The Eagles’ ‘Take It Easy’ Was Written by a Rock Star Who Wasn’t in the Band
Classic rock stars worked with each other more often than one might think. For example, The Eagles’ “Take It Easy” might be a quintessential Eagles song, but it was actually co-written by a rock star who was not a member of the band. One of The Eagles revealed that the rock star in question had a huge influence over his songwriting.
The Eagles were poor when they made ‘Take It Easy’
During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, The Eagles’ Glenn Frey discussed the origin of “Take It Easy.” “Jackson Browne, JD Souther, and I all lived at 1020 Laguna in Echo Park,” he said. “JD and I shared a $60-a-month, one-room apartment — a couch and kind of a bed with a curtain in front of it. Right underneath us in an even smaller studio apartment was Jackson. He had his piano and guitars down there. I didn’t really know how to sit down and work on a song until I heard him playing underneath us in the basement.
“He would work on ‘Jamaica Say You Will,’ and he had the first verse and chorus,” he added. “Then he would sing the second verse — sing it five or six times — and then silence. Twenty seconds later, he would start again and sing the second verse this time, and, if he liked it, he’d sing it over and over again. I had never really witnessed that sort of focus — someone being that fastidious — and it gave me a different idea about how to write songs; that maybe it wasn’t all just going to be a flood of inspiration. That’s when I first heard ‘Take It Easy.'”
Browne had the initial idea for the song, but knew he couldn’t complete it in time for his upcoming eponymous record. Frey offered to collaborate, adding key lines to the song and developing an arrangement different than what Browne had in mind.
In the end, Browne gave his blessing for Frey to put “Take It Easy” on the Eagles’ record. Frey and Browne received writing credit on the track.
Jackson Browne had a huge career without The Eagles
Browne recorded his own version of “Take It Easy.” He went on to release several hit songs, including “Somebody’s Baby,” “Doctor My Eyes,” “Running on Empty,” “You’re a Friend of Mine,” “Lawyers in Love,” and “Tender is the Night.” While Browne was never quite as big as The Eagles (and very few artists are), he was a regular hitmaker in the 1970s and the 1980s.
Browne wrote songs for artists besides The Eagles. He penned the track “These Days,” which was recorded by the singer Nico. Nico was one of the pioneers of experimental rock, so it’s incredible that Browne was part of her story and The Eagles’. Even if Browne doesn’t have the name recognition of John Lennon or Elvis Presley, he has a catalog that will continue to inspire musicians for decades to come.
‘Take It Easy’ was 1 of 3 hits from the same album
“Take It Easy” reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 11 weeks. The tune appeared on The Eagles’ self-titled debut album. The album Eagles reached No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and charted for 49 weeks.
While Eagles wasn’t a huge hit, it produced two hits besides “Take It Easy”: “Witchy Woman” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” “Witchy Woman” climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and lasted on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks. Meanwhile, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” peaked at No. 22 and charted for 12 weeks.
“Take It Easy” is a great song and its opening notes announced to the world that popular music was changing.
