View Full Version : Take It Easy
Brooke
06-27-2007, 11:16 AM
I intended to start this topic on June 24th in honor of Take It Easy's 35th anniversary, but I forgot! :roll: Remember, I can actually remember SOME things from that long ago. I'm old!
Anyway, what are your thoughts about it? Like it, love it, hate it? Remember the first time you heard it? I know, SOME of you weren't even born in 1972! But there was still a first time you heard it! Remember that?
Personally, I was 16 when it came out. I loved it! Every time I heard it on the radio I would crank it up loud. To me, it's the Eagles anthem. It's just such a feel good, fun song. Glenn's sweet, young voice :heart: just melted me back then (and still does now!). I know he didn't write the whole song, but he sure finished it! And the Eagles made it their song! Jackson Browne's version is wonderful, too, but to me it's really an Eagles song, cause they just do it perfect! I always feel good when I hear it. :D
In that article "32 Reasons Why the Eagles Are the Best Band in the Universe" (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=374) it was listed as #4. "Take It Easy"-classic song, classic bumper sticker.
Exactly.
How about you?
Maleah
06-27-2007, 02:21 PM
I love the song! I'm sure i heard the song before this, but don't remember it.........the first time I REMEMBER hearing it was when we went to see Travis Tritt in concert. He did an EXCELLENT job on it! Then, of course, I got into the Eagles and fell in love with the original. It's such a great song because you can't resist singing along with it!
Randy's Girl
06-27-2007, 03:54 PM
I love it!! I don't remember specifically the first time I heard it, although it would've been in 1987.
It's a great driving song, but you have to have it up loud. I love hearing Randy's harmonies (his voice is a bit more distinctive than Timmy's in this song). Everytime I hear it, I can see them in the BBC concert.
Just a fab song
glenneaglesfan
06-27-2007, 04:50 PM
Great topic, Brooke, thanks! I really can't remember when I first heard 'Take it Easy', but it seems to have been with me since its conception in the seventies. I must have known it when I bought the 'Greatest Hits' LP in 1998. It stands out as the classic driving track - I love it as much now as I did then, the difference being that now I know it's Glenn singing it, and that adds even more to its appeal. I also have Jackson's version, which casts a whole new light on it, and I suppose it's really his song in the first place.
I prefer Glenn's version, though.
Freypower
06-27-2007, 07:17 PM
Wow - I would have been in England when the song came out. Preoccupied as I was by 'glam rock' I probably hated it. I probably only started to listen to it in 1975 when the OOTN songs caught my ear. The first time I saw it performed was in 1988 as part of a medley with Lyin' Eyes. It wasn't enough, of course.
I love the song & I love watching Glenn sing it. It is one of his more exuberant performances. He is doing his 'Teen King' persona but in a more subtle way his 'In Charge' persona. He is also preaching what he considers to be the classic Eagles message of self-reliance. As well as this we have the ringing guitars and the perfect harmonies (I agree with RG that Randy is particularly prominent. When they do it now Tim's voice is a bit too sweet for the 'standing on a corner' harmony part).
It's a great song. Does this mean we don't have to have the Eagles album Survivor now? :P
Brooke
06-27-2007, 07:45 PM
It's a great song. Does this mean we don't have to have the Eagles album Survivor now? :P
Ooohhh, I hope not! I certainly didn't mean to jeapordize that! I just thought that since it was having an anniversary we should celebrate it!
Freypower
06-27-2007, 07:51 PM
That was a joke... I'm looking forward to that as well. :) I think this topic was a good idea. It might be worthwhile starting more topics on individual songs & then throwing them open for discussion.
Ive always been a dreamer
06-27-2007, 11:30 PM
I agree that this is a great idea for a topic. Thanks Brooke. As far as the song, I'm old too, so I first heard Take It Easy sometime during the summer of '72. I remember that I loved it from the beginning. Of course, like everyone else, I had never heard of the Eagles, but it wasn't long before everyone one was talking about them and the song. I bought the Eagles album sometime that summer and little did I know I would still be listening to the song 35 years later, and loving it just as much now as I did then. For me, it's just one of those songs that I never tire of no matter how many times I hear it. I particularly love the Live version.
Sexy Girl
06-28-2007, 03:51 AM
For me, it's just one of those songs that I never tire of no matter how many times I hear it. I particularly love the Live version.
This also applies to me :D
Of course I was much too young to listen to "Take It Easy" when it first came out. I was just 5 8)
I bought their Greatest Hits album about nine or ten years later and immediately was in love with that song, one of my absolute favourites. I'm still in love with it :D
Like Dreamer I like the live versions best, but I have to admit not so much the recent ones including violin, rather the ones from the HFO era.
It goes without saying that on the official HFO DVD "Take It Easy" is one of the highlights for me, "and here is how it all started ..." :heart:
Perfect Little Sister
06-28-2007, 04:51 AM
I'd just like to point out that if "40 is the new 20" and "60 is the new 40", we're all in our prime! :wink: Just a few weeks ago my mom and I were discussing how we liked the "new" take on our ages. :laugh:
Randy's Girl
06-28-2007, 04:54 AM
It goes without saying that on the official HFO DVD "Take It Easy" is one of the highlights for me, "and here is how it all started ..." :heart:
Love that version, especially Glenn's exuberant cry of "Alright!" halfway through the song :D
Btw, if you watch the early live ones (pre-Timmy), Glenn always looks at Randy and smiles while they're singing the second verse together. On every one I've seen, he does it - so sweet. Anyone else noticed that?
Glennsallnighter
06-28-2007, 06:03 AM
It goes without saying that on the official HFO DVD "Take It Easy" is one of the highlights for me, "and here is how it all started ..." :heart:
Love that version, especially Glenn's exuberant cry of "Alright!" halfway through the song :D
Yes I love both those comments too. The first always melts my heart when I'm listening to HFO (or watching it) and the 'Alright' gives me a high. I call it out anyway even if I'm listening to a version that doesn't include it.
I don't remember when I first heard Take it Easy - I would have started in Primary School the week after it was released! But I always seem to have known it. However my best memory of it was when the Eagles came out on stage to do their Dublin gig last year. The music started (very loud) Glenn :heart: (in that gorgeous pink shirt) started singing and I fell for him straight away :iloveyou: :smitten: :inlove: :fainting: . It was one of those life defining moments! And the rest as they say is history :D
On Wednesday I had a long drive to do and I had my Eagles CD's on the car stereo to keep me company. I put on TIE, put down the window to let the wind in my hair and sang along as I took the car to the limit. I felt just like the girl in the flatbed ford (and yes I slowed down to take a look (out for) Glenn :heart: :D - I didn't find him though :sigh:
Mrs Frey
06-28-2007, 07:04 AM
Yes, indeed, Brooke, it is a great idea for us to discuss individual songs - thanks for starting us off on this absolute classic. :D I can't remember the first time I heard it, although I recall hearing it on-and-off on the radio over the years, but having not really been exposed to the Eagles, I didn't take as much notice as I should have. Since my childhood and throughout my teens, I was always more interested in '50s and '60s music, rather than the '70s, and was heavily into (as you all know by now! :blush: ) Elvis Presley :heart: and the Beatles :heart:.
My major introduction to the Eagles came when my friend and former bandmate introduced them to me, and one of the songs he was interested in playing was "Take It Easy". It was familiar to me, and it didn't take long before I learnt all the words and worked out the guitar chords. We never ended up playing it, but I play the record incessantly at home, and when I'm playing guitar, I never fail to play that song these days. :D :D
I love all the versions I've heard thus far (the original, HFO, Glenn's :heart: "Live In Dublin" version - where he also incidentally exclaims "All Right" half way through the song, just like in HFO - the BBC version, which I saw on YouTube yesterday :D, the "Eagles Live" CD version, and of course, the F1 version...phew!), and the song surely ranks as one of my favourites. Lyrically and musically, it's a masterpiece, and the instrumention and harmonies are perfection. Glenn's :heart: vocal is just stunning. What more can I say? The song is timeless.
Sexy Girl
06-28-2007, 07:28 AM
I'd just like to point out that if "40 is the new 20" and "60 is the new 40", we're all in our prime! :wink: Just a few weeks ago my mom and I were discussing how we liked the "new" take on our ages. :laugh:
That sounds just perfect :D
What a nice thought to celebrate my 20th birthday soon :wink:
Brooke
06-28-2007, 10:45 AM
I bought the Eagles album sometime that summer and little did I know I would still be listening to the song 35 years later, and loving it just as much now as I did then. For me, it's just one of those songs that I never tire of no matter how many times I hear it. I particularly love the Live version.
This is what amazes me, too, dreamer. And so many of their songs have this staying power! Yeah, who would've thunk it? Still loving it, time and time again, after 35 years! 8)
And the version I've been hearing lately on the radio is the HFO one with the "and here's where it all started" included with the song. I just love that, too, and the "alright!". Glenn is so cute there! :heart:
Oh, I'm liking that take on ages, too, PLS! :nod:
SweetHolly
06-28-2007, 06:35 PM
I'd just like to point out that if "40 is the new 20" and "60 is the new 40", we're all in our prime! :wink: Just a few weeks ago my mom and I were discussing how we liked the "new" take on our ages. :laugh:
That sounds just perfect :D
What a nice thought to celebrate my 20th birthday soon :wink:
Happy early birthday SG! I'll be 26 in August. :D
sodascouts
06-28-2007, 09:22 PM
I'm not sure when I first heard Take It Easy. I wasn't born in 1972 and wasn't allowed to listen to rock music until I was 10 in 1985 (very old-fashioned parents). At that point I started listening to a local radio station - "B95: the best of the 70s and 80s" and I'm sure they played Take It Easy, but I never really stood up and took notice of it. I do remember watching Hell Freezes Over and thinking it sounded familiar, and after I bought the cassette tape, I liked it more and more. By the time I bought the Eagles Greatest Hits 1972-1975, I had it pegged as one of my favorites on the album - that and Take It to the Limit. It truly is an anthemic song of the Eagles.
glenneaglesfan
06-29-2007, 10:15 AM
Mustn't forget Travis Tritt's version as well - the one that got them all back together again. :D
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c96/Glenneaglesfan/TrittTIEgroup.jpg
Marco
06-29-2007, 10:21 AM
Thank You for the photo, but where is Joe Walsh
Ive always been a dreamer
06-29-2007, 10:33 AM
Thanks for that pic, GEF. That is just gorgeous, and an important, defining moment for the guys. Marcox, that is Joe on the far right. Glenn and Felder even look quite cozy there. :D
Mrs Frey
06-29-2007, 10:43 AM
I'd just like to point out that if "40 is the new 20" and "60 is the new 40", we're all in our prime! :wink: Just a few weeks ago my mom and I were discussing how we liked the "new" take on our ages. :laugh:
That sounds just perfect :D
What a nice thought to celebrate my 20th birthday soon :wink:
Mmmmmm... then on my next birthday I'll be 11 years old! :wink: I'm too young for this Board! :shock: :rofl:
Marco
06-29-2007, 12:48 PM
You really have 11 Years Old? :lol:
Brooke
06-29-2007, 01:34 PM
Oh, yes, the Travis Tritt version! I like him, too!
Thanks for that gef! That is such a great pic! :D
timfan
06-29-2007, 01:49 PM
I love Timmy's goatee in that photo!! :P mmmmhmmm 8)
sodascouts
11-14-2012, 06:07 PM
I'm reviving this old thread to discuss the lyrics a little bit! "Take It Easy" may seem like an odd place to start with song dissection, but since we already had a thread for it, I figured - why not?
Glenn has said this song is about living life with a sense of freedom and taking joy in everything you do (I'm paraphrasing).
Most of us know the story of Jackson Browne being stuck in Winslow, Arizona, inspiring that verse.
The opening has always struck me as to the way he describes his women troubles. "Four that wanna own me" - he doesn't like to be controlled; "two that wanna stone me" - his relationships don't always work out so well; "one says she's a friend of mine" - the most positive characterization is outside of a romantic relationship. Either that, or she's both a romantic partner and a friend - but I always assumed she was just a friend. This is a man who is not yet ready to be "tied down."
"We may lose and we may win - but we will never be here again." Seize the day! There is also no sense of permanence with this woman - again, he's not about relationships at this point.
"Open up, I'm climbing in" - double entendre?
VAisForEagleLovers
11-14-2012, 06:20 PM
What I've always liked about certain songwriters is the fact that there's what they are trying to say in the big picture, as well as their smaller points in individual lyrics. We'll get to HC, but their shout-out to Steely Dan in the midst of a song that's about something is an example.
So, given that, over all the big picture is that he could have stressed out about the car. He could have spent his time in Winslow upset and frustrated and hating life. He could let his women problems get him down. Instead, probably with the help of some outside substances, he decided to just take it easy. Look for opportunity in the midst of problems. Live life, love life. Embrace where you are. If he hadn't done that, he'd have totally missed the girl in the flatbed Ford who was slowing down to check him out. OK, Glenn wrote that, but he knew where Jackson was going with the song.
I actually thought about this song when the brakes went out in my truck while driving through town and found myself stuck at a garage all afternoon about six months ago or so.
Prettymaid
11-16-2012, 12:55 AM
"one says she's a friend of mine" - the most positive characterization is outside of a romantic relationship. Either that, or she's both a romantic partner and a friend - but I always assumed she was just a friend. This is a man who is not yet ready to be "tied down."
Long before the phrase 'friends with benefits', that is exactly what I have always thought that line meant.
"Open up, I'm climbing in" - double entendre?
You betcha.
This is one of those songs that immediately gives you a feeling. The feeling is bigger than the song, and that's what makes it one of the great songs of all time.
Outlawman13
02-27-2013, 11:43 PM
OHHH I've been listening to this song for a while now. Ever since I was young ('bout 5) my parents would play the Eagles, Tom Petty, The Cars, and Beach Boys. I mean I got my fill of rock-n-roll, but the Eagles and that song has stayed with me for 21 years now. Glenn's voice is just so smooth and gorgeous to the ears. I always get in a giddy mood when I hear this. Makes me want to dance around the city. This song (along with the other Eagles songs) is one of the best songs ever. The lyrics pick you right up.
VAisForEagleLovers
04-18-2013, 11:07 PM
In various other threads on this board, if I recall correctly, it's discussed that TIE has been played at every Eagles concert and all of Glenn's solo concerts? Until one of the Falls View shows and then the Eagles show at The Beacon last year? This review of Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in CA somewhere from August of 1994 says TIE wasn't performed at this show.
It's a lousy review (another case of someone who hates the Eagles being assigned to review the concert), so I'll quote the relevant portion here. The rest you must register to view the site the search results coughed up.
Nicknamed by many industry cynics here as "The Greed Tour," this current year-long jaunt by '70s superstars The Eagles is expected to bring in close to $300 million from ticket sales, merchandising and an expected live album. Which may explain why 'Take It Easy', at least on this night, went tastefully unplayed.
http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-eagles-irvine-meadows-amphitheatre-california
TimothyBFan
04-19-2013, 07:43 AM
Nicknamed by many industry cynics here as "The Greed Tour," this current year-long jaunt by '70s superstars The Eagles is expected to bring in close to $300 million from ticket sales, merchandising and an expected live album. Which may explain why 'Take It Easy', at least on this night, went tastefully unplayed.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone have any idea or has anyone ever seen a money figure on how much a concert tour actually cost? $300 million is a lot of dough but how much is left after traveling, paying the help, etc....? Hmmmm....
VAisForEagleLovers
04-19-2013, 08:24 AM
Just out of curiosity, does anyone have any idea or has anyone ever seen a money figure on how much a concert tour actually cost? $300 million is a lot of dough but how much is left after traveling, paying the help, etc....? Hmmmm....
I've wondered that myself. Bob Seger has posted pictures recently of 'the trucks' arriving, and the pictures included at least six semis backed up to loading docks. The costs of moving everything and the number of people it would take to do it in a short amount of time has got to be a lot. Seger has also recently said that he's been playing Like a Rock in this tour because he has a lead guitar player who can nail the guitar solo. Our guys always employ top talent and so they probably pay top prices. I imagine Seger could have done that as well, there were probably other reasons he kept the other one around.
I will say that $300 million back in 1994 was a lot more than it is today!
sodascouts
04-20-2013, 12:25 AM
In various other threads on this board, if I recall correctly, it's discussed that TIE has been played at every Eagles concert and all of Glenn's solo concerts? Until one of the Falls View shows and then the Eagles show at The Beacon last year? This review of Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in CA somewhere from August of 1994 says TIE wasn't performed at this show.
It's a lousy review (another case of someone who hates the Eagles being assigned to review the concert), so I'll quote the relevant portion here. The rest you must register to view the site the search results coughed up.
http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-eagles-irvine-meadows-amphitheatre-california
I think this guy might have remembered wrong - unless for some reason they didn't play the final encore that night. I have many Hell Freezes Over tour bootlegs and they all contain "Take It Easy" as the last song.
Maybe he had already left to beat the crowd.
WalshFan88
04-20-2013, 12:46 AM
I cannot imagine them ever doing a show without Take It Easy or Hotel California. Those are their two biggest hits in their respective eras. It would REALLY upset me not to hear those... When I left the venue in 2008 not hearing Already Gone I was disappointed, but not upset as the concert was so great. But not hearing those two signature songs would really upset me no matter how good the show was. I think they know as well as I do that they will always have to do those two songs or a LOT of people would be very unhappy.
Ive always been a dreamer
04-20-2013, 10:05 PM
Yeah - I would agree with Soda that either this guy is mistaken or there was some extenuating circumstance that caused them to drop it for this particular show. It was definitely a part of HFO setlist that I've ever seen.
And I gotta agree with your post Austin re: Take It Easy and Hotel California.
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