The Eagles song Charles Bradley said “saved his life”
Music genres aren’t meant to be warring forces. They’re not like football teams we tribally support, pledging our sole allegiance to one specific sound. They’re meant to bleed into one another. And in the 1970s, despite the fighting forces of disco and rock, that coalescence was in full effect.
It was arguably the most fruitful decade music had to offer, with every genre boasting future legacy acts. The umbrella of rock and roll sheltered everything from prog rock, punk rock and blues rock, while Motown stepped outside into the sunlight, allowing the soulful sounds of its heroes to flourish.
While all types of music developed in a decade of open-mindedness, arguably, rock and soul fused harmoniously. For it was in the harmonies that they found their commonplace. So while Eagles donned the sort handle-bar moustaches and silver rimmed aviators that any rock god worth their salt would be proud of, something in their melodic compositions and harmonic layering felt innately soulful.
In fact, the Californian rockers didn’t just sleepwalk into the realms of soul. On their track ‘Wasted Time’, they deliberately leant into what they remarked as Philadelphia influences, saying, “Don was our Teddy Pendergrass. He could stand out there all alone and just wail. We did a big Philly-type production with strings—definitely not country rock.”
So it was no surprise that their music caught the attention of more than the concentrated circles of classic rock. In fact, on the album before Hotel California, where their ode to Philadelphia resided, they released a seminal track that caught the attention of Charles Bradley.
‘Take It to the Limit’ is well known for Randy Meisner’s vocal performance and, more specifically, his high note at the tail end of the song. But throughout, the vocal performance stuns as it soars off the back of heartfelt harmonies, something that certainly struck a chord with the soul musician.
“These guys saved my life,” he explained, clutching an Eagles record. “One day, I got harassed by the police, and it bothered me so much I was so angry at the world. And I just said I don’t want to be here no more. I want to get out of this feeling, and I ran into this pizza restaurant, and I was sitting there just trying to think how to get out of this hurtful, deep-down darkness feeling. Somebody came in there and put a quarter in the jukebox, and that song was ‘Take It to the Limit’. Earnestly, he added, “Eagles, for that I love you eternally, thank you”.
While the Eagles weren’t harnessing soul sensibilities quite as overtly as they were on ‘Wasted Time’, what Bradley’s reaction to this track goes to prove is the innate essence of soul that sat at the very heart of the Eagles’ discography. And as the legacy of Eagles beats on, along with what may be at times unfair ridiculing, you can surely use this anecdote as a reason to put your judgments aside and acknowledge the role the band played in inspiring the career of a soul icon.
