Many music fans obviously love listening to Eagles. That’s why the band’s 1976 best-of compilation, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), is the all-time best-selling album in the U.S. Their Greatest Hits includes the popular title track to Eagles’ second studio album, 1973’s Desperado. Although, as the band’s co-founder Don Henley pointed out in a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, the song actually wasn’t released as a single.
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“Desperado” was the first song Henley ever wrote with late bandmate Glenn Frey. The tune later was covered famously by Linda Ronstadt, as well as a number of well-known artists. As beloved as “Desperado” is, Henley admitted during his interview that he doesn’t listen to the song, citing imperfections in his vocal performance.
Henley explained that his vocals for “Desperado” were recorded with a string section from the London Symphony Orchestra. Don noted that producer Glyn Johns “wanted to make the album … economically … not spend a whole lot of money, because that was what the record company wanted, and that was also his methodology of making records.”
Henley said he felt a bit intimidated recording with the professional string players, and also was only given about four or five takes to lay down his vocals. He still thinks he never quite got the part right.
“I still have a little trouble with the intonation on the lead vocal,” he told CBS Sunday Morning’s Tracy Smith. “To this day, I don’t listen to it.”
Henley Revealed He Actually Doesn’t Listen to Any Eagles Music
After sharing the revelation about “Desperado,” Henley proceeded to admit that he doesn’t listen to any of his own music.
“Why would I? I have to play it every night,” he explained. Don then added, “I don’t listen to much of any music anymore.”
Henley continued, “I mean, once in a while I’ll turn on the radio or I’ll put on a classical record maybe. I listen to audio books, but … anything can get old after a while, you know. … [After] maybe 20 years go by, I can go back and listen to something. But again, I hear the flaws and what we should have or could have done in a particular instance.”
Henley Also Recalled Writing “Desperado” with Frey
During the interview, Henley maintained that when it came to writing with Frey, the two clicked immediately.
Remembering how “Desperado” came together, Don recalled that he’d started writing the song by himself in 1968 or 1969. He showed Frey what he had when Glenn came to work with him at a cabin he’d rented in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles.
“I had an old upright piano in there … and I showed him the bits and pieces that I had, and he sat down at the piano,” Henley shared. Don noted that the song was inspired by the tunes of the old American songwriter Stephen Foster, which his “grandmother used to sing in her rocking chair.”
He continued, “Glenn knew who Stephen Foster was and just sort of picked up the thread and went with it. And he was great. We used to call him ‘the lone arranger,’ because he was so good at arranging songs.”
(Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns)
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