Glenn Frey’s Favorite Eagles Song Will Shock You

Some classic rock stars have the oddest opinions. The Eagles’ Glenn Frey picked an oddball as his favorite song by his band. The tune in question isn’t nearly as good as Frey seems to think, even if it has some positive qualities.

Glenn Frey’s favorite Eagles song is a disco track

During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, Frey discussed what he thought of the song “One of These Nights.” “We had Don Henley’s voice, which allowed us to go in a more soulful direction, which made me exceedingly happy,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that One of These Nights was the most fluid and ‘painless’ album we ever made. 

“A lot of things came together on One of These Nights — our love of the studio, the dramatic improvement in Don’s and my songwriting,” he said. “We made a quantum leap with ‘One of These Nights.’ It was a breakthrough song. It is my favorite Eagles record. If I ever had to pick one, it wouldn’t be ‘Hotel California;’ it wouldn’t be ‘Take It Easy.’ For me, it would be ‘One of These Nights.'”

Don Henley seemed to like the track as well. “The song is a great showcase for high harmony,” he said. “[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 song is nowhere near as good as Glenn Frey thinks

Henley’s view of “One of These Nights” makes more sense than Frey’s. “One of These Nights” is a good record on its own merits, even if it doesn’t really flesh out its disco undercurrents. It’s another Eagles song about the dark side of debauchery. It’s not a transcendent song but it’ll entertain you well enough if it comes on at the bar.

Regardless, “One of These Nights” is not The Eagles’ best song. It doesn’t have the rush of “Take It Easy,” the epic sweep of “Hotel California,” or even the eerie chills of “Witchy Woman.”

It’s fun, but there’s no way in hell that it’s The Eagles’ best tune. There’s a reason why you are far more likely to hear any of the aforementioned songs on classic rock stations than “One of These Nights.” As far as disco songs made by classic rock bands go, it’s not as beloved as The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” Kiss’ “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” or even Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Silly Love Songs.”

How The Eagles’ ‘One of These Nights’ performed

“One of These Nights” became one of The Eagles’ biggest chart hits. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one of its 17 weeks on the chart. The tune appeared on the album of the same name. The album One of These Nights reached No. 1 for five of its 56 weeks on the Billboard 200.

One of These Nights produced two other hits. One was “Lyin’ Eyes,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks. Meanwhile, “Take It to the Limit” peaked at No. 4 and charted for 23 weeks.

“One of These Nights” is a good song and Frey is a huge fan.