The Eagles songs written by Randy Meisner
When talking about the brilliance behind the Eagles, it usually comes down to the primary songwriting of Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Although every member of the band had the potential to write legendary musical pieces that would become known around the world, Frey and Henley were the ones who could flesh out those ideas into unique pieces of art on tracks like ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Best of My Love’. Although Joe Walsh and Don Felder may have had their fair share of high points throughout their career, Randy Meisner tends to fly under the radar.
Never one to be all that flashy behind the scenes, Meisner was known for his easygoing demeanour and would usually be seen supplying the perfect bassline to balance out the rest of the band. From the beginning, though, Meisner was also contributing songs, penning tracks like ‘Take the Devil’ and ‘Tryin’ off their debut album. The bassist would also help guitarist Bernie Leadon finish off the song ‘Earlybird, featuring a swirling banjo chord sequence.
By the time the band made their follow-up Desperado, Meisner fit into the outlaw aesthetic with ease on the track ‘Certain Kind of Fool’, telling the story of how the protagonist became an outlaw while also providing a co-write on the ballad ‘Saturday Night’. While he would only contribute the song ‘Is It True’ for the band’s following album, On the Border, it would be One Of These Nights where he truly showed his talents.
While Meisner co-wrote his vocal showcase ‘Too Many Hands with the help of Felder, his work with Frey and Henley helped turn ‘Take It To The Limit’ into one of the biggest hits the band ever had, featuring brilliant high notes towards the end of the song. Even though the Eagles were on top of the world, their inclusion of Joe Walsh in Leadon’s place meant the party was just beginning.
On the album Hotel California, every band member brought their A material to the studio, drafting a concept about what the dangers of living in California are really like. Although Meisner may not have grasped the jaded celebrity angle of the idea, ‘Try and Love Again’ may as well be a tale of redemption for the character in the story, finally finding the strength to let his guard down and venture out into the world.
Despite his massive vocal chops and bass playing, the rock and roll lifestyle would ultimately become too much for Meisner, who was also starting to have reservations about hitting the high notes at the end of ‘Take It To The Limit’. After a massive fight backstage with Frey, Meisner was out the door, quickly replaced with Timothy B Schmidt for The Long Run before the band dissolved.
Even though Meisner would never reconnect with the Eagles since his expulsion, the band would feel a strong sense of his absence without outright saying it. When playing ‘Take it to the Limit’ in the band’s live set, Frey was known to take the vocals instead, usually playing it an octave down and moving a few keys to fit within his vocal range. Although many of the Eagles’ greatest hits had Henley and Frey at the helm, there was no replacing Meisner’s signature vocal tone.
The Eagles songs written by Randy Meisner:
- ‘Take the Devil’ – Eagles
- ‘Tryin’ – Eagles
- ‘Certain Kind of Fool’ – Desperado
- ‘Saturday Night’ – Desperado
- ‘Is It True’ – On the Border
- ‘Too Many Hands’ – One of These Nights
- ‘Take it to the Limit’ – One of These Nights
- ‘Try and Love Again’ – Hotel California
