Don Henley Said The Eagles’ Disco Song Is ‘Satanic’
Classic rock bands were sometimes falsely accused of being Satanic. Meanwhile, Don Henley flat-out said that The Eagles’ disco song “One of These Nights” is Satanic. Here’s a look at what he was stabbing at — and why The Eagles were more devilish than you might think.
Don Henley said The Eagles made a Satanic country rock track that was also a disco song
When people think of Satanic bands, there’s an endless number of spooky heavy metal acts like Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper. Most people wouldn’t classify The Eagles as Satanic. However, some of their songs qualify as such. For example, “Witchy Woman” is literally a song about a witch who is sharing her bed with Beelzebub himself. On top of that, many fans have interpreted “Hotel California” as a song about hell or purgatory. Regardless if that’s the case, The Eagles certainly knew how to write about the macabre.
“One of These Nights” isn’t quite as eerie as “Witchy Woman” or “Hotel California,” but it still has a dark side. In the song, Henley sings about wanting a woman who is the daughter of the devil. The track seems to have a much more cynical view of the disco scene than other songs from the era.
During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, Henley discussed the epoch that led to “One of These Nights.” “We like to call it our ‘Satanic country-rock period,'” he said, laughing. “Because it was a dark time, both politically and musically, in America.
“There was turmoil in Washington, and disco music was starting to take off,” the “Boys of Summer” singer added. “We thought, ‘Well, how can we write something with that flavor, with that kind of beat, and still have the dangerous guitars?’ We wanted to capture the spirit of the times.”
Don Henley said ‘One of These Nights’ features ‘notes that only dogs could hear’
The Eagles seemed to engage in some disco debauchery for their art. “So, perched up there on top of that hill, almost all night, every night, we had a big, phantasmagorical scene which included songwriting and, uh — research,” Henley said. “Lots of research.”
Henley was proud of the track in retrospect. “The song is a great showcase for high harmony,” he opined. “[The Eagles’ Randy] Meisner hit some notes that only dogs could hear. We also started getting into harmony parts on guitars that simulated horn riffs. It was a cool record.”
The Eagles’ decision to make a disco song paid off
“One of These Nights” became a No. 1 single for The Eagles. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, lasting on the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks in total. The track appeared on the album One of These Nights. That record reached No. 1 for five of its 56 weeks on the Billboard 200.
One of These Nights gave us two more hits. One was “Lyin’ Eyes,” which reached No. 2 and charted for 14 weeks. Meanwhile, “Take It to the Limit” reached No. 4 and charted for 23 weeks. Surprisingly, “Take It to the Limit” spent more time on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other song by The Eagles.
“One of These Nights” might not sound very Satanic to outsiders — but Henley’s interpretation of the song is diabolical.
