Who wrote the most Eagles songs?
Most conversations about country rock start with the Eagles. They’re the definition of the genre, as the music they put out took over America. They are still considered one of the most prolific and influential rock bands of all time, which is contributed to massively by their excellent discography, jam-packed with hits.
The band were spoiled when it came to songwriters, as most members were able to contribute somewhat to various tracks on each album. Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon all have their names scattered across the band’s writing credits for different albums. It begs the question, who wrote the most?
There has been a joint effort on most songs as more than one person is usually credited with its creation. It’s tough to know who might have actually contributed the most to a track or whether they took a backseat and just nodded along, so in that sense, this list should be taken with a bit of a pinch of salt.
What is clear, though, is that the thing that made the Eagles so well-liked was a joint effort from everybody involved. The fact that everyone in the band felt they had a creative voice contributed to how much people enjoyed playing, and though the band has had various members, whoever contributes to the line-up is also putting out music.
Songwriting credits for the Eagles albums:
Eagles (1972)
- Glenn Frey (3): ‘Take It Easy’, ‘Chig All Night’, ‘Most of Us Are Sad’
- Don Henley (1): ‘Witchy Woman’
- Bernie Leadon (3): ‘Witchy Woman’, ‘Train Leaves Here This Morning’, ‘Earlybird’
- Randy Meisner (3): ‘Take the Devil’, ‘Earlybird’, ‘Tryin’’
The band’s debut was recorded at London’s Olympic Studios, and members of the band helped out on various tracks. Other songwriters who contributed include Jackson Browne, Gene Clark and Jack Tempchin. The debut gave the public a taste of country rock and skyrocketed Eagles to instant stardom.
Desperado (1973)
- Glenn Frey (6): ‘Doolin-Dalton’, ‘Out of Control’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’, ‘Desperado’, ‘Certain Kind of Fool’, ‘Saturday Night’
- Don Henley (6): ‘Doolin-Dalton’, ‘Out of Control’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’, ‘Desperado’, ‘Certain Kind of Fool’, ‘Saturday Night’
- Bernie Leadon (3): ‘Twenty-One’ ‘Saturday Night’, ‘Bitter Creek’
- Randy Meisner (1): Saturday Night
One year after their debut, the Eagles came out with Desperado. Recorded at Island Studios, the album was generally well-received, with the title track becoming one of the band’s signature songs, and still considered by many to be one of the greatest rock songs ever written. Writing credits are displaced, with Frey and Henley being inseparable, working on all the same tracks together.
On the Border (1974)
- Glenn Frey (4): ‘On the Border’, ‘James Dean’, ‘Good Day in Hell’, ‘Best of My Love’
- Don Henley (5): ‘You Never Cry Like a Lover’, ‘On the Border’, ’James Dean’, ‘Good Day in Hell’, ‘Best of My Love’
- Bernie Leadon (2): ‘My Man’, ‘On the Border’
- Randy Meisner (1): ‘Is It True?’
For their third album, the Eagles went for a more rock-orientated sound and left some of their country roots behind them. Writing duties were heavily taken on by Don Henley, who is responsible for five tracks on the album. On the Border is also the first album to feature guitarist Don Felder; however, he didn’t contribute towards the writing process.
One of These Nights (1975)
- Glenn Frey (5): ‘One of These Nights’, ‘Hollywood Waltz’, ‘Lyin’ Eyes’, ‘Take It to the Limit’, ‘After the Thrill Is Gone’
- Don Henley (6): ‘One of These Nights’, ‘Hollywood Waltz’, ‘Lyin’ Eyes’, ‘Take It to the Limit’, ‘Visions’, ‘After the Thrill Is Gone’
- Bernie Leadon (3): ‘Hollywood Waltz’, ‘Journey of the Sorcerer’, ‘I Wish You Peace’
- Randy Meisner (2): ‘Too Many Hands’, ‘Take It to the Limit’
- Don Felder (2): ‘Too Many Hands’, ‘Visions’
One of These Nights was the Eagle’s first number-one album. Three of the songs from the record, ‘One of These Nights’, ‘Lyin’ Eyes’, and ‘Take It to the Limit’, all became top ten singles too. At the time, it was the most commercially successful album for the band, receiving multiple award nominations on top of its massive sales.
Hotel California (1976)
- Glenn Frey (6): ‘Hotel California’, ‘New Kid in Town’, ‘Life in the Fast Lane’, ‘Wasted Time’, ‘Victim of Love’, ‘The Last Resort’
- Don Henley (6): ‘Hotel California’, ‘New Kid in Town’, ‘Life in the Fast Lane’, ‘Wasted Time’, ‘Victim of Love’, ‘The Last Resort’
- Randy Meisner (1): ‘Try and Love Again’
- Don Felder (2): ‘Hotel California’, ‘Victim of Love’
- Joe Walsh (2): ‘Life in the Fast Lane’, ‘Pretty Maids All in a Row’
Hotel California is arguably the band’s most famous album. The title track has cemented itself as a must-listen in the world of rock, and the whole LP came out to the acclaim of critics and fans alike. Frey and Henley took on the majority of songwriting duties, but there was assistance from everyone in the band, including Joe Walsh, who made his debut.
The Long Run (1979)
- Glenn Frey (9): ‘The Long Run’, ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’, ‘The Disco Strangler’, ‘King of Hollywood’, ‘Heartache Tonight’, ‘Those Shoes’, ‘Teenage Jail’, ‘The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks’, ‘The Sad Café’
- Don Henley (9): ‘The Long Run’, ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’, ‘The Disco Strangler’, ‘King of Hollywood’, ‘Heartache Tonight’, ‘Those Shoes’, ‘Teenage Jail’, ‘The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks’, ‘The Sad Café’
- Don Felder (2): ‘The Disco Strangler’, ‘Those Shoes’
- Joe Walsh (2): ‘In the City’, ‘The Sad Café’
The Long Run was the last album the band recorded for Asylum Records and the last one they would make for nearly two decades. ‘Heartache Tonight’ did exceptionally well, reaching number one and claiming a Grammy Award. The album went 7x Platinum, so it was a massive commercial success for the band to temporarily part ways on.
Long Road Out of Eden (2007)
- Glenn Frey (10): ‘Busy Being Fabulous’, ‘What Do I Do with My Heart’, ‘No More Cloudy Days’, ‘Fast Company’, ‘You Are Not Alone’, ‘Long Road Out of Eden’, ‘I Dreamed There Was No War’, ‘Frail Grasp on the Big Picture’, ‘Center of the Universe’, ‘It’s Your World Now’
- Don Henley (10): ‘No More Walks in the Wood’, ‘Busy Being Fabulous’, ‘What Do I Do with My Heart’, ‘Waiting in the Weeds’, ‘Fast Company’, ‘Do Something’, ‘Long Road Out of Eden’, ‘Frail Grasp on the Big Picture’, ‘Business as Usual’, ‘Center of the Universe’
- Joe Walsh (1): ‘Last Good Time in Town’
- Timothy B. Schmit (2): ‘Do Something’, ‘Long Road Out of Eden’
With a 90-minute running time, Long Road Out of Eden was the first-ever double album released by the Eagles. It marked the band’s return after almost a two-decade hiatus. It highlighted the anticipation with which fans awaited new music, as it debuted at number one in the charts and saw the band win two Grammy Awards.
Who wrote the most Eagles songs?
While Frey and Henley were the main contributors, other members, such as Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, also made notable contributions to the band’s songwriting. The Eagles’ collaborative approach to songwriting often involved multiple members working together on various aspects of a song.
- Glenn Frey – 43
- Don Henley – 43
- Bernie Leadon – 11
- Randy Meisner – 8
- Don Felder – 6
- Joe Walsh – 5
- Timothy B. Schmit – 2
