How Old West Outlaws Inspired The Eagles’ ‘Desperado’
Classic rock could get a little historically minded from time to time. For example, Desperado by The Eagles was inspired by Old West outlaws. A member of The Eagles said that the overall point of the album didn’t align with The Eagles’ ultimate legacy.
The Eagles’ ‘Desperado’ was inspired by a book
During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, The Eagles’ Don Henley discussed the origin of The Eagles’ Desperado. “As a 21st birthday present, our friend and fellow musician Ned Doheny had given Jackson Browne a big coffee-table-type book of photos of the famous outlaws of the Old West,” he said. “Jackson showed the book to J.D. [Souther] and Glenn [Frey] and suggested that they all collaborate on a song about some of these outlaws. That first song was ‘Doolin-Dalton,’ about the famous outlaw gang comprised of Bill Doolin, Bill Dalton, Bob Dalton, Emmett Dalton, Bill Power, Dick Broadwell, George ‘Bittercreek’ Newcomb, and others. I think that Jackson came up with it, initially.”
Henley discussed his views on these outlaws. “It’s a somewhat complicated history,” he said. “There were various gangs and the members were a rotating cast of characters.”
The Eagles were predicting their own downfall
Henley was asked to explain the connections between 19th-century outlaws and 1970s rock bands. “Glenn always said that there were a number of connections, although in retrospect, I think that some of them were tenuous at best, the “Boys of Summer” singer replied. “The basic premise was that, like the outlaws, rock ‘n’ roll bands lived outside the ‘laws of normality,’ we were not part of ‘conventional society.'”
Henley said that rock bands went from town to town to make money, just like the outlaws of the Old West. The main difference is that The Eagles didn’t commit any sort of crime to make money. Henley added that The Eagles had a penchant for fighting with each other and the authorities, just like the cowboys of old.
However, the main point of Desperado was that fame was fleeing in the music industry in the same way that it was fleeting for outlaws. Henley felt that The Eagles’ music became popular and stood the test of time. For that reason, the point of Desperado was lost.
The multilayered impact of ‘Desperado’
Desperado became a modest hit. It reached No. 41 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 70 weeks. Desperado was not as popular as many of The Eagles’ later albums. Regardless, it did well enough for an album by a nascent little band.
Desperado produced two minor hits. “Tequila Sunrise” reached No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and lasted on the chart for eight weeks. In addition, “Outlaw Man” peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for eight weeks.
The title song from Desperado was not a single but it became famous when Linda Ronstadt covered it. Today, “Desperado” is widely considered one of the band’s best songs. It’s arguably the defining song of the band’s early days.
By taking inspiration from being who lived on the fringes of society, The Eagles laid the groundwork for their breakthrough into the mainstream.
