A little supposition about women cheating on their husbands while Frey and Henley were hanging out at Dan Tana's in Los Angeles gave birth to this majestic ballad, whose rich chorus harmonies make the lyrical indictment sound like a deceptive pat on the back. Eagles' rendition of this Tempchin tune is a hootin', hollerin' anthem that gave Frey and then-new Don Felder plenty of room to let their guitars scream a little bit.įar more sugar than saccharine, the Henley-sung ballad gave Eagles its first No. One of the first Henley-Frey songwriting collaborations for Eagles, 'Tequila Sunrise' is a scene-setter in every sense, although its mellow countenance actually feels more like dusk than dawn. Speaking about what Eagles do so well, this live take of the Steve Young tune is all about the harmonies, executed mostly a capella and jaw-droppingly tight and smooth. Frey's death shortly after David Bowie 's during January of seemed to ground Eagles for good, but the group has taken flight again this year with Frey's son Deacon and Vince Gill in place, a newly recorded version of Dan Fogelberg 's 'Part Of The Plan' for a tribute album and tour dates that look likely to keep the group airborne for an undetermined while longer Like so many Eagles' songs in their canon, this Tempchin track is a prototype what the group does so well - easygoing melodies with rich harmonies and an organic lushness that gets you humming along practically before the first verse is over. It was a supergroup of sorts, with a universe of great collaborators such as Jackson BrowneJD Souther and Jack Tempchin, and one that certainly flew to super, and superlative, heights.Īnd more importantly, Eagles are the first name mentioned in any discussion of California or country-rock. It was not a band formed with modest intentions. During the late 60s all, or at least many, roads led to southern California, and Eagles not there's officially no 'the' in the name was one of the destinations.

Top 20 eagles songs