"Walkaway Joe" is a song written by

Vince Melamed Vincent Edward "Vince" Melamed is an American keyboardist and songwriter who resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He was born in New York, and moved to Los Angeles at an early age. Melamed has appeared with many bands as a keyboardist (Bob Dylan, J.D ...

and Greg Barnhill, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

, with background vocals from

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...

of the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

. It was released in November 1992 as the second single from her album ''

Hearts in Armor ''Hearts in Armor'' is the second studio album by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood. It was released on September 1, 1992, by MCA Nashville. Four of its tracks found spots in the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart in 1992 and 1 ...

''. The song reached number 2 on the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country charts.

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...

appears as the male lead in the music video.

Content

"Walkaway Joe" is a mid-tempo

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

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 ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', Yearwood met

of the

and, after being invited to sing on her second album, he traveled to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

and recorded

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

for the song.

appears in the music video. The song appeared in the CBS show ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced b ...

''. 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." In a review of Yearwood's 1997 greatest-hits package ''

(Songbook) A Collection of Hits '' A Collection of Hits'' is the first greatest hits album by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood. The album was Yearwood's first to reach #1 on the Billboard country albums chart. Due to the success of the single "How Do I Live" in Aust ...

'', 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." The song was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1994

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Chart performance

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

Year-end charts

References

{{Don Henley 1992 singles Trisha Yearwood songs Don Henley songs Male–female vocal duets Songs written by Vince Melamed Song recordings produced by Garth Fundis MCA Records singles 1992 songs Songs written by Greg Barnhill