelson wrote this enduring standard in the late 1950s, while living and working in Houston and performing in clubs and appearing as a radio DJ. The song contains several unique chord changes, a departure from the usual “three chords and the truth” trend that dominated country music at the time.

“Crazy” eventually found its way into the hands of the great Patsy Cline, who recorded the tune in 1961. Nelson personally taught Cline the song, and her version rose to number two on Billboard's Hot Country chart and reached number nine on the Hot 100.

“Funny How Time Slips Away”

Many outstanding versions of this wistful classic have been recorded, most notably by Elvis Presley, who included the song on his highly praised 1970 album, Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old), and the wonderful soul singer Al Green, who featured it on his seminal 1973 LP, Call Me.

Other artists who have covered the tune include R&B singer Joe Hinton, Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry, and the vocal group the Spinners. The first ever recording, however, was made by country singer Billy Walker in 1961. Nelson, meanwhile, laid down his own interpretation in 1965 for Country Willie: His Own Songs.

“Night Life”

Soul superstar Aretha Franklin laid down a beautiful rendition of this song on her 1967 album, Aretha Arrives. Seven years earlier, country singer Ray Price scored a hit with the same tune. Blues great B.B. King and superstar Dolly Parton are just two of the many other artists who have performed the song, but it was Nelson who penned it in the late 1950s after being inspired by his regular journey to work in Pasadena, Texas.

“Hello Walls”

Pioneering country star Faron Young is the artist most associated with this quirky and poignant ode to lost love. Young released the song in January 1961. It swiftly rose to occupy the top position on Billboard's country chart for nine weeks, and reached number 12 on the pop chart.

Hello Walls marked a significant early success for Nelson as a songwriter. He recorded his own version decades later and released it on his 1996 album Twisted Willie.

“Pretty Paper”

Roy Orbison took this wonderful country Christmas song to number 10 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart in 1963. It rose to 15 on the Hot 100, and to number six over in the UK the following year.

Nelson wrote this charming tale of a poor street vendor selling pencils and paper in 1963, inspired by a real character he observed outside Leonard's Department Store in Fort Worth, Texas. Orbison was quite ill when he recorded his version, which required 12 takes to perfect.

“Yesterday's Wine”

This is the title track from one of Nelson's most underrated albums. Released in 1971, Nelson himself views the record as one of his best, stating in his 1988 book, Willie: An Autobiography, that record company RCA found it "…too spooky and far out to waste promotion money on."

It's an album with a distinct spiritual and philosophical theme, and “Yesterday's Wine” is a standout track. Nelson himself didn’t have much commercial success with the song, but in 1982, Merle Haggard and George Jones took a duet version to number one on the Country Chart.

“Family Bible”

The “Tall Texan” Claude Gray recorded the first hit version of this song, which he took to number seven on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and 10 on the Country Music Chart in 1960. Nelson had previously sold the song to the musician Paul Buskirk for $50 plus the cost of a restaurant bill.

Buskirk then convinced Gray to record several Nelson numbers, including “Night Life” and “The Party's Over.” Nelson's inspiration for writing this stirring number came from memories of his grandmother, Nancy Elizabeth Smothers, who would routinely read from the Bible after supper.

“My Own Peculiar Way”

Legendary crooner Perry Como was the first artist to record this Nelson number, doing so in 1965. Irish singer Joe Dolan set down his own version in July of that year, with Nelson's own coming in September as the title track from his ninth studio album.

American singer Timi Yuro and country singer and television host Jimmy Dean are among many who have covered the track, but it's Nelson's take that remains the best.