“Disco almost turned into a lifestyle”: The Eagles song that rebelled against life in Los Angeles
It tends to be a common theme in Hollywood that many people dream of riches and living a millionaire’s lifestyle, only to realise when they obtain it that it doesn’t mean as much as they originally thought. This is exactly what happened to the Eagles, who found fame as one of the biggest country rock acts on the planet but quickly realised that the Los Angeles lifestyle wasn’t for them.
‘Life In The Fast Lane’ was the opening track for the band’s most successful album, Hotel California. It was a statement of intent right away, as the heavy riff showed people that they weren’t listening to any ordinary album. This was the introduction to what a lot of country rock would eventually shape itself around, and everyone was interested.
“Killer riff, absolutely killer,” said Slash. When the Guns N’ Roses guitarist was asked to name his ten favourite riffs of all time, it didn’t take him very long to bring up this Eagles track. As someone famous for his ability to construct complex riffs in various genres, this is high praise. “God, I must have first heard this song when I was in elementary school. Shit, was it really that long ago?”
While the riff initially caught the attention of many listeners, it was the lyrics that had everyone talking. They discussed disapproving of some lifestyles, and many people thought Glenn Frey was taking shots at his own band members. In an interview, he said that the lyrics weren’t aimed at his band; however, they might have been able to apply to some of them.
“’Life In The Fast Lane’ kind of expressed the stereotyped LA ‘run around in your Porsche’ 24-hour boogie mode that unfortunately is too true for a lot of people,” said Frey, “It wasn’t really a statement about the guys in the band, or about anybody in particular – just it’s kind of disturbing to see the extremes that the bourgeois jet set will involve themselves in. For instance, disco almost turned into a lifestyle, and it’s such a non-meaningful thing on which to base one’s life.”
Frey was politely reminded that the lifestyle he criticises is one that a lot of his fellow bandmates fell into, and while Frey doesn’t deny that, he also expresses how happy he was that they stepped out of that lifestyle. “That’s probably true,” he said, “I think it was healthy, though, that we realised that running around and parties and fast cars are really not the answer – it’s kind of a shallow way to approach why we’re on this planet, and it probably came as a band consciousness.”
Eagles weren’t the only band to discover that there is more to life than parties and material possessions. Given that people found the band appealing because of their humility and grounded music, it’s a good thing they did discover this. If their music had started to become inaccessible, the band might not carry the same cultural semblance that it does now.
