“Just to Satisfy You”
Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
Written by Don Bowman and Waylon Jennings
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
May 14 – May 21, 1982
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
May 29, 1982
Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson took such a long path to stardom that by the time they got there, they could raid their own back catalog for brand new hits.
“Just to Satisfy You” was one of Jennings’ earliest releases. It served as the B-side of his 1962 single, “Four Strong Winds.” Then he recorded it again in 1969, and it served as the title track to his album.
Third time was the charm, and putting Willie Nelson on it was a master touch, especially given that Jennings himself was struggling so much at the time with his cocaine addiction. His performance doesn’t have his usual bite, but it works well enough to make this version of “Just to Satisfy You” a slow burn.
Nelson sounds like a good hearted man doing a solid for a struggling friend, and he helps bring this one over the finish line. It would be their final duet to top the chart, but they’d join up with two other legends for a superstar quartet that we will cover when we get to 1985.
“Just to Satisfy You” gets a B+.
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The ’80s don’t even hint at what a massive presence and influence Jennings was in his prime in the preceding decade.
I can’t recall if Jennings will top the charts as a solo artists again. Did “Rose in Paradise” climb to the top?
This song is a testament to the company you keep as an artist.