The Eagles Lyric About the Sordid Singles Scene

The Eagles proved to be as good as any artist or band in chronicling both the decadence and degradation of ‘70s-era West Coast living. Their album Hotel California is filled with songs about this subject, including the title track, “Life in the Fast Lane,” and “The Last Resort.”

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The topic proved fertile ground, as the band surveyed the scene once more on their 1979 album The Long Run with “Those Shoes.” Featuring a memorable musical backdrop, the song follows a young girl out onto the bar scene, and it isn’t for the faint of heart.

“Shoes” in the Night

“Those Shoes” featured a somewhat unusual songwriting lineup for the Eagles. It’s credited to Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Don Felder. Usually, Henley wrote with Glenn Frey, Walsh wrote on his own, and Felder didn’t get into the songwriting mix much at all.

The strange bedfellows become more understandable when you consider the sessions for The Long Run were long and tumultuous. Originally, the Eagles were thinking of making it a double album. In the end, they were scraping to get enough material for a single disc due to personal squabbles, hard living, and a sense they didn’t have much new to say after Hotel California.

At least “Those Shoes” percolated with the same kind of spark and ingenuity as was the case on that previous masterpiece album. Felder and Walsh wrote the music and heavily utilized the talk box gadget on both of their guitar parts. Walsh had famously used the device in his solo hit single “Rocky Mountain Way” years earlier, and he returned to it here.

Once the music was settled, Henley took over with the lyrics. He was especially sharp at dissecting the social scenarios prevalent at the time in Southern California. On “Those Shoes,” he does so with unbridled cynicism that’s leavened somewhat by his sympathy for the poor soul at the heart of the song. She’s trying to make sense of the singles scene without losing her head and heart in the process.

Behind the Lyrics of “Those Shoes”

So what’s the idea behind the title? Well, they represent a kind of personal Rubicon that’s being crossed by the protagonist. The idea is if she’s going to dress up and play the part in such an unforgiving scene, she’ll have to deal with the consequences.

The narrator questions her about her plans and wonders if she’ll find any friendly faces: In the middle of the tall drinks and the drummer / There must be someone you know. Her appearance won’t be enough to carry the day: God knows you’re looking good enough / But you’re so smooth and the world’s so rough.

In the second verse, the narrator implies she’s trying to protect herself: Got those pretty little straps around your ankle / Got those shiny little chains around your heart. But she might be a bit misguided about her ability to navigate the scene, especially considering what she’s up against: Desperation in the singles bars / An’ all those jerkoffs in their fancy cars.

The middle eight alludes to the drug culture that often went hand in hand with the pickup scene: They give you tablets of love. In the murk of the night, motivations often get all crossed up: You just want someone to talk to / They just want to lay their hands on you.

The music of “Those Shoes” oozes with all the sweat and menace our heroine must endure. It’s a song that doesn’t try to sugarcoat the truth for her, if only to warn away from the peril that awaits.

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