Popularity can sometimes ruin a song’s experience. When we hear a track too many times, we can run through the motions and never fully take in the lyrics. We’re guilty of that with the three Eagles songs below. We know all of these songs by heart. Because of that, we rarely take them in as we should.
“Lyin’ Eyes”
The melody of The Eagles’ “Lyin’ Eyes” is candy to listen to. It’s breezy West Coast at its finest. But when we dig into the lyrics of this Eagles song, we find a richer story than the blithe instrumentation suggests. “So she tells him she must go out for the evening / To comfort an old friend who’s feelin’ down / But he knows where she’s goin’ as she’s leavin’ / She is headed for the cheatin’ side of town,” the lyrics read.
We all basically know what this song is about, but how often do we really take time to understand the character study at the core of this track?
“Life In The Fast Lane”
This is one of the most impressive rock songs ever written. The lyrics are perfectly tailored. Not a single word is a throwaway. Every line relates back to the coded tale of excess. “He had a nasty reputation as a cruel dude / They said he was ruthless, they said he was crude / They had one thing in common, they were good in bed / She’d say, ‘Faster, faster, the lights are turnin’ red,’” the lyrics read.
We’ve heard this Eagles song so many times that we forget to give it its due from a songwriting perspective. This track borrows techniques from country songwriting, playing off a theme from beginning to end.
“New Kid In Town”
This is a clever way to talk about the fickleness of the industry. It makes it relatable to an audience of listeners who don’t know the realities of being famous. “There’s talk on the street, it sounds so familiar / Great expectations, everybody’s watching you / People you meet, they all seem to know you / Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new,” the lyrics read.
This is a cleverly written track that leaves us in awe every time we listen to it. Many of us run through the motions, listening on autopilot. But if we slow down for a moment and really take it in, we’re reminded why it became such a hit in the first place.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
The post 3 Definitive Eagles Songs That Sound Even Better When You Listen to the Lyrics appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Alex Hopper
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