‘I Dreamed There Was No War’: Decoding Glenn Frey’s final song for Eagles
Throughout their illustrious career, Eagles were known for having been blessed with several incredible songwriters within their ranks, and while large amounts of their work was done collaboratively, there were times in their catalogue where individual members were allowed to shine with their own compositions. It’s one thing to have a single member who does all of the heavy lifting in a group, but with Eagles, virtually all members throughout their past had something exceptional to offer.
Don Henley and Glenn Frey are often regarded as being the two principal figures within the band who were at the core of their creative output, and while they wrote the bulk of the work that the band is best known for, that’s not to dismiss the efforts of Joe Walsh, Timothy B Schmit or Randy Meisner, to name but a few of the key individuals who contributed their own to the band.
While the group initially separated in 1980 following the release of The Long Run, marking the end of a remarkable nine-year stint, they reunited in the ‘90s to begin touring again, such was the high demand of their return. No new music surfaced during the decade, but in 2007, the band would record what remains their final studio album to date, the stunning swan song, Long Road Out of Eden.
The only double album in their catalogue, Long Road Out of Eden often faces criticism for being too lengthy, bloated and lacking the same levels of inspiration that their ‘70s output possessed. However, despite having its critics, there are moments where the classic soft rock and country feel of older Eagles records shines through the lacklustre moments, and there’s plenty of material over both discs that is sure to appease most long-time fans.
The sentimental nature of the record and the themes of time passing and band members ageing is perhaps the most prevalent thing that listeners will notice when comparing it to Eagles records of old, and with several of the songs extending over five minutes, the sprawl of it led to some difficulty when it came to figuring out the perfect order for the tracks. Sitting at the front of the second disc is the title track, and coming in at ten minutes in length, Frey was unsure of how they could make it fit within the context of the rest of the album.
The track that would eventually be chosen to follow ‘Long Road Out of Eden’ was one of just three solo compositions that Frey contributed to the record, and the final song he wrote for the band by himself. Not only that, but ‘I Dreamed There Was No War’ is unusual for the band in that it’s an entirely instrumental track, something the band weren’t known for, and something that feels out of place given how wistful the lyricism of the record is.
Speaking about his decision to include this brief interlude in the final tracklist, Frey said, “I thought, ‘Gosh, what song can follow that?’ We needed a link to clear your mind, the equivalent of looking at a sailboat or trees. I wrote this piece around the time of our Millennium show. I always wanted to do something with Stratocaster and orchestra.”
While it may lack the same punch as the songs with lyrics attached to them, the plaintive yearning that the instrumental offers is the perfect way to follow ‘Long Road Out of Eden’, and a surprisingly beautiful way for Frey to call time on his contributions to the band.
