Songwriter Ashley Wilson says she and her late partner 'Uncle ' Mark Reynolds wrote Nelson 's Number 1 hit 25 years ago . The suit points to versions of the song posted on YouTube . In one video , Reynolds , who died in 2004 at 44 , says he wrote the song for his mother . Nelson released the single on April 20 2012 - a significant day for pot smokers as 420 is slang for cannabis . He sang it at 4:20 p.m. on that day at the unveiling of a statue of himself in Texas , Austin .
Songwriter Ashley Wilson says she and her late partner 'Uncle ' Mark Reynolds wrote Nelson 's Number 1 hit 25 years ago . The suit points to versions of the song posted on YouTube . In one video , Reynolds , who died in 2004 at 44 , says he wrote the song for his mother . Nelson released the single on April 20 2012 - a significant day for pot smokers as 420 is slang for cannabis . He sang it at 4:20 p.m. on that day at the unveiling of a statue of himself in Austin , Texas .