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Desperado (Eagles song)

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"Desperado"
Song by Eagles
from the album Desperado
ReleasedApril 17, 1973
RecordedEarly 1973
StudioIsland Studios (London, England)
Genre
Length3:33
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Glyn Johns
Audio sample
Vocal and piano intro

"Desperado" is a soft rock ballad by the American rock band the Eagles. The track was written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and appeared on the band's second studio album Desperado (1973) as well as numerous compilation albums. Although it was never released as a single, it became one of Eagles' best-known songs. It ranked No. 494 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[3]

Composition

According to Henley, "Desperado" was based on a song he started in 1968, written in the style of old songs by Stephen Foster.[4] The song was originally about a friend named Leo and with the opening line "Leo, my God, why don't you come to your senses..."[5] In 1972, after they had recorded their debut studio album, Eagles, in London, Glenn Frey and Henley decided that they should write songs together, and within a day or two after returning from London they wrote "Desperado".[5] They also wrote "Tequila Sunrise" in the first week of their collaboration.[6]

The piano introduction of the song is taken from Ray Charles' version of Georgia On My Mind, which plays the same introduction on strings. In their first songwriting session at Henley's home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, Henley played Frey the unfinished version of the song, and said: "When I play it and sing it, I think of Ray Charles and Stephen Foster. It's really a Southern Gothic thing, but we can easily make it more Western."[5] According to Henley, Frey "leapt right on it – filled in the blanks and brought structure", and the song became "Desperado". Henley added: "And that was the beginning of our songwriting partnership ... that's when we became a team."[5]

Recording

The song was recorded at Island Studios in London, with musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by Jim Ed Norman, Henley's friend from his former band Shiloh, who also wrote and arranged the strings for the song.[7][8] According to Henley, he was given only four or five takes to record the song by the producer Glyn Johns who wanted to record the album quickly and economically.[4] Henley felt intimidated by the large orchestra, and would later express regret that he did not sing as well as he could.[9] He said: "I didn't sing my best ... I wish I could have done that song again."[10]

Critical reception

"Desperado" is one of Eagles' most well-known songs, and it was ranked No. 494 on the Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.[3] It was voted the second-most-favorite Eagles song in a poll of Rolling Stone readers.[11] In 2000, the song was included in MOJO magazine's list of greatest songs, nominated by songwriters such as Paul McCartney, Hal David, and Brian Wilson.[12] Members of the Western Writers of America included it in their list of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[13] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number two on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs,[14] and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number three on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs.[15]

According to an interview with Don Henley, "Desperado" was not a hit for the Eagles until Linda Ronstadt recorded it.[16]

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic considered it one of Eagles' major compositions.[17][18] Paul Gambaccini of Rolling Stone felt it was Henley's rough voice that made the song memorable.[19] The Eagles' recording never charted on Billboard until the death of Glenn Frey, when it reached No. 20 on the Rock Digital Songs chart.[20] After the antagonist of the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) claimed that "Brandy" by Looking Glass was "Earth's finest composition", that band's lead guitarist and songwriter Elliot Lurie countered that "Desperado" should have that title.[21]

Personnel

Eagles

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notable cover versions

  • The Carpenters on their sixth studio album Horizon (1975).[10] 'Insights and Sounds' described Desperado was a gutsy and surprising choice. Both the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt had recorded their own versions, yet Richard's arrangement and Karen's strong delivery on this song created the new standard to beat.,[4]
  • Linda Ronstadt on her fourth solo studio album Don't Cry Now (1973).[10] Henley credited Ronstadt for popularizing the song with this early cover of the song,[4] and described her version as "poignant, and beautiful".
  • Johnny Rodriguez's version on his 1976 album Reflecting was released as a single, and reached No. 5 on both the Country Singles charts of Billboard in the United States and RPM in Canada.[23][24]
  • Clint Black on Eagles' tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. His rendition peaked at No. 54 on Hot Country Songs in 1993 in the US,[25] and No. 52 on the Country chart in Canada.[26]
  • The Langley Schools Music Project featured a cover sung by student Sheila Behman. Recorded by music teacher Hans Fenger at rural Canadian elementary schools in 1976–77, the collection of pop covers by children was released in 2001 under the title Innocence & Despair to critical acclaim.[27] Their version of "Desperado" would go on to feature in the fourth season of the HBO series Barry.
  • Diana Krall covered the song on her twelfth studio album Wallflower (2015) and it was released as a single in September 2014.[28] The song debuted on Billboard's Jazz Digital Songs chart at No. 3.[29]
  • Alisan Porter performed the song as a competitor in the tenth season of The Voice TV series. Her version charted at No. 24 on Digital Songs.[30]
  • Miranda Lambert performed the song at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors as a tribute to Eagles.[31]

The song inspired the title of the 1987 Western television film, Desperado, written by Elmore Leonard.[32] In season 4 episode 2 of Succession the song is referenced.[33]

References

  1. ^ Horn, David; Shepherd, John, eds. (2012). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. Vol. 8 – Genres: North America. Continuum. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-4411-6078-2.
  2. ^ Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Abc-Clio. p. 107. ISBN 9781440865794.
  3. ^ a b "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 17, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c d Browne, David (June 10, 2016). "Eagles' Complete Discography: Don Henley Looks Back". Rolling Stone.
  5. ^ a b c d Cameron Crowe (August 2003). "Conversations With Don Henley and Glenn Frey". The Uncool.
  6. ^ Travis Smiley. "Glenn Frey Tribute – Part 1". PBS. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016.
  7. ^ Graeme Thomson (May 21, 2014). "The Eagles on Desperado: "We were quite taken with the idea of being outlaws..."". Uncut.
  8. ^ Paul Verna (July 10, 1993). "Eagles Songs Get Country Coverage". Billboard.
  9. ^ Bob Doeschuk (September 21, 2015). "10 Things We Learned From Billy Joel's Interview With Don Henley". Rolling Stone.
  10. ^ a b c "Desperado by Eagles". Song Facts.
  11. ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Eagles Songs". Rolling Stone. July 29, 2015.
  12. ^ Colin Blackstock (July 13, 2000). "Beatles head list of greatest songs". The Guardian.
  13. ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
  14. ^ Graff, Gary (October 17, 2017). "The Eagles' 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "The 40 Greatest Eagles Songs". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Laurel Canyon, Episode 2. The Kennedy/Marshall Company.  1:07:23.
  17. ^ William Ruhlmann. "Eagles: Desperado". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation.
  18. ^ William Ruhlmann. "Song Review - Eagles: Desperado". AllMusic.
  19. ^ Paul Gambaccini (May 10, 1973). "Desperado". Rolling Stone.
  20. ^ "Rock Digital Songs". Billboard. February 6, 2016.
  21. ^ Phull, Hardeep (4 May 2017). "'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' claims this song is 'Earth's finest composition'". New York Post. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  22. ^ "British single certifications – Eagles – Desperado". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  23. ^ "Johnny Rodriguez: Awards". AllMusic.
  24. ^ "Country Playlist: Volume 27, No. 1" (PDF). RPM. Library and Archives Canada. April 2, 1977.
  25. ^ "Hot Country Songs: November 27, 1993". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Country Tracks: Volume 58, No. 24" (PDF). RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 25, 1993.
  27. ^ "The Langley Schools Music Project's Innocence & Despair Turns 20". Stereogum. October 21, 2021.
  28. ^ Brian Mansfield (September 22, 2014). "Premiere: Diana Krall covers 'Desperado'". USA Today.
  29. ^ "Jazz Digital Songs". Billboard. October 11, 2014.
  30. ^ "Digital Songs". Billboard. June 4, 2016.
  31. ^ Sophie Schillaci (December 30, 2015). "Miranda Lambert Covers The Eagles' 'Desperado' In Show-Stopping Kennedy Center Honors Performance". Entertainment Tonight.
  32. ^ Walter Mirisch, I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History (2008), p. 372.
  33. ^ "One surprising song links 'Succession,' 'Barry,' and 'The Last of Us'". Mashable.
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