Take It Easy

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"Take It Easy"
"Take It Easy" cover
Single by Eagles
from the album Eagles
B-side(s) "Get You In The Mood"
Released May 1, 1972
Format 7"
Genre Rock, Country rock
Length 3:30
Label Asylum
Writer(s) Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey
Producer(s) Glyn Johns
Chart positions
Eagles singles chronology
Take It Easy
(1972)
Witchy Woman
(1972)

"Take It Easy" is a song written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, and recorded by the Eagles (with Frey singing lead vocals). It was the band's first single, released on May 1, 1972. It also was the opening track on the band's debut album Eagles and it has become one of their signature songs, included on all of their live and compilation albums.

Browne originally began writing "Take It Easy" in 1971 for his own debut album. His friend and then-neighbor Frey heard an early version and liked it so much that Browne gave it to him for his new band. Frey finished the second verse (including the line "It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford ...") and the resulting single climbed to #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Jackson Browne later recorded the song as the lead track on his second album, For Everyman (1973). It has also been covered by several other artists including Billy Mize, Johnny Rivers, and Travis Tritt.

The second verse of "Take It Easy" is set in the city of Winslow, Arizona, which responded by erecting a life-size bronze statue and mural commemorating the song. The statue (believed by some to resemble songwriter Jackson Browne), stands leaning against a lamp post, securing an acoustic guitar between his right hand and the shoe of his right foot. Above his head, a metal sign, crafted in the style of U.S. Route shields, displays the words "Standin' on the corner". The mural on the wall behind the statue is that of a fake storefront, and includes what would appear to be the reflection of a red Ford pickup truck driven by a blonde-haired woman. The second floor of the mural features an eagle perched in one of the windows.[1]

The "Take It Easy" memorial statue and mural at 35°1'24.54" N, 110°41'53.02" W in Winslow, Arizona
The "Take It Easy" memorial statue and mural at 35°1'24.54" N, 110°41'53.02" W in Winslow, Arizona

The "corner" is actually that of North Kinsley Avenue and West 2nd Street (eastbound State Route 99) in downtown Winslow.

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[edit] External links

Eagles
Glenn Frey | Don Henley | Joe Walsh | Timothy B. Schmit
Randy Meisner | Bernie Leadon | Don Felder
Discography
Studio albums: Eagles | Desperado | On the Border | One of These Nights | Hotel California | The Long Run | The Long Road to Eden
Live: Eagles Live | Hell Freezes Over | Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne
Compilations: Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) | Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | The Very Best of the Eagles
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