The Haunting Eagles Hit That Was Created in Linda Ronstadt and J.D. Souther’s Living Room

It was the ’70s, music could be made in casual settings beyond the restrictions of lawyers, agents, managers, and other music executives. That being so, many of the decade’s greatest hits were seemingly created in bedrooms, by the pool, or anywhere else deemed unofficial. This is particularly true when it comes to the Eagles’ hit, “Witchy Woman.”

For context, Eagles’ songwriter J.D. Souther dated the infamous cross-genre singer, Linda Ronstadt. Before the two’s relationship ended in the mid-70s, the two were friends of Glenn Frey and the rest of the Eagles before their fame. However, when the band landed in Souther and Ronstadt’s living room they got one step closer to officially becoming the Eagles.

Linda Ronstadt’s “Bigger Living Room”

As stated previously, music just seems to have been made differently back in the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll. When the Eagles were first forming and writing songs, one of their main rehearsal locations was Ronstadt and Souther’s living room. Though, it was on one arbitrary day when the group wrote “Witchy Woman.”

Matter of fact, Rondstadt actually recollected the event in an interview with Billboard. “They used to rehearse in my house, where I was living with J.D., ’cause we had a bigger living room than they did” and “I remember coming home one day and they had rehearsed ‘Witchy Woman’ and they had all the harmonies worked out, four-part harmonies,” stated Ronstadt.

“They had really strong voices, really strong playing, really strong songwriting ideas and they had an extended pool of songwriters” and “It was just an amazing time. There was no way they could miss with all that going for them,” Ronstadt shared.

“Witchy Woman” & The Success It Entailed

Thanks to Ronstadt and Souther’s living room, the Eagles were able to officially get their start. In addition to their hit song, “Take It Easy,” the Eagles’ hit, “Witchy Woman” also attributed to their initial success. Upon its release in 1972, the song reached No. 8 in Canada and No. 9 in the United States. Furthermore, it is partially what helped their debut album, Eagles, peak at No. 22 on the Billboard 200.

Nevertheless, the Eagles may not have ever formed if it wasn’t for the hospitality of Ronstadt and Souther. Lastly, this collaboration was not the end of the three’s relationship. Souther famously became a songwriter for the band and Ronstadt remains a friend with several members of the group.

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