Listen to the isolated vocals of Eagles song ‘Take it Easy’
Rightfully sitting at the top of all their greatest hits albums is the Eagles’ 1972 classic, ‘Take It Easy’. One of the band’s most iconic and beloved cuts, the song is a masterpiece of harmonies and beautiful guitar. But strip back all the music, and it sounds even better.
‘Take It Easy’ was written in the early 1970s when the record label Asylum Records first introduced Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne. Connecting over their love for classic American country music, ‘Take It Easy’ is an upbeat, optimistic track full of western banjos and country lyricism, written in collaboration by the pair.
At the time, Jackson Browne was trying to write music for his own debut album. He’d written the song’s first verse but was struggling to finish it. He played an early version to Frey when the two connected.
“He asked if I was gonna put [‘Take It Easy‘] on my record, and I said it wouldn’t be ready in time,” Browne said later in an interview. It seems Frey already had his eye on the song for his own band. “He said, ‘Well, we’ll put it on, we’ll do it,’” Browne continues, “but it wasn’t finished, and he kept after me to finish it.”
That’s the moment that Frey provided Browne with a crucial lyric, “Such a fine sight to see / It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford / Slowin’ down to take a look at me.” With that, Browne decided to give the track to the Eagles so long as they finished the rest of the song and made it their own.
While Browne described his original version as a “package without ribbons,” the final version heard today is fully realised and perfect. Going on to be the first track of the Eagles’ self-titled debut album in 1972, the song was a perfect introduction to the classic rock leaders.
The recorded version sees the rest of the Eagles come together. When stripped back to the isolated vocals, Randy Meisner’s voice comes through loud and clear as a defining feature in the band’s early works. Don Henley’s voice blends perfectly with the rest of the band, making a smooth and rich sound. Even without the signature guitars and added details of drums and banjos, ‘Take It Easy’ still sounds amazing.
The track would go on to spend 11 weeks in the charts back in 1972. Getting the world hooked on their new favourite band, it launched the Eagles into the music scene. Jackson Brown would also later record his original version to feature on his second album, For Everyman, in 1973.
