Ebony Eyes (John D. Loudermilk song)

"Ebony Eyes" is a song written by John D. Loudermilk, recorded in 1961 by The Everly Brothers, and released as a single together with "Walk Right Back", which reached No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.^[1] The lyrics tell a young man's tragic story of losing his beloved fiancée in an airplane crash in dark, stormy weather conditions, which remind him of his fiancée's "ebony eyes".

"Ebony Eyes"
Single by The Everly Brothers
B-side	"Walk Right Back"
Released	January 1961
Recorded	November 1, 1960
Length	2:54
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	John D. Loudermilk
The Everly Brothers singles chronology
"So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (1960) "Ebony Eyes" (1961) "Temptation" (1961)

The single, a double A-side in the UK, reached No.1 in the UK Singles Chart on 2 March 1961 for 3 weeks^[2] and was the ninth best-selling single of the calendar year 1961 in the U.K.^[3] "Ebony Eyes" was initially banned by the BBC from airplay in the U.K. as its lyrics were considered too upsetting to play on the radio.^[1]

References

1. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 56. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
2. "Official [U.K.] Singles Chart Top 50: 02 March-08 March 1961". The Official U.K. Charts Company. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
3. "The 100 Best-Selling Singles of 1961 [in the U.K.]". www.sixtiescity.net. Retrieved 3 April 2017.