Glenn Frey, who died on this day in 2016, wrote some of the greatest songs in rock music history alongside fellow Eagles founder Don Henley. He also lent his voice to several of the band’s more recognizable tunes, including “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Heartache Tonight.” After Frey’s death at age 67, Henley called his longtime bandmate “the spark plug, the man with the plan.” Here’s a video of the “Smuggler’s Blues” hitmaker performing the song that launched the Eagles to superstardom.
Videos by American Songwriter
Glenn Frey Wrote This Song With Jackson Browne
A video posted by the TikTok account radio_dead shows Glenn Frey enthusiastically performing “Take It Easy,” the Eagles’ lead single from their 1972 eponymous studio debut. A grinning Frey embodies the song’s ethos as he sings, Lighten up while you still can / Don’t even try to understand / Just find a place to make your stand / Take it easy.
“This song is where it all began for Eagles,” one fan commented on the TikTok post. “The best band ever… RIP Glenn Frey. Still missing you man.”
Indeed, “Take It Easy” is the Eagles single that almost wasn’t. Fellow singer-songwriter Jackson Browne began writing it in 1971 for his own self-titled debut album, but he struggled to get past the second verse.
Browne played the song for his friend and neighbor, Glenn Frey, singing, Well, I’m a-standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona…
Frey ran with it, adding, Such a fine sight to see / It’s a girl, my lord / in a flatbed Ford / slowin’ down to take a look at me.
Struck with fresh inspiration, Frey finished the song alone. He and his bandmates recorded “Take It Easy” at Olympic Studios in London with producer Glyn Johns. Rolling Stone writer Bud Scoppa called it “simply the best sounding rock single to come out so far this year.”
Jackson Browne Called Frey’s Version “Far Superior” To His Own
In a 2012 interview, Jackson Browne described how “Take It Easy” became the Eagles’ debut single. Glenn Frey dropped by the studio to say hello to Browne, who showed him the beginnings of the song. When Frey asked Browne if he planned to include it on his debut record, the “Running on Empty” singer said he wouldn’t finish it in time.
Frey then offered to finish the song for Browne. After declining “a couple of times,” Browne finally relented.
“I finally thought, ‘This is ridiculous. Go ahead and finish it. Do it,’” said the now 76-year-old artist. “And he finished it in spectacular fashion. And, what’s more, arranged it in a way that was far superior to what I had written.”
Featured image by Giacomo Morini/Shutterstock
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