“Good Lord, no”: The band Don Henley thought the Eagles couldn’t compete with
There is no denying the impact of the Eagles. When the band initially split up, the way that fans reacted to the news and the fact that the music continued to live on despite the band being separated was a clear reflection to members of just how influential they are. Glenn Frey was always very open about how big the band were.
“While the band did break up in 1980, our music continued without us,” he said, “It was becoming increasingly apparent to me that, no matter where I went or what I did, for the rest of my life, I would always be an Eagle.”
The way that the band merged genres of music was truly a revelation. People had played country rock before them, but none on a level similar to the Eagles. The two styles of music fit together perfectly, combining the killer riffs of rock music at the time with the narrative-driven and sweet-sounding tones of country music. Their music still holds a place in the hearts of millions, and their rise to fame was undeniable.
Similar to his bandmate, Don Henley was also very aware of the band’s popularity. They were humble in their success but not oblivious to it. However, a common comparison that was frequently thrown their way, which Henley was always reluctant to embrace, was that the band were the American version of The Beatles.
“I’ve heard that comparison,” said Henley when asked about what he thought about the comment, “But I don’t think we’re in that league. Good Lord, no. People do relate to those songs, though.”
It is easy to see where people were coming from when they made the comparison. Listeners seemed to connect with the Eagles’ music in the same way that they could connect with the music of The Beatles. While there was plenty of variation in the style of their songs, as they went from heavy to soft easily, their lyrics remained accessible and easy to relate to.
That being said, comparing the Eagles to The Beatles is a bit of a stretch. There was a lot more to what The Beatles brought to music than just their songs. Ozzy Osbourne once commented about how miserable people were working in post-war Britain and that The Beatles permitted the public to have fun again. They also changed the way bands could be marketed in the US. It all went much deeper than just their sound.
Michael D’Addario of The Lemon Twigs put it best when he said that The Beatles’ rise to success was less an inevitable thing and instead a vacuum-sealed moment in time that could never be repeated. “The Beatles were such a finite thing,” he said, “I wouldn’t wanna model my career after them because it’s such a moment in time and combustible.”
