Glenn Frey‘s contributions to the Eagles‘ 35-year catalog of music were incomparable. Regularly writing with bandmate Don Henley, the duo co-wrote the majority of the band’s hits from “New Kid in Town,” “How Long,” “Take It Easy,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Heartache Tonight,” “Already Gone,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and “Lyin’ Eyes,” among others.
On his own, Frey, who died in 2016 at 67, left behind a bookend of his time with the Eagles by writing several of their songs, solo—two on the band’s eponymous 1972 debut and the remainder on their final with him, Long Road Out of Eden, in 2007.
Here’s a look at the five songs Frey wrote for the Eagles throughout his nearly four-decade run with the band.
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[RELATED: 4 Songs You Didn’t Know the Eagles’ Glenn Frey Wrote for Other Artists]
1. “Chug All Night” (1972)
Right after “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman” on Eagles was one of Frey’s first solo-penned contributions on the harder “Chug All Night.” Along with “Take It Easy,” and the penultimate “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” Frey took the lead vocals on “Chug All Night,” about going all night with a woman.
You scare me a bit
But that’s alright
You know when I want you
‘Most every night
And I’ve been meanin’ to tell ya, baby
That it makes no sense
Still, I’m finally convinced
I believe we could chug all night
I believe we could hug all night
The band is loose and the groove is right
You’re so much woman
I believe we could chug all night
2. “Most of Us Are Sad” (1972)
The late Randy Meisner took lead vocals on Frey’s second contribution to Eagles on the heartfelt ballad “Most of Us Are Sad.” In his lyrics, Frey explores the universal feeling of loneliness, isolation, and a desire for human connection: Most of us are sad / No one lets it show / I’ve been shadows of myself.
[RELATED: 6 Songs You Didn’t Know Randy Meisner Wrote for the Eagles]
Most of us are sad
No one lets it show
I’ve been shadows of myself
How was I to know?
Tell me scarlet sun
What will time allow?
We have brought our children here
Who can save them now?
Oh, Weeping woman try to smile
Like the coming dawn
Most of us are sad it’s true
Still we must go on
Love was here today
Oh the sun was bright
I will sing you far away
Love is here tonight
3. “No More Cloudy Days”(2007)
It would be 30 years before the Eagles would release another album since their sixth album The Long Run in 1979. For six years, the band worked on their event release Long Road Out of Eden, the Eagles’ first double album. Throughout the album, Frey and Henley took their respective places writing tracks “Busy Being Fabulous,” “What Do I Do with My Heart,” “Fast Company,” and several other songs together.
Frey also contributed three songs to the album that he wrote solo, including a story about losing love and hoping to find it again one day, “No More Cloudy Days.”
Sitting by a foggy window
Staring at the pouring rain
Falling down like lonely teardrops
Memories of love in vain
These cloudy days
Make you want to cry
It breaks your heart when someone leaves
And you don’t know why
I can see that you’ve been hurting
Baby I’ve been lonely too
I’ve been out here lost and searching
Looking for a girl like you
Now I believe the sun is gonna shine
Don’t you be afraid to love again
Put your hand in mine, baby
4. “You Are Not Alone” (2007)
“You Are Not Alone” is a more personal song for Frey and was written for his first-born child, daughter Taylor, who was going through a difficult time. Written as a letter from a father to his child, the lyrics emphasize his presence during her hardship. “[My teenage daughter Taylor] was going through a tough patch, and sometimes you can say in a song what you can’t in a sit-down conversation,” said Frey of the song in 2007. “I was thinking about how alienated and isolated a lot of kids feel.”
Say goodbye to all your pain and sorrow
Say goodbye to all those lonely nights
Say goodbye to all your blue tomorrows
Now you’re standing in the light
I know sometimes you feel so helpless
Sometimes you feel like you can’t win
Sometimes you feel so isolated
You’ll never have to feel that way again
You are not alone
You’re not alone
5. “I Dreamed There Was No War” (2007)
Following the opening title track on side two of Long Road Out of Eden is Frey’s third solo-composed piece, “I Dreamed There Was No War,” and the only instrumental on the album.
“I thought, ‘Gosh, what song can follow that?'” said Frey following the title track. “We needed a link to clear your mind, the equivalent of looking at a sailboat or trees. I wrote this piece around the time of our Millennium show. I always wanted to do something with Stratocaster and orchestra.”
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
