Jackson Browne Songs Ranked

Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Coming to prominence in the 1970s, Browne has written and recorded songs such as “These Days”, “The Pretender”, “Running on Empty”, “Lawyers in Love”, “Doctor My Eyes”, “Take It Easy”, “For a Rocker”, and “Somebody’s Baby”. In 2004, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and given an honorary doctorate of music by Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked him as 37th in its list of the “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time” Here are all Jackson Browne songs ranked.

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15. Cocaine (Running On Empty, 1977)

“In the radio show he did with Warren Zevon back in 1976 he played this song in the radio studio, and said that the verse about going to his doctor down at the hospital who said he looked 45, not 27 , was written by Glenn Frey of the Eagles, Jackson’s buddy.”

14. Late for the Sky (Late for the Sky, 1974)

“Its a pretty cool soft rock album. Always good to have these sort of albums that you can play while your parents are in the house. Its a bit too corny in moments, and so easy listening that i get tired of it after a meager two listens, but its not bad. “

13. Fountain of Sorrow (Late for the Sky, 1974)

“This song is about Joni Mitchell, whom Browne dated early in his career. He references this fact on a liver version of this song, saying it was about an old girlfriend who later did something horrible to him after he wrote the song. Mitchell plays piano & electric piano Browne’s album For Everyman. Jackson has stated before that she has always been in love with him since they broke up when Mitchell claimed he was abusive regarding the story about Daryl Hannah and their breakup. Browne was never charged with a crime in that event.”

12. Rock Me on the Water (Together Again, 1971)

“This song is so meaningful to me…people don’t care, and that’s a fact…they’d rather watch someone else do something about it, instead of doing it themselves.”

See more: Jackson Browne Albums Ranked

11. Tender is the Night (Lawyers in Love, 1983)

“I read this song as the difference between ideal love and real love – the daytime represents perfection and the ideal, what we’re always told love is by unrealistic songs and stories love should be, whereas the night is the time the couple can drop that and just be themselves, and forget about the fights they have during the day.”

10. Boulevard (Hold Out, 1980)

“I’m certainly not a huge fan. Sure, I like some of his songs, but they suffer from being overplayed on classic rock radio. Now, this song…I don’t hear it as often so it’s not overstayed its welcome. Plus, it was released during that impressionable period of my life at 9-11 years old when I listened to the radio as closely as I ever did. In the end, I really like this song. Good songwriting, good delivery, nice guitars. Nothing to not like about it.”

9. You Love the Thunder (Running on Empty, 1977)

“The albums flow is interrupted with the utterly ordinary and bland “You Love The Thunder” which in spite of it’s live setting sounds to these ears like generic mid to late 70’s Californian rock but things thankfully pick up again with Browne’s version of the standard “Cocaine””

8. The Load Out (Running on Empty, 1977)

“This is off the Running on Empty album, which was written and recorded during a tour. Many of the tracks refer to the difficult life out on the road, but this to me really nails that mixture of long hours of loneliness and boredom interspersed with brief periods of excitement and elation.”

7. Stay (Running on Empty, 1977)

“Stay” is one of Jackson Browne’s most popular songs despite not being his. I remember that at the time it was one of the songs that sounded the most on the radios and on the turntables of many young people.

6. These Days (These Days, 1967)

“Amazing that he wrote this at age 16. Talk about an old soul, it sounds like he’s got 50 years of pain behind him. He also said he played electric guitar (not acoustic)on the song because Andy Warhol wanted her (Nico’s)version to sound more modern.”

See more: Joe Cocker Albums Ranked

5. Doctor My Eyes (Jackson Browne, 1972)

“So far the only song by this man I have embraced and like. The rest of his stuff is too, I hate to say it, boring/annoying. Love that chorus, he should’ve stuck with doing catchy pop tracks like this.”

4. Lawyers In Love (Lawyers in Love, 1983)

“This song is about the loss of idealism one suffers when one realizes what the world is really like and, presumably, what life is all about. But, if you really cannot see the sky, I’d say you were better off when you were crying. Your eyes are at least meant for that, after all.”

3. The Pretender (The Pretender, 1976)

“Absolutely my favorite JB song. Came out when l was in 10th grade , got tons of radio play on DC 101! I had just discovered pot and how well it went with music. Ah , the good old days — when gay meant happy , IOP meant Invasion Of Privacy , and crack was something that if you stepped on, it would break your mother’s back!? — OH yeah , and LGBT meant “Let GOD Be True” Romans 3:4″

2. Somebody’s Baby (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 1982)

“Somebody’s Baby” was a spiffy little hit for Jackson Browne. I fairly much liked it for some reason, despite the fact it was really kinda stupid lyrically. But what hell. Only with “Boulevard” and “That Girl Could Sing” did he ever top this, at least from all what i heard.”

1. Running On Empty (Running On Empty, 1977)

“No song has provided me as much hope as R.O.E. It’s message of a another sincere truth seeking human, sharing his lack of a clear understanding of what life’s mystery means, is profoundly reassuring. “Everyone needs something to believe in, I don’t know about anyone but me.””