walk away

The song is one of a number Brown wrote about Renee Fladen-Kamm, girlfriend of The Left Banke's bassist Tom Finn and object of Brown's affection. Other songs written about her include the band's second hit "Pretty Ballerina" and "She May Call You Up Tonight". After decades of obscurity, she was identified in 2001 as a noted singer, vocal teacher and artist on the West Coast.

The song immediately became a pop standard, and has an enduring emotional impact as a heartfelt, pure lament for lost love. It has been widely covered by artists in a wide range of genres and styles. A classic rendition is Southside Johnny's on At Least We Got Shoes (1986). Vonda Shepard sang it on the tv series, Ally McBeal, referring to one of the characters who was called Renee. Her version appeared on the album, Songs From Ally McBeal. Editors at Rolling Stone magazine named it number 220 on the list of 500 greatest Rock/Pop songs.

Trivia

• Elliott Smith recorded a little known cover of Walk Away Renée.

• Gwen Stefani's middle name, Renee, was inspired by this song.^[1]

• See also Linda Ronstadt's version on her 2006 album Adieu False Heart.

Notes

1. ^ Entertainment Weekly #910, December 8, 2006, p. 94, sidebar