Glenn Frey discusses the first rock ‘n’ roll casualty: “He’s my first hero”
There’s no denying the songwriting prowess of Don Henley, Don Felder, and Glenn Frey, but the Eagles’ real genius lay in their ability to tap into the world of Americana. By drawing from their sprawling nation’s cultural traditions, they captured the hearts and minds of the masses. While they weren’t the first to do so and certainly won’t be the last, it’s hard to find another group outside of the country genre so deeply rooted in the essence of the United States.
The work of the Californian band is absolutely drenched in American history and folklore. While they typified the narcotic essence of their era and the mythologised pull of Los Angeles, with ‘Hotel California’, a spiritual cousin to works such as The Long Goodbye and The Big Lebowski, this surreal sonic rendering of one of the world’s most storied locations was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of references.
Elsewhere, ‘On the Border’ delves into politics and references the famous American comedian Dan Rowan and the outgoing President Richard Nixon, to whom the song is a “kiss-off” following the Watergate Scandal. By drawing upon Rowan’s famous line “Say goodnight, Dick” and sardonically waving goodbye to Nixon, they captured a historic juncture for their country and placed themselves within it.
The band was particularly drenched in the spirit of America during the early 1970s. One night in 1972, Frey, Henley, Jackson Browne and JD Souther jammed together after watching Tim Hardin at the Troubadour. As Frey recalled on his website, at one point during the jam, “The idea came together about us doing an album of all the angst-meisters [laughs]. It was going to be all of the antiheroes.”
As a band of hard-partying rockers driven by the countercultural spirit, it was only fitting that the Eagles would draw creative inspiration from some of their country’s most iconic renegades. According to Frey, the late Rebel Without a Cause actor James Dean inspired one of their songs—a natural choice given his status as a symbol of rebellion for their generation. Meanwhile, the notorious Doolin-Dalton gang became the subject of another track, further cementing the band’s connection to tales of defiance and outlaw spirit.
Inspired during the same week, the band wrote two tracks that most closely capture the essence of America: ‘Desperado’ and ‘Tequila Sunrise’. Alongside these, ‘Doolin-Dalton’ also emerged, and together they formed the backbone of their wild west-themed second album, 1973’s Desperado. However, one track, ‘James Dean’, didn’t make the cut due to its differing themes. Instead, it was shelved and later dusted off for their follow-up album, On the Border.
It made perfect sense to complete ‘James Dean’ for On the Border, a more rock-oriented album that suited its tone. The Eagles were devoted rock ‘n’ roll enthusiasts, deeply steeped in its lore since their childhoods in the 1950s. They regarded the late actor as the first rock ‘n’ roll loss, making the song their tribute to him—a fitting homage to one of the ultimate symbols of their spiritual and cultural rebellion.
In 1975, Frey explained: “James Dean was the first rock ‘n’ roll casualty. He’s the guy who trademarked blue jeans, white shirts, and a light spring jacket. Jimmy Dean, he’s my first hero, that first angry young man, rebel without a cause. I had a lot of heroes, a couple of high school friends but Dean… [sighs.]”
Featuring classic lines such as, “You said it all so clean / And I know my life would look all right / If I could see it on the silver screen”, ‘James Dean’ remains one of Eagles’ greatest tracks. It’s no surprise that the defiant spirit of their generation and 1950s America courses throughout it.
