“That would mean a lot”: The one singer Glenn Frey wanted approval from
Glenn Frey developed a pretty steely reputation during the Eagles’ heyday. Despite their laid-back disposition, which celebrated the very best of free and easy West Coast living, the reality of the band was quite the opposite. Intra-band tensions sat beneath the breezy harmonies, and at the coalface of that tension was often Frey.
He had a clear vision for the band, and if his fellow band members didn’t step in line, he was never afraid to impart some intimidation. But Frey never asked for a level of dedication or performative talent he couldn’t deliver himself. His voice was at the very heart of the iconic harmonies and bass playing at the beating heart of their arrangement. He may have been a gruff, uncompromising leader, but he was a talented one at that.
It was a no-bullshit approach to music making that understandably exuded an uncompromising demeanour. While the Eagles were subject to the odd industry joke here and there, their success largely provided the band with a solid enough platform to not care what people thought. But suppose you listen closely enough to Frey’s soothing sounds and surrounding harmonies. In that case, you will hear a style so richly influenced by classic singers that the very notion of his yearning for affirmation feels easier to understand.
Ultimately, that was the source of the jibes for their contemporaries. Rather than sing in off-beat, anti-establishment style howling, they leaned into classic sensibilities and provided their audience with something warmer altogether. So it comes as no surprise that Frey heralds the likes of Bing Crosby and Tony Bennett as his pillars of influence.
And it was the latter who consistently made the otherwise fiercely uncompromising Californian weak at the knees. While he made his name from the opposite coast and the Jazz scene forged in its craggy streets, he mastered a style of singing so deeply connected to the sort of intricate vocal melodies celebrated in the Eagles.
For Frey, no song showcases that finer than his classic ‘I Wanna Be Around’. “This song holds a special meaning for me because it’s one of the first songs of this ilk that I started to sing,” Frey explained.
He continued: “I certainly don’t want to be solicitous and say, ‘Tony Bennett, listen to my record!’ But it’d be nice if somebody would turn him onto it, and he’d give it a listen. Maybe he’ll give me a nod of approval – that would mean a lot.”
While the stories of him receiving said nod are fairly scarce, Frey’s solo album After Hours would surely have made its way to Bennett’s shelves. Born from impromptu performances of Bennett’s work at Clint Eastwood’s golf benefits, Frey’s record was a celebration of jazz music through a catalogue of covers that did indeed showcase the similarities between himself and Bennett. It was a project that suited the older, more measured Frey, who by 2012 would be found more often adorning a well-cut suit than an open-collared shirt, and had left the schoolyard jibes of the Eagles days behind him to simply celebrate an artist who inspired him deeply.
