In 1971, Browne signed with
Asylum Records and released
Jackson Browne (1972), which included the piano-driven "
Doctor My Eyes", a Top 10 hit in the
US singles chart. "Rock Me On The Water", from the same album, also gained considerable
radio airplay, while "Jamaica Say You Will" and "
Song For Adam" helped establish Browne's reputation as a versatile and original writer with a deep thinking, sometimes downbeat, but always romantic flair. During this period, he also toured with
Linda Ronstadt.
His next album,
For Everyman (1973) — while considered of high quality — was less successful than his debut album, although it still sold a million copies. The upbeat "
Take It Easy," co-written with
The Eagles' Glenn Frey, had already been a big hit for that group, while "
These Days" captured the essence of Browne's youthful, morose angst, and the title track was the first of Browne's studies of personal exploration, soul-searching, and despair set against the backdrop of a decaying society.
Late for the Sky (1974) consolidated Browne's following, with some fans drawn in purely by the record's intriguing,
Magritte-inspired cover. Highlights included the searching, heartbreaking title song, the
elegiac "For a Dancer" and the apocalyptic "Before the Deluge". The arrangements featured the evocative
violin and
guitar of
David Lindley, Jai Winding's outstanding piano, and the stellar harmonies of Doug Haywood. The title track was also featured in
Martin Scorsese's film
Taxi Driver. Around this time, Browne began his fractious but lifelong professional relationship with the brilliant but less successful singer/songwriter
Warren Zevon, mentoring Zevon's first two Asylum albums through the studio as a producer after browbeating Asylum head
David Geffen into giving Zevon a recording contract.
Browne's disaffected, wondering character struck out even more starkly in his next album,
The Pretender, which is arguably his darkest. It was released in 1976, after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. The album features stronger production by
Jon Landau and a mixture of styles, ranging from the
Mariachi-inspired peppiness of "Linda Paloma" to the
country-driven "Your Bright Baby Blues" to the near-hopeless sadness and surrender of "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate". Title track "The Pretender" is Browne's
magnum opus, a vivid account of romanticism losing the battle with the realities of day-to-day life. "Here Come Those Tears Again" was cowritten by Nancy Farnsworth, the mother of Browne's first wife Phyllis Major, following Phyllis' untimely death.
By then, Browne's work had gained a reputation for its compelling melodies, clear, honest, and insightful lyrics, and a flair for composition rarely seen in the world of rock and roll. He was often referred to as "a thinking man's rock star."
Browne began recording his next LP while on tour, and
Running on Empty (1977) became his biggest commercial success. Breaking the usual conventions for a
live album, Browne used all new material and combined live concert performances with recordings made on buses, in hotel rooms, and back stage, creating the audio equivalent of a road movie.
Running on Empty contains many renowned songs, such as the propulsive title track, "
Running on Empty", "The Road" (written and recorded in 1972 by
Danny O'Keefe), "Rosie", and "
The Load-Out/Stay" (Browne's affectionate and knowing send-off to his concert audiences and roadies).
