“Too sharp”: The legendary Eagles song Glenn Frey struggled to sing
Most acts do not have the fortune of experience having one great songwriter in a band, and harbouring multiple is so rare that you can count the instances on both hands. One of those groups that had several in-house maestros was the Eagles.
Despite the lineup changes, quality was maintained, meaning that most albums are essentially greatest hits compilations and artistic snapshots of the chapter in which they were constructed. One man who was crucial to keeping the band going through it all was Glenn Frey.
Not only was Frey a founding member, but he was also essential for the band finding their sound, a blend of rock, country, and Americana, which is typified by early numbers such as ‘James Dean’ and ‘Tequila Sunrise’. While the former was written as an ode to the eponymous actor the band hailed as the first “rock ‘n’ roll casualty” and a hero of their generation’s rebellion, the latter was a highlight of 1973’s Wild West-themed Desperado, a record that saw them refine their sonic character, and tap into their country’s cultural traditions to find commercial success.
Frey wrote numerous classics for Eagles and formed a key component of their central songwriting team alongside Don Henley and Felder. One of his best-loved pieces is ‘Lyin’ Eyes’, the second single from their 1975 album, One of These Nights.
The song was a key part of the band’s pivoting from their early country sound to mainstream rock, and the album caused such a stir within the ranks that founding member Bernie Leadon left after the tour, citing dissatisfaction with the new sound. However, he was replaced by Joe Walsh, the hard rock hero who helped make the Eagles world-beaters; his guitar-playing partnership with Felder is the ballast of the ensuing masterpiece Hotel California.
Just as ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ would embody the form of rock the band were moving into, it was also typical of a tact that would serve them well in the coming years: writing about their surroundings. In the Hell Freezes Over DVD, the band discussed the origins of the song and said it was inspired by an experience one night at their favourite hang-out spot in Los Angeles, Dan Tana’s. Allegedly, they spotted a beautiful young woman, but behind her stood an old, fat, wealthy man. While laughing at them, Frey is said to have commented: “Look at her, she can’t even hide those lyin eyes!”
Owing to hazy memories, in the documentary, History of the Eagles, Henley offered a different perspective about what inspired it: “It was about all these girls that would come down to Dan Tana’s looking beautiful. They’d be there from 8 O’clock until midnight having drinks with all of us rockers, then they’d go home because they were kept women.”
Despite the conjecture, it’s clear that Frey was the song’s primary writer and finished it in their shared house in Trousdale, Beverly Hills. It was a rare moment when a track came together quickly. He and Henley had the subject matter, and once they started working on it, the lyrics flowed, creating one of their easiest songs to string together.
While the song would go down as one of Frey’s best and was written with rare ease, it wasn’t without issues for the man behind it. According to Don Felder, singing it was a different matter entirely for his bandmate. He told Ultimate Classic Rock that Frey, a man known to be a perfectionist when it came to his music, was extremely selective about how he sang the song’s first word, “City”. This would cause him great pain over the years.
Felder said: “It would either be a little early, or a little late, or the ‘T’ would be too sharp. But every time that word goes by now, and I hear it, I can appreciate the time and dedication and perseverance that it took to get it perfect”.
Getting things perfect is part of the artistic process. That doesn’t always mean a note has to be pinpoint accurate, but it needs to reflect the band and the song perfectly. It might mean a few extra hours in the studio, but if you’re a perfectionist like Frey, those are hours well spent.
While it was a pain to perform, this was part and parcel of Eagles’ approach. Frey was not the only one who struggled to replicate the recordings, as striving for greatness was what they did. Just ask Joe Walsh; he admits that performing ‘Hotel California’ has never stopped being a challenge; it’s this that makes it so rewarding for him and compelling to listen to for fans.
