Willin' (song)

Apr 21, 2026 - 03:23
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Willin' (song)

cannot cite discogs.com per WP:USERG. Big pruning per WP:SONGCOVER

← Previous revision Revision as of 21:51, 20 April 2026
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| misc = {{External music video|type=song|header=Official audio{{YouTube|zcrEWRLk3CE|"Willin'"}}}}
| misc = {{External music video|type=song|header=Official audio{{YouTube|zcrEWRLk3CE|"Willin'"}}}}
}}
}}
"'''Willin''''" is a song written by American musician [[Lowell George]], and first recorded and released by [[Johnny Darrell]] on his 1970 album ''California Stop-Over''.{{Citation |title=Johnny Darrell - California Stop-Over |date=1970 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/8928001-Johnny-Darrell-California-Stop-Over |access-date=2023-08-23 |language=en}} It was subsequently released by George's group [[Little Feat]] on their January 1971 [[Little Feat (album)|debut album]]. The song has since been performed by a variety of artists. {{cite news|url=https://americansongwriter.com/little-feat-willin-2/|title=Behind The Song: Little Feat, “Willin’”|last=Moore|first=Rick|date=August 2, 2021|publisher=[[American Songwriter]]}}
"'''Willin''''" is a song written by American musician [[Lowell George]], and first recorded and released by [[Johnny Darrell]] on his 1970 album ''California Stop-Over''. It was subsequently released by George's group [[Little Feat]] on their January 1971 debut albumm [[Little Feat (album)|''Little Feat'']]. The song has since been performed by a variety of artists. {{cite news|url=https://americansongwriter.com/little-feat-willin-2/|title=Behind The Song: Little Feat, “Willin’”|last=Moore|first=Rick|date=August 2, 2021|publisher=[[American Songwriter]]}}

==Background==
==Background==
George wrote the song while he was a member of [[the Mothers of Invention]]. When George sang an early version of the song for bandleader [[Frank Zappa]], Zappa suggested that the guitarist form his own band rather than continue under Zappa's tutelage.{{cite web |last=Zarum |first=Lara |date=5 March 2014 |title=Where Do I Start With Little Feat? |url=https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/03/05/little_feat_10_best_songs_from_all_that_you_dream_to_willin.html |publisher= |via=Slate}} He did just that, and the song was subsequently recorded by Lowell's band [[Little Feat]]. The song was included on Little Feat's 1971 [[Little Feat (album)|self-titled debut album]]. The band re-recorded the song at a slower tempo to much greater success on their 1972 ''[[Sailin' Shoes]]'' album. A live version recorded in 1977 appears on their 1978 album ''[[Waiting for Columbus]]''.
George wrote the song while he was a member of [[the Mothers of Invention]]. When George sang an early version of the song for bandleader [[Frank Zappa]], Zappa suggested that the guitarist form his own band rather than continue under Zappa's tutelage.{{cite web |last=Zarum |first=Lara |date=5 March 2014 |title=Where Do I Start With Little Feat? |url=https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/03/05/little_feat_10_best_songs_from_all_that_you_dream_to_willin.html |publisher= |via=Slate}} He did just that, and the song was subsequently recorded by Lowell's band [[Little Feat]]. The song was included on Little Feat's 1971 [[Little Feat (album)|self-titled debut album]]. The band re-recorded the song at a slower tempo to much greater success on their 1972 ''[[Sailin' Shoes]]'' album. A live version recorded in 1977 appears on their 1978 album ''[[Waiting for Columbus]]''.
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==Covers==
==Covers==
⚫
[[Linda Ronstadt]] covered the song on her 1974 ''[[Heart Like a Wheel]]'' album. This version was featured prominently early in James Cameron's 1989 movie ''[[The Abyss]]'', with multiple characters singing along as a submarine tows an underwater oil rig. Later in the film, another character destroys a radio that is playing the song.
[[Seatrain (band)|Seatrain]] covered the song (titled "I'm Willin') on their eponymous 1970 album.

⚫
[[Linda Ronstadt]] covered the song on her 1974 ''[[Heart Like a Wheel]]'' album. This version was featured prominently early in James Cameron's 1989 movie ''[[The Abyss]]'', with multiple characters singing along as a submarine tows an underwater oil rig. Later in the film, another character destroys a radio that is playing the song.

[[The Byrds]] recorded the song during the sessions for their 1970 album [[Untitled (The Byrds album)|''(Untitled)'']] and performed the song live throughout that same year. The studio version was included as a bonus track on the reissue of ''(Untitled)'' and a live version is featured on [[The Byrds (box set)|''The Byrds'']] box set. [[Gene Parsons]], who sang the song as a member of the Byrds, recorded his own version on his 1973 solo album [[Kindling (album)|''Kindling'']].

[[Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen|Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen]] covered the song on their 1975 album [[Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (album)|''Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.'']]

[[Phish]] covered the song live on Halloween in 2010{{Cite web|title=Phish.net {{!}} Setlists|url=https://phish.net/setlists/2010.html#2010-10-31|access-date=2021-04-17|website=phish.net}} as part of their whole-album cover of ''[[Waiting for Columbus]]''.

⚫
[[Steve Earle]] covered the song on his compilation album [[Sidetracks (album)|''Sidetracks'']], released in 2002.

[[Bob Dylan]] has performed the song live.{{Cite web |title=Willin' {{!}} The Official Bob Dylan Site |url=https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/willin/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=www.bobdylan.com}}

[[Phil Pritchett]] covered this song as a duet with [[Cody Canada]] on his 2002 album ''Tougher Than the Rest''. [[Jackson Browne]] covered this song with the band [[Lucius (band)|Lucius]] for the 2016 Showtime TV Series, ''[[Roadies (TV series)|Roadies]]''.

The Norwegian troubadour [[Stein Ove Berg]] covered this song with Norwegian lyrics on his album ''Vei-Viser'' (Road Tracks) in 1979. Another Norwegian artist named Johan Berggren covered the [[Stein Ove Berg]] version of Willin' on his album ''Ei Hytte Foran Loven'' (One Cabin Ahead of the Law) in 2021.
[[Richard Shindell]] covered a live version on his album ''Courier'' in 2002.
[[The Black Crowes]] included a cover of the song as an [[iTunes]]-only bonus track on their acoustic album ''[[Croweology]]'' in 2010.

[[Mandy Moore]] covered the song on the soundtrack for the ''[[This Is Us]]'' television series.


⚫
[[Steve Earle]] covered the song on his compilation album [[Sidetracks (album)|''Sidetracks'']], released in 2002.
[[John Greene (musician)|John Greene]] released a verision on his 1995 album ''Gone West''


[[Gregg Allman]] Released the song on his final studio album [[Southern Blood (album)]] which was released posthumously on September 8, 2017 following his death from complications from liver cancer and other health issues he had been fighting for years. He had been diagnosed as terminal before going into the studio and knew that it would be his final album. The songs he choose for Southern Blood were in his own words "Songs that have been deeply meaningful to me over the course of my life and carrier and have taken on new meaning as we began work on the album". Many critics in the music business considered his version of Willin' (along with many other songs on the album) to be one of the most heartfelt versions ever produced.
[[Gregg Allman]] released the song on his final studio album [[Southern Blood (album)|''Southern Blood'']] which was released posthumously on September 8, 2017, following his death from complications from liver cancer and other health issues he had been fighting for years. He had been diagnosed as terminal before going into the studio and knew that it would be his final album. The songs he choose for Southern Blood were in his own words "Songs that have been deeply meaningful to me over the course of my life and carrier and have taken on new meaning as we began work on the album".


A version by [[Willie Nelson]] and [[Emmylou Harris]] was released in April, 2026.{{cite news|url=https://relix.com/news/detail/listen-willie-nelson-and-emmylou-harris-release-previously-unissued-cover-of-lowell-georges-willin/|title=Listen: Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris Release Previously Unissued Cover of Lowell George’s “Willin’”|last=Gustafson|first=Hana|date=February 27, 2026|publisher=[[Relix]]}}
A version by [[Willie Nelson]] and [[Emmylou Harris]] was released in April, 2026.{{cite news|url=https://relix.com/news/detail/listen-willie-nelson-and-emmylou-harris-release-previously-unissued-cover-of-lowell-georges-willin/|title=Listen: Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris Release Previously Unissued Cover of Lowell George’s “Willin’”|last=Gustafson|first=Hana|date=February 27, 2026|publisher=[[Relix]]}}
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