The Essential Willie Nelson

Greatest hits album by

Willie Nelson

Released

April 1, 2003

Recorded

1961–2003

Genre

Country

Length

120:00

Label

Sony BMG

Producer

Nick Shaffran, Al Quaglieri

Willie Nelson chronology

Crazy: The Demo Sessions
(2003)

The Essential Willie Nelson
(2003)

Songs
(2005)

The Essential Willie Nelson is a two-disc compilation of Willie Nelson songs. This digitally remastered compilation covers five decades of Nelson's recording career, and is part of Sony's Essential series of compilation albums. A 2009 release in limited Essential 3.0 series came with a bonus disc of eight fan-favourites and rarities. The album was re-released with an updated track listing on October 16, 2015.

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Transcription

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Q	^[2]

David Quantick of Q wrote, "[T]he songs here sound fresh and almost youthful. The arrangements are sparky, too... All the sheer scope of Nelson's writing is displayed."^[2] In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that "The Essential Willie Nelson gets about as close as a set could to providing the basics".^[1]

Track listing

Disc one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"Night Life"	Willie Nelson	Single A-side of Bellaire 107 (1960)	2:32
2.	"Hello Walls"	Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote (1962)	2:24
3.	"Crazy"	Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote (1962)	2:52
4.	"Funny How Time Slips Away"	Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote (1962)	3:03
5.	"I Never Cared For You"	Willie Nelson	Monument single A-side (1964)	2:32
6.	"The Party's Over"	Willie Nelson	The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (1967)	2:29
7.	"Good Times"	Willie Nelson	Good Times (1968)	2:28
8.	"Me and Paul"	Willie Nelson	Yesterday's Wine (1971)	3:49
9.	"Shotgun Willie"	Willie Nelson	Shotgun Willie (1973)	2:39
10.	"Bloody Mary Morning"	Willie Nelson	Phases and Stages (1974)	2:49
11.	"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain"	Fred Rose	Red Headed Stranger (1975)	2:21
12.	"Good Hearted Woman" (with Waylon Jennings)	Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson	Wanted! The Outlaws (1976)	2:59
13.	"If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time"	Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck	The Sound in Your Mind (1976)	2:06
14.	"Uncloudy Day"	Josiah Kelley Alwood	The Troublemaker (1976)	4:40
15.	"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (with Waylon Jennings)	Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce	Waylon & Willie (1978)	2:23
16.	"Georgia on My Mind"	Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell	Stardust (1978)	4:21
17.	"Blue Skies"	Irving Berlin	Stardust (1978)	3:35
18.	"All of Me"	Seymour Simons, Gerald Marks	Stardust (1978)	3:54
19.	"Heartbreak Hotel" (with Leon Russell)	Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley	One for the Road (1979)	3:03
20.	"Help Me Make It Through the Night"	Kris Kristofferson	Sings Kristofferson (1979)	4:01
21.	"Whiskey River" (live, April 1978)	Johnny Bush	Willie and Family Live (1978)	3:31
22.	"Stay a Little Longer" (live, April 1978)	Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan	Willie and Family Live (1978)	3:25
Total length:				1:08:16

Disc two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys"	Sharon Vaughn	The Electric Horseman (1980)	3:06
2.	"Faded Love" (with Ray Price)	Bob Wills, Billy Jack Wills	San Antonio Rose (1980)	3:51
3.	"On the Road Again"	Willie Nelson	Honeysuckle Rose (1980)	2:33
4.	"Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground"	Willie Nelson	Honeysuckle Rose (1980)	4:31
5.	"Always on My Mind"	Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson	Always on My Mind (1982)	3:32
6.	"Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning"	Gary P. Nunn, Donna Farar	Always on My Mind (1982)	4:21
7.	"Pancho and Lefty" (with Merle Haggard)	Townes Van Zandt	Pancho & Lefty (1983)	4:48
8.	"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (with Julio Iglesias)	Hal David, Albert Hammond	1100 Bel Air Place (1984)	3:34
9.	"City of New Orleans"	Steve Goodman	City of New Orleans (1984)	4:52
10.	"Seven Spanish Angels" (with Ray Charles)	Troy Seals, Eddie Setser	Friendship (1984)	3:52
11.	"Forgiving You Was Easy"	Willie Nelson	Me & Paul (1985)	2:49
12.	"Highwayman" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson)	Jimmy Webb	Highwayman (1985)	3:04
13.	"Living in the Promiseland"	David Lynn Jones	The Promiseland (1986)	3:22
14.	"Nothing I Can Do About It Now"	Beth Nielsen Chapman	A Horse Called Music (1989)	3:19
15.	"Graceland"	Paul Simon	Across the Borderline (1993)	4:46
16.	"Everywhere I Go" (with Emmylou Harris)	Willie Nelson	Teatro (1998)	3:52
17.	"Slow Dancing" (U2 featuring Willie Nelson)	Bono, The Edge	"If God Will Send His Angels" CD single B-side (1997)	4:02
18.	"Mendocino County Line" (with Lee Ann Womack)	Matt Serletic, Bernie Taupin	The Great Divide (2002)	4:33
19.	"One Time Too Many" (with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith)	Steven Tyler, Richie Supa	previously unreleased, recorded 1987	5:23
Total length:				1:14:22

Essential 3.0 bonus disc
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"Remember Me"	Scotty Wiseman	Red Headed Stranger (1975)	2:52
2.	"I Love You a Thousand Ways"	Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck	To Lefty from Willie (1977)	2:59
3.	"Love Me Tender"	George R. Poulton, Ken Darby	Porky's Revenge! (1985)	2:32
4.	"Midnight Rider"	Gregg Allman, Robert Kim Payne	The Electric Horseman (1979)	2:57
5.	"Philadelphia Lawyer"	Woody Guthrie	Folkways: A Vision Shared (1988)	2:59
6.	"Why Do I Have to Choose" (with Waylon Jennings)	Willie Nelson	Take It to the Limit (1983)	3:12
7.	"Let It Be Me"	Gilbert Bécaud, Manny Curtis, Pierre Delanoë	Always on My Mind (1982)	3:33
8.	"Still Is Still Moving to Me"	Willie Nelson	Across the Borderline (1993)	3:29

2015 re-release disc one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"Night Life"	Willie Nelson	Single A-side of Bellaire 107 (1960)	2:32
2.	"Hello Walls"	Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote (1962)	2:24
3.	"Crazy"	Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote (1962)	2:52
4.	"Funny How Time Slips Away"	Willie Nelson	...And Then I Wrote (1962)	3:03
5.	"The Party's Over"	Willie Nelson	The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (1967)	2:29
6.	"I Gotta Get Drunk"	Willie Nelson	Both Sides Now (1970)	2:13
7.	"Yesterday's Wine"	Willie Nelson	Yesterday's Wine (1971)	3:12
8.	"Me and Paul"	Willie Nelson	Yesterday's Wine (1971)	3:49
9.	"Family Bible"	Willie Nelson	Yesterday's Wine (1971)	3:10
10.	"Bloody Mary Morning"	Willie Nelson	Phases and Stages (1974)	2:49
11.	"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain"	Fred Rose	Red Headed Stranger (1975)	2:21
12.	"Good Hearted Woman" (with Waylon Jennings)	Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson	Wanted! The Outlaws (1976)	2:59
13.	"If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time"	Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck	The Sound in Your Mind (1976)	2:06
14.	"Uncloudy Day"	Josiah Kelley Alwood	The Troublemaker (1975)	4:40
15.	"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (with Waylon Jennings)	Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce	Waylon & Willie (1978)	2:23
16.	"Georgia on My Mind"	Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell	Stardust (1978)	4:21
17.	"Blue Skies"	Irving Berlin	Stardust (1978)	3:35
18.	"Heartbreak Hotel" (with Leon Russell)	Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley	One for the Road (1979)	3:03
19.	"Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)"	Kris Kristofferson	Sings Kristofferson (1979)	5:51
20.	"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys"	Sharon Vaughn	The Electric Horseman (1980)	3:06
21.	"Faded Love" (with Ray Price)	Bob Wills, Billy Jack Wills	San Antonio Rose (1980)	3:51
22.	"Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground"	Willie Nelson	Honeysuckle Rose (1980)	4:31
23.	"Whiskey River" (live, April 1978)	Johnny Bush	Willie and Family Live (1978)	3:31

2015 re-release disc two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Originally from	Length
1.	"On the Road Again" (Live)	Willie Nelson	Honeysuckle Rose (1980)	2:33
2.	"Always on My Mind"	Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson	Always on My Mind (1982)	3:32
3.	"Pancho and Lefty" (with Merle Haggard)	Townes Van Zandt	Pancho & Lefty (1983)	4:48
4.	"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (with Julio Iglesias)	Hal David, Albert Hammond	1100 Bel Air Place (1984)	3:34
5.	"City of New Orleans"	Steve Goodman	City of New Orleans (1984)	4:52
6.	"Seven Spanish Angels" (with Ray Charles)	Troy Seals, Eddie Setser	Friendship (1984)	3:52
7.	"Forgiving You Was Easy"	Willie Nelson	Me & Paul (1985)	2:49
8.	"Highwayman" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson)	Jimmy Webb	Highwayman (1985)	3:04
9.	"Living in the Promiseland"	David Lynn Jones	The Promiseland (1986)	3:22
10.	"The End of Understanding" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson)	Willie Nelson	The Road Goes On Forever (1995)	2:41
11.	"Across the Borderline"	Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Dickinson	Across the Borderline (1993)	4:40
12.	"Still Is Still Moving to Me"	Willie Nelson	Across the Borderline (1993)	3:29
13.	"I Never Cared For You"	Willie Nelson	Teatro (1998)	2:18
14.	"Just Breathe" (with Lukas Nelson)	Eddie Vedder	Heroes (2012)	4:02
15.	"I Wish I Didn’t Love You So"	Frank Loesser	Let's Face the Music and Dance (2013)	4:18
16.	"From Here to the Moon and Back" (with Dolly Parton)	Dolly Parton	To All the Girls... (2013)	4:01
17.	"The Wall"	Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon	Band of Brothers (2014)	3:29
18.	"Band of Brothers"	Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon	Band of Brothers (2014)	2:51
19.	"Who'll Buy My Memories?" (with Bobbie Nelson)	Willie Nelson	December Day: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1 (2014)	2:47
20.	"Unfair Weather Friend" (with Merle Haggard)	Marla Cannon-Goodman, Ward Davis	Django and Jimmie (2015)	4:14
21.	"It's All Going to Pot" (with Merle Haggard and Jamey Johnson)	Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson, Larry Shell	Django and Jimmie (2015)	2:56
22.	"Roll Me Up" (with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson)	Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon, Rich Alves, John Colgin, Mike McQuerry	Heroes (2012)	3:25

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[3]	179
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[4]	24

Year-end charts

Chart (2003)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[5]	62

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[7]	Platinum	944,700^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b AllMusic review
^ ^a ^b Quantick, David (April 1996). "Willie Nelson: The Essential Willie Nelson". Q: 129.
^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
^ Bjorke, Matt (October 9, 2019). "Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
^ "American album certifications – Willie Nelson – The Essential Willie Nelson". Recording Industry Association of America.

Willie Nelson

Studio albums

1960s	...And Then I Wrote Here's Willie Nelson Country Willie: His Own Songs Country Favorites – Willie Nelson Style Make Way for Willie Nelson The Party's Over Texas in My Soul Good Times My Own Peculiar Way
1970s	Both Sides Now Laying My Burdens Down Willie Nelson and Family Yesterday's Wine The Words Don't Fit the Picture The Willie Way Shotgun Willie Phases and Stages Red Headed Stranger The Sound in Your Mind The Troublemaker To Lefty from Willie Waylon & Willie Stardust One for the Road Sings Kristofferson Pretty Paper The Electric Horseman
1980s	San Antonio Rose Honeysuckle Rose Family Bible Somewhere Over the Rainbow Always On My Mind In the Jailhouse Now WWII Pancho & Lefty Tougher Than Leather Take It to the Limit Without a Song Angel Eyes City of New Orleans Music from Songwriter Me & Paul Partners The Promiseland Island in the Sea Seashores of Old Mexico What a Wonderful World A Horse Called Music
1990s	Born for Trouble The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? Clean Shirt Across the Borderline Moonlight Becomes You Six Hours at Pedernales Healing Hands of Time Just One Love Augusta Spirit How Great Thou Art Teatro Night and Day
2000s	Tales Out of Luck (Me and the Drummer) Milk Cow Blues Rainbow Connection The Great Divide Nacogdoches It Always Will Be Countryman You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker Songbird Last of the Breed Moment of Forever Willie and the Wheel American Classic
2010s	Country Music Remember Me, Vol. 1 Heroes Let's Face the Music and Dance To All the Girls... Band of Brothers December Day Django and Jimmie Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price God's Problem Child Willie Nelson and the Boys Last Man Standing My Way Ride Me Back Home
2020s	First Rose of Spring That's Life The Willie Nelson Family A Beautiful Time I Don't Know a Thing About Love Bluegrass