|
|
Post by the Scribe on Apr 21, 2024 9:00:49 GMT
DESPERADO
"Desperado"
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You've been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone
Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
(Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you before it's too late
Band had NO Budget-so Legend ONLY Had 2 Takes to DO TOUGH Vocal…Became 70s Classic-Professor of Rock
Professor of Rock
108,874 views Mar 31, 2023 #classicrock #vinylstory #70smusic
Most people assume that today's song from one of the biggest bands ever was a #1 hit because it’s such a classic radio standard...played all the time. In reality, it missed the charts entirely. Desperado by Eagles is one of their biggest songs ever. But Desperado wasn’t a hit because it was never actually released as a single. Written by Don Henley when he was a teenager. The 70s classic has quite a history from starting a fire at a photo shoot that required the fire department to save them to the band having no budget for recording which only gave the Henley a few takes in the studio to try to nail down the vocal with a renowned orchestra playing behind him. No pressure. But the song would have its revenge as it appeared on a future album and was a big reason why that album would sell 40 million copies.. the story is NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
Thank you to this Episodes Sponsor, Zenni
GET ZENNI Glasses HERE: imp.i279709.net/vn5gLd
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Eric Farque, Bobby Alcott, fakeaorta, Wayne Masterson, Mark Thompson, Paul J Simon, Mike Millet, Kristina Michele, Paul Duenas, and Cheron L Allsup
|
|
|
|
Post by the Scribe on Apr 21, 2024 9:11:15 GMT
Elaine Dates A Sensitive, Generous Man | The Checks | Seinfeld
Seinfeld
172,388 views Aug 9, 2023 #Seinfeld #LarryDavid
"I'll tell you who sounds a little desperado."
From Seinfeld Season 8 Episode 7 'The Checks': Jerry's fame in Japan endears Kramer to a group of tourists and inspires George to revive their TV pilot.
|
|
|
|
Post by the Scribe on Apr 21, 2024 9:18:49 GMT
Desperado (Eagles song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperado_(Eagles_song)
"Desperado"
Song by Eagles
from the album Desperado
Released April 17, 1973
Recorded Early 1973
Genre Soft rock,[1] country pop[2]
Length 3:33
Label Asylum
Songwriter(s) Glenn Frey, Don Henley
Producer(s) Glyn Johns
Audio sample
Duration: 36 seconds.0:36
Vocal and piano intro
"Desperado" is a soft rock ballad by the American rock band the Eagles. The track was written by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and appeared on the 1973 album Desperado as well as numerous compilation albums. Although it was never released as a single, it became one of Eagles' best-known songs. It ranked No. 494 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[3]
Composition
According to Henley, "Desperado" was based on a song he started in 1968, written in the style of old songs by Stephen Foster.[4] The song was originally about a friend named Leo and with the opening line "Leo, my God, why don't you come to your senses..."[5] In 1972, after they had recorded their first album, Eagles, in London, Glenn Frey and Henley decided that they should write songs together, and within a day or two after returning from London they wrote "Desperado".[5] They also wrote "Tequila Sunrise" in the first week of their collaboration.[6]
In their first songwriting session at Henley's home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, Henley played Frey the unfinished version of the song, and said: "When I play it and sing it, I think of Ray Charles and Stephen Foster. It's really a Southern Gothic thing, but we can easily make it more Western."[5] According to Henley, Frey "leapt right on it – filled in the blanks and brought structure", and the song became "Desperado". Henley added: "And that was the beginning of our songwriting partnership ... that's when we became a team."[5]
Recording
The song was recorded at Island Studios in London, with musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra was conducted by Jim Ed Norman, Henley's friend from his former band Shiloh, who also wrote and arranged the strings for the song.[7][8] According to Henley, he was given only four or five takes to record the song by the producer Glyn Johns who wanted to record the album quickly and economically.[4] Henley felt intimidated by the large orchestra, and would later express regret that he did not sing as well as he could.[9] He said: "I didn't sing my best ... I wish I could have done that song again."[10]
Reception
"Desperado" is one of Eagles' most famous songs, and it was ranked No. 494 on the Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.[3] It was voted the second-most-favorite Eagles song in a poll of Rolling Stone readers.[11] In 2000, the song was included in MOJO magazine's list of greatest songs, nominated by songwriters such as Paul McCartney, Hal David, and Brian Wilson.[12] Members of the Western Writers of America included it in their list of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[13] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number two on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs,[14] and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number three on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs.[15]
According to an interview with Don Henley, "Desperado" was not a hit for the Eagles until Linda Ronstadt recorded it.[16]
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic considered it one of Eagles' major compositions.[17][18] Paul Gambaccini of Rolling Stone felt it was Henley's rough voice that made the song memorable.[19] The Eagles' recording never charted on Billboard until the death of Glenn Frey, when it reached No. 20 on the Rock Digital Songs chart.[20] After the antagonist of the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 claimed that "Brandy" by Looking Glass was "Earth's finest composition", that band's lead guitarist and songwriter Elliot Lurie countered that "Desperado" should have that title.[21]
|
|
|
|
Post by the Scribe on Apr 21, 2024 9:21:11 GMT
Behind The Song: The Eagles, “Desperado”
americansongwriter.com/behind-the-song-the-eagles-desperado/
BYJASON SCOTT
4 YEARS AGO
COURTESY ASYLUM RECORDS
“Desperado”
Written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey
A song can take many years to fully marinate. Such is the case with The Eagles’ iconic “Desperado,” the title track to the band’s second album released in 1973. Its base roots, a chord progression and that searing melody, were first forged sometime in the late 1960s. Henley’s initial work on the song harkened greatly to Stephen Foster, who has been crowned the “father of American music” for writing more than 200 songs, including “Oh! Susanna” and “My Old Kentucky Home.”
Upon moving to Laurel Canyon, a self-contained neighbor of the Hollywood Hills, Henley’s first real solo songwriting session with Glenn Frey birthed one of the greatest compositions in the American songbook. The musical chemistry that day was immediate, and Frey quickly began fleshing out much of the barebones structure with richer lyrics and additional chord moments.
“Desperado,” along with another song called “Outlaw Man,” soon became the thematic bedrock of the group’s sophomore set. The band 一 then comprised of Henley, Frey, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon 一 was riding a new-found wave of commercial success. Their self-titled debut album (1972) snagged three hit singles, “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” The pressure was certainly rising to deliver a follow-up that was equally as viable, but, as Henley remembers it, they took a more counterintuitive approach to make a concept record that loosely explored cowboys and the wild, wild west. “The second album from any artist is always a tricky proposition. It’s a catch-22 – that is, it created a critical situation if you had hits on your first album, and it was also critical if you didn’t. At that point, we experienced what is sometimes called the ‘sophomore freakout,’” he says.
Much to the chagrin of Atlantic Records executives, the band set about plotting the recording at Island Studios in London. A piano to start, the performance swells with emotive drum and string work courtesy of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jim Ed Norman, who happened to be a former bandmate of Henley’s (in the Texas group called Felicity in the ‘60s). Henley had never before performed with a live orchestra, and while he scolds himself on the vocal (he was only permitted four or five takes), the result captures the tragic beauty of humanity.
He recalls “several of [the musicians] being crotchety old farts who were pissed off because they were required to play some whole notes,” he says. “Some of the violinists had actually brought chess boards with them, set them up between their chairs, and were playing chess between takes. Let’s just say that they were not enamored with the lore of the American West, at least not in the form of pop balladry.”
“Desperado” was never an official radio single, but it has taken on a life of its own over the years. Perhaps it’s Henley’s raw live take, or maybe the way the lyrics explore “the repercussions of living an isolated existence that rejects the idea of community, a life devoid of love and compassion.” Either way, the sweeping, orchestral ballad is a timeless artifact on the power and brilliance of music.
While the original recording certainly stands on its own, Linda Ronstadt’s reworking is often lauded as the definitive performance. Ever the consummate interpreter, the country-rock legend recorded her own version later in 1973 for her studio album titled Don’t Cry Now. Unsurprisingly, her silky rendition is quite a transformative one and further heightens the emotional gravity. |
|
|
|
Post by the Scribe on Apr 21, 2024 9:35:23 GMT
  www.songfacts.com/facts/eagles/desperado
On the surface, this song is about a cowboy who refuses to fall in love, but it could also be about a young man who discovers guitars, joins a band, pays his dues and suffers for his art. The stress of being a rock star is a recurring theme in Eagles music (e.g. "Life In The Fast Lane"). The overall theme is how you must suffer for your art. >>
Don Henley began writing parts of this in the late '60s, but it wasn't arranged into a song until his songwriting teammate Glenn Frey came along. It was the first of many songs Henley and Frey wrote together.
Henley explained in the liner notes for The Very Best of the Eagles: "Glenn came over to write one day, and I showed him this unfinished tune that I had been holding for so many years. I said, 'When I play it and sing it, I think of Ray Charles - Ray Charles and Stephen Foster. It's really a Southern gothic thing, but we can easily make it more Western.' Glenn leapt right on it - filled in the blanks and brought structure. And that was the beginning of our songwriting partnership - that's when we became a team."
The album had an Old West theme. It was inspired by The Dalton Gang, a notorious group of outlaws. The Eagles recorded it in the very cosmopolitan setting of Island Studios in the Notting Hill section of London with the British producer Glyn Johns, but they went Western for the tour, making their set look like Deadwood.
Country music is filled with songs that look beyond the archetype to show the nuanced emotions of a cowboy, but "Desperado" was a touchstone in bringing this kind of song to the rock genre. One of its most famous descendants is Bon Jovi's 1986 song "Wanted Dead Or Alive," which draws similar parallels between the life of a cowboy and that of a rock star.
"Desperado," the title track to the second Eagles album, is a classic rock staple, but it was never released as a single. Holding it back from single release helped boost sales of the album, and also the various compilations it would later appear on.
Linda Ronstadt recorded this song and released it on her 1973 album Don't Cry Now a few months after the Eagles' Desperado album was issued. Don Henley and Glenn Frey toured as part of Ronstadt's backing band in 1971 and formed the Eagles shortly after playing on her 1972 self-titled album, which also featured the two members they recruited to round out the group: Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon. Ronstadt was very supportive, encouraging Henley and Frey to form the group even though it meant losing some of her best talent.
Ronstadt was a once-in-a-generation singer who was well known in the industry but still a club act until her single "You're No Good" took off in 1975. It took five albums for Ronstadt to find her groove, but the Eagles made inroads right away, landing a hit with their first single in 1972, "Take It Easy."
Ronstadt's "Desperado" wasn't released as a single, but it exposed the song to a much wider (mostly female) audience. "I was extremely flattered that Linda recorded 'Desperado,'" Don Henley said. "It was really her that popularized the song. Her version was very poignant and beautiful."
It's worth noting that Ronstadt and the Eagles were all transplants to Los Angeles, where they found each other. She was from Arizona, Henley was from Texas, Frey was from Michigan, Meisner was from Nebraska, and Leadon was from San Diego.
"Desperado" plays a huge role in the 1996 Seinfeld episode "The Checks," where Elaine goes out with a guy who won't let her speak when the song is playing. The Wonder Years also used the song in the 1992 episode "Stormy Weather," and it appears in the 2002 movie In America. There was also a TV movie broadcast in 1987 called Desperado that used the song.
The director Sam Peckinpah, who made many popular Westerns, including The Wild Bunch and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, was at one time interested in making a film about the Doolin-Dalton gang based on the Desperado album. The project never came to fruition.
Guitarist Randy Meisner claims he came up with the guitar intro, but was not given songwriter credit, meaning he does not get royalties from it. The allocation of songwriting credits was one of many issues that caused turmoil within the band.
The Eagles included this on their album Greatest Hits 1971-1975, which, mostly because of catalog sales, is the best selling album of all time in America, with certified sales of 38 million (Desperado has sold 2 million). This song is a big reason for its success. Since it was never released as a single, it provided a lesser-known track that fit in very well. The Eagles' "Outlaw Man," which was released as a single, was left off the album.
Artists to cover this song include Kenny Rogers, the Carpenters, Bonnie Raitt and Ringo Starr.
In 2004, Linda Ronstadt caused a stir when she dedicated this song to the filmmaker Michael Moore during a performance at the Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas. Moore had a movie out called Fahrenheit 9/11, which made US president George Bush look very bad. Ronstadt said Moore "Loves his country deeply, and he's trying to get the truth out." This didn't go over well with the casino's president, who made her leave immediately. It's unclear what happened when Ronstadt performed the song, but stories circulated that patrons got upset and booed the singer. She had been dedicating the song to Moore throughout her tour without incident.
Don Henley has always been unhappy about his vocal on this song. He explained to Mojo in 2015: "When we are in England, recording 'Desperado,' I was a nervous wreck. I was standing in this huge room, Island Studios, a big orchestra right behind me, and they were bored to tears. Some older gentleman had brought chessboards and they would play between takes. I would hear these remarks like, 'Well, you know, I don't feel much like a desperado.' I was so intimidated that I didn't sing my best. Our producer Glyn Johns, who is still a friend of mine, I think, wanted to get the album done quickly and economically, and he didn't let me do many takes. I wish I could have done that song again."
This was the last song the Eagles performed in concert with Glenn Frey. It closed out their show in Bossier City, Louisiana on July 29, 2015, the last stop on their History of the Eagles tour. Frey died about six months later.
|
|
