Lyin' Eyes
| "Lyin' Eyes" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eagles | ||||
| from the album One of These Nights | ||||
| B-side | "Too Many Hands" | |||
| Released | September 7, 1975 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded |
January 1975 Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Country rock,[1] folk rock[2] | |||
| Length |
4:14 (single edit) 6:22 (album version) | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Writer(s) | Don Henley, Glenn Frey | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Szymczyk | |||
| Eagles singles chronology | ||||
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"Lyin' Eyes" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded in 1975 by the American rock band the Eagles, with Frey singing lead vocals. It was the second single from their One of These Nights album, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #8 on the US Country chart. (Their only #2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, it was kept off the top spot by Elton John's single "Island Girl," from his album Rock of the Westies.) It remained their only top 40 country hit until "How Long" in 2007–2008.
The record also received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Group, and was also nominated for Record of the Year.
Variations and history
The single version of the song is shortened quite a bit from the album version, removing the entire second verse, the second chorus and four lines in the middle of the third verse. Top 40 Radio stations in 1975 did not usually play songs longer in duration than 4 minutes, so the runtime on the 45-RPM label was listed as 3:58, but the actual playing time was 4:14.
During the Eagles 2009 concert tour, Glenn Frey talked about the origin for the song stating that he and Don Henley frequented an LA restaurant/bar, Dan Tana's, where the most beautiful of beautiful women frequented. They witnessed a meeting between a man and a woman and made up a scenario of secret love and thus the song arose. During the Eagles 2013 concert tour, Frey stated it was written in just two evenings.
Covers
Among the many covers of "Lyin' Eyes" are Lynn Anderson's 1976 recording and Kenny Rankin's 1980 version on his After The Roses album. Diamond Rio also covered the song on the 1993 compilation Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. Dolly Parton has long cited the song as a personal favorite; she performed it on her 1976 variety show Dolly!
"Lyin' Eyes" is included on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. It plays in the background in the diner scene when Sissy (Debra Winger) gets angry at Bud (John Travolta) for saying "Hello" to Jerry Hall's character.
Musical style
Musically, "Lyin' Eyes" combines elements of country, pop, rock, and folk music styles.[3]
Subject matter
"Lyin' Eyes" describes, mainly in third person, the trophy wife of a rich old man who is either unable or unwilling to satisfy her romantically and/or sexually. She has hence found release, if not total satisfaction, with another man, but:
- She wonders how it ever got this crazy...
- Did she get tired, or did she just get lazy?
- She's so far gone she feels just like a fool.
The lyrics then change to second person and note of the female protagonist, "You're still the same old girl you used to be."
Personnel
- Glenn Frey: Lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Don Henley: Drums, percussion, Lead and backing vocals
- Bernie Leadon: Lead guitar, backing vocals
- Don Felder: Acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Randy Meisner: Bass guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Ed Norman: Piano
Chart performance
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 8 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 19 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 20 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 23 |
References
- ↑ Eagles - Hell Freezes Over CD liner notes by Sal Manna
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/one-of-these-nights-mw0000189767
- ↑ Eagles - Hell Freezes Over CD liner notes by Sal Manna
External links
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