Walkaway Joe

"Walkaway Joe" is a song written by Vince Melamed and Greg Barnhill, and recorded by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood, with background vocals from Don Henley of the Eagles. It was released in November 1992 as the second single from her album Hearts in Armor. The song reached number 2 on the U.S. Billboard country charts. Matthew McConaughey appears as the male lead in the music video.

Content

"Walkaway Joe" is a mid-tempo ballad describing a failed relationship initiated by an over-eager 17-year-old girl ("Such are the dreams of an average Jane / Ninety miles an hour down lovers' lane") and an uninterested male (presumably embarking on a life of crime, as evidenced in the song's second verse), or "Walkaway Joe."

After a performance on The Tonight Show, Yearwood met Don Henley of the Eagles and, after being invited to sing on her second album, he traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded background vocals for the song.^[1]

Matthew McConaughey appears in the music video.

The song appeared in the CBS show Touched by an Angel. Episode 512 of the show entitled "Fool For Love" was based on the song.

Critical reception

Thom Jurek described the song favorably in his review of Hearts in Armor,saying, "Yearwood's telling the story she tells best, working-class love gone bad."^[2] In a review of Yearwood's 1997 greatest-hits package (Songbook) A Collection of Hits, Gordon Ely of the Richmond Times said, "It's not just a great song. It's memorable and only a shade shy of pure poetry. And it will be with us for a long time."^[3]

The song was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1994 Grammy Awards.^[4]

Chart performance

"Walkaway Joe" debuted at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of November 7, 1992.

Chart (1992–1993)	Peak position
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[5]	30
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[6]	2
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[7]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1993)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[8]	46
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[9]	56

References

↑ Brown, John (January–February 1999). "Save the Last Dance for Me". American Cowboy: 26–27. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
↑ Jurek, Thom. "Hearts in Armor review". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
↑ Ely, Gordon (7 December 1997). "Some hits packages do deliver". Richmond Times. p. H5. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
↑ "A selection of the Grammy nominations". Boston Globe. 7 January 1994. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1842." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 1992. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1724." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 6, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
↑ "Trisha Yearwood – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Trisha Yearwood.
↑ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1993". RPM. December 18, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
↑ "Best of 1993: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Trisha Yearwood singles

Trisha Yearwood	"She's in Love with the Boy" "Like We Never Had a Broken Heart" "That's What I Like About You" "The Woman Before Me"

Hearts in Armor	"Wrong Side of Memphis" "Walkaway Joe" (w/ Don Henley) "You Say You Will" "Down on My Knees"

The Song Remembers When	"The Song Remembers When" "Better Your Heart Than Mine"

The Sweetest Gift	"It Wasn't His Child" "Reindeer Boogie"

Thinkin' About You	"XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" "Thinkin' About You" "You Can Sleep While I Drive" "I Wanna Go Too Far" "On a Bus to St. Cloud"

Everybody Knows	"Believe Me Baby (I Lied)" "Everybody Knows" "I Need You"

(Songbook) A Collection of Hits	"How Do I Live" "In Another's Eyes" (w/ Garth Brooks) "Perfect Love"

Where Your Road Leads	"There Goes My Baby" "Where Your Road Leads" (w/ Garth Brooks) "Powerful Thing" "I'll Still Love You More"

Real Live Woman	"Real Live Woman" "Where Are You Now"

Inside Out	"I Would've Loved You Anyway" "Inside Out" (w/ Don Henley) "I Don't Paint Myself in Corners"

Jasper County	"Georgia Rain" "Trying to Love You"

Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love	"Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love" "This Is Me You're Talking To" "They Call It Falling for a Reason"

PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit	"PrizeFighter" "I Remember You"

Guest singles	"Hope" "Squeeze Me In" (w/ Garth Brooks) "Love Will Always Win" (w/ Garth Brooks) "Another Try" (w/ Josh Turner) "Breaking Apart" (w/ Chris Isaak) "The Call" (w/ Garth Brooks)

Other singles	"I Fall to Pieces" (w/ Aaron Neville) "Wild as the Wind" (w/ Garth Brooks) "You're Where I Belong" "Santa on the Rooftop" (w/ Rosie O'Donnell)

Don Henley

Studio albums	I Can't Stand Still Building the Perfect Beast The End of the Innocence Inside Job Cass County

Compilation albums	Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits The Very Best of Don Henley One of These Nights: Boston 1993

Singles	"Johnny Can't Read" "Dirty Laundry" "The Boys of Summer" "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" "Not Enough Love in the World" "Sunset Grill" "The End of the Innocence" "New York Minute" "The Last Worthless Evening" "The Heart of the Matter" "The Garden of Allah" "Everybody Knows"

Guest singles	"Leather and Lace" "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" "Walkaway Joe" "Inside Out"

See also	Discography Eagles

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