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Thread: Eagles songwriting

  1. #1
    Stuck on the Border
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    Default Eagles songwriting

    Would anyone like to talk about Eagles songwriting? I'm thinking of the contributions of everyone within the band and a few from outside, not just the Henley-Frey team.

    When the band formed, it seems that none of them had written much and they didn't have a lot of songs. Glenn seems to have had the most going followed by Randy.

    Randy Meisner - one of Randy's Poco bandmates has said that Randy didn't write when he was in Poco. Whether he just wasn't writing or lacked the confidence to present his ideas, I've no idea. However, on the first Eagles album he has two sole writing credits and one co-credit with Bernie. They're good songs, too, not filler. Earlybird was written quickly in London because Glyn Johns felt that Bernie and Randy needed another song on the album.

    On all the other albums, Randy's down to one or two songs and, again, they're good songs. Randy has said that writing takes him a long time which is why Glenn and Don would step in to help him finish.

    I like Randy's Eagles songs. Musically, they seem designed to make use of his vocal range and lyrically, they seem to be personal and meaningful. He doesn't go in for the "she's so sexy, she's driving me wild" style of writing.

    Randy's first solo album included a re-recording of Take it to the Limit but that was his only writing credit on the album. I've read that the record label wanted to get something out quickly and Randy didn't have any of his own material ready. For his second solo alum, he co-wrote most of the songs with established songwriters.

    I'm sorry, I don't know much about Randy's pre- or post-Eagles career. What are his non-Eagles songs like?

    Randy's Eagles songs:

    Earlybird (with Bernie)
    Take the Devil
    Tryin'
    Saturday Night (with Don, Glenn and Bernie)
    Certain Kind of Fool (with Don and Glenn)
    Is it True?
    Too Many Hands (with Don Felder)
    Take it to the Limit (with Don H and Glenn)
    Try and Love Again

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    Border Rebel travlnman2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Felders biggest hit and only success as a solo write in what you would call mainstream music is writing the hit Heavy Metal from the film. Anyone who has seen the film or grew up with that movie knows he song

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    Border Desperado WS82Classics's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Here's Bernie's songs, apart from his aforementioned contributions:

    "Witchy Woman"(co-written with Henley)
    "Train Leaves Here this Morning"(co-written with former Byrds member Gene Clark)
    "21"
    "Bitter Creek"
    "My Man"(written about both Duane Allman and Gram Parsons)
    "On the Border"(co-written with Frey and Henley)
    "Hollywood Waltz"(co-written with brother Tom, Frey, and Henley)
    "Journey of the Sorcerer"(instrumental piece, music composed by Leadon)
    "I Wish You Peace"(co-written with girlfriend Patti Davis, daughter of future President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Davis)


    Randy's solo song "Bad Man" was composed by him, Frey, and Henley. It appears on his first self-titled album and the "FM" film soundtrack. Of all of the Eagles' solo careers, his and Felder's are the two with which I am least familiar.
    All carrot, no stick.

    "He's just another power junkie, just another silk scarf monkey. You'd know it if you saw his stuff. The man just isn't big enough."--Glenn Frey/Don Henley

    "You think you know me, but you haven't got a clue."--John Lennon/Paul McCartney


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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    "Bad Man" is listed as a Frey-Souther song.

    Was "My Man" about Duane Allman? I thought it was Clarence White,
    (along with Gram Parsons).

    I love "Bitter Creek" and "Twenty-One" and "My Man" are also pretty good. Henley supplied the Hickory Wind line for "My Man".

    I'm not that struck with the song-writing on "Natural Progressions". I like the songs for the music rather than the lyrics. "How can you live without love" could be autobiographical -

    For seven years I lived alone on a hill
    But my life was filled
    With a succession of ladies and friends
    Ah, the sweets of the world!


    I haven't hear Mirror but I've read the lyrics posted on bernieleadonline and I like them. Humourous and pointed. He's come a long way in his writing. If only it was available as an mp3 rather than a CD import.

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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Quote Originally Posted by UndertheWire View Post
    "Bad Man" is listed as a Frey-Souther song.

    Was "My Man" about Duane Allman? I thought it was Clarence White,
    (along with Gram Parsons).

    I love "Bitter Creek" and "Twenty-One" and "My Man" are also pretty good. Henley supplied the Hickory Wind line for "My Man".

    I'm not that struck with the song-writing on "Natural Progressions". I like the songs for the music rather than the lyrics. "How can you live without love" could be autobiographical -

    For seven years I lived alone on a hill
    But my life was filled
    With a succession of ladies and friends
    Ah, the sweets of the world!


    I haven't hear Mirror but I've read the lyrics posted on bernieleadonline and I like them. Humourous and pointed. He's come a long way in his writing. If only it was available as an mp3 rather than a CD import.
    My Man is about Gram Parsons.

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    Stuck on the Border Delilah's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Quote Originally Posted by UndertheWire View Post
    Would anyone like to talk about Eagles songwriting? I'm thinking of the contributions of everyone within the band and a few from outside, not just the Henley-Frey team.

    I'm sorry, I don't know much about Randy's pre- or post-Eagles career. What are his non-Eagles songs like?
    AFAIK, this is the earliest Randy-penned song. It was during his time with The Poor (mid-60s). It sounds very much of its time, a kind of psychedelic garage rock the band was performing and recording. I don't think it's Randy on lead vocal, however. Over time he would adapt to different musical styles and genres, which is one of the reasons I find him so talented (I wish I knew how to embed he video, but oh well). Thanks for asking, btw. I too would like to know about the songwriting of the other members outside the main team.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rdYt0X3dkeg

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    Border Desperado WS82Classics's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    "My Man" was written about both Allman(who used to refer to Leadon, at the time a session player, as 'my man') and Parsons. If there is a Clarence White association, I am wholly unaware of it.

    As far as "Natural Progressions" goes, "As Time Goes on" is an auto-biographical stand out. "Glass Off" is unimpressive. Don't know much about the other songs.
    All carrot, no stick.

    "He's just another power junkie, just another silk scarf monkey. You'd know it if you saw his stuff. The man just isn't big enough."--Glenn Frey/Don Henley

    "You think you know me, but you haven't got a clue."--John Lennon/Paul McCartney


  8. #8
    Stuck on the Border Delilah's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Quote Originally Posted by UndertheWire View Post
    Henley supplied the Hickory Wind line for "My Man".
    In the RS Special Edition, this is part of the short description of "My Man", which they ranked #32 in the list of "40 Greatest Songs":

    When the Eagles reconvened in Los Angeles to finish the album, Leadon hadn't completed the words. "They said, OK, we're going to go to dinner, and you're gonna stay here and finish the song," Leadon laughs. "Henley gave me a clue for something to tie in, the Gram song 'Hickory Wind'. They came back, and I was like, 'OK, let's put the vocal on.' "

    So Henley helped with the clue but didn't actually write the line.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Quote Originally Posted by Delilah View Post
    AFAIK, this is the earliest Randy-penned song. It was during his time with The Poor (mid-60s). It sounds very much of its time, a kind of psychedelic garage rock the band was performing and recording. I don't think it's Randy on lead vocal, however. Over time he would adapt to different musical styles and genres, which is one of the reasons I find him so talented (I wish I knew how to embed he video, but oh well). Thanks for asking, btw. I too would like to know about the songwriting of the other members outside the main team.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rdYt0X3dkeg
    That was better than I expected. The sound is quite Beatle-like and not that different from the groups that were having hits in the UK in the mid-60s. The song's fine for what it is, too.
    Last edited by UndertheWire; 09-19-2016 at 12:41 PM.

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    Default Re: Eagles songwriting

    Now for Don Felder.

    His Eagles songs:
    Visions (co-written with Don Henley)
    Too Many Hands (co-written with Randy Meisner)
    Hotel California (co-written with Don Henley and Glenn Frey)
    Victim of Love (co-written with Don Henley and Glenn Frey)
    The Disco Strangler (co-written with Henley-Frey)
    Those Shoes (co-written with Henley Frey)

    I don't think there's much doubt that Don F came up with the main musical ideas for all these songs but his contribution to the lyrics is more questionable.

    I would guess that "Visions" has Felder lyrics with a polish from Henley. It's unlike anything else I've heard from Henley and is more like a few songs from Felder's Airborne album. Lyrically, I think it's the worst Eagle track. I hate those "Girl, you drive me wild" kind of songs.

    In his book, Felder writes about the ideas being thrown around for Victim of Love, so it seems he played a part in the lyric-writing sessions with Frey, Henley and Souther.

    When I listened to Airborne, I was surprised because the lyrics were not as bad as I had expected. However, some of them are creepy and sexist and just yuk. I'm going to guess that Don was just giving his audiences what he thought they wanted rather than writing from his heart. There's a nice song written for his wife about how they're going to grow old together. Overall, I've heard successful groups with worse lyrics but they're not up to "Eagles standard".

    I haven't listened to much of the new album.

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