I’m sure you’ve heard this song before. It’s one of their greatest hits of all time, and it helped introduce the Eagles to the world in a big way.
You might not have known it was co-written by Jackson Browne. He had written a bit of it earlier in the late 60s, early 70s, and then Glenn Frey finished it with him. That collaboration ended up creating one of the most laid-back, instantly recognizable songs in rock history.
Apparently, the line, “Well, I’m standing on the corner of Winslow, Arizona. What a fine sight to see. There’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me,” actually happened to Jackson Browne. It’s one of those moments that sounds too perfect to be real, but it is. And now, in Winslow, Arizona, on that very corner, there is a statue of somebody standing and looking at a mural of a red Ford flatbed truck. It’s become a bit of a landmark for fans of the song and the band.
A huge tune by them, and one that really set the tone for what the Eagles would become. It’s a song about taking it easy, literally, and taking life as it comes. Not getting too wound up, not taking yourself too seriously, and just enjoying the ride.
My favorite line in this song is, “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” It’s simple, but it hits. A reminder to slow things down and not overthink everything.
That banjo you hear? That’s Bernie Leadon, and it’s a big part of what gave the Eagles that country-rock sound right out of the gate. He was a founding member of the band and was an older brother to Tom Leadon who was in Tom Petty’s original band Mudcrutch.
Take It Easy, the first track on the Eagles’ debut album from 1972….
