"Ebony Eyes" is a song written by

John D. Loudermilk John Dee Loudermilk Jr. (March 31, 1934 – September 21, 2016) was an American singer and songwriter. Although he had his own recording career during the 1950s and 1960s, he was primarily known as a songwriter. His best-known songs include "I ...

, recorded in 1961 by

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

, and released as a single together with "

Walk Right Back "Walk Right Back" is a 1961 song by Sonny Curtis that was recorded by The Everly Brothers, and went to No. 7 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Overseas, the song went to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks. Originally it was the ...

", which reached No. 8 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. 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". The single, a double A-side in the UK, reached No.1 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 2 March 1961 for 3 weeks and was the ninth best-selling single of the calendar year 1961 in the U.K. "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.

References

UK Singles Chart number-one singles The Everly Brothers songs Songs written by John D. Loudermilk Teenage tragedy songs 1961 singles Male vocal duets 1961 songs Warner Records singles Songs banned by the BBC {{1960s-single-stub