Take It Easy

Jackson Browne originally began writing "Take It Easy" in 1971 for his own eponymous debut album but was having difficulty finishing the song. Browne's friend Glenn Frey – who lived in the same Echo Park, California, apartment building as Browne – had heard an early version and later asked Browne about it. Browne then played the unfinished second verse that begins with "Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona...", and Frey finished the verse with "Such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me."{{cite web |title= "History of the Eagles": Glenn Frey interview, directed by Alison Ellwood, 42:51 |website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194326/ |year= 2013}}{{cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194326/ |title=History of the Eagles |date=2013|time=42:48–43:50 }} Browne was very happy with the result and suggested that they finish the song together.{{cite web |url=http://www.theuncool.com/journalism/the-very-best-of-the-eagles/ |title= Conversations With Don Henley and Glenn Frey|last= Crowe |first= Cameron |date=August 2003 |work= The Uncool}} The resulting song became the first track on the Eagles' debut album and was released as their first single.

Browne told a version of the story in a radio interview: "I knew Glenn Frey from playing these clubs – we kept showing up at the same clubs and singing on the open-mic nights. Glenn happened to come by to say 'hi,' and to hang around when I was in the studio, and I showed him the beginnings of that song, and he asked if I was going to put it on my record and I said it wouldn't be ready in time. He said 'well, we'll put it on, we'll do it,' 'cause he liked it," Browne explained. "But it wasn't finished, and he kept after me to finish it, and finally offered to finish it himself. And after a couple of times when I declined to have him finish my song, I said, 'all right.' I finally thought, 'This is ridiculous. Go ahead and finish it. Do it.' And he finished it in spectacular fashion. And, what's more, arranged it in a way that was far superior to what I had written."Paris, Russ. The Jackson Browne Fans Page, [http://www.jrp-graphics.com/jb/jbaudio.html Jackson Browne Audio Interview.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502040431/http://www.jrp-graphics.com/jb/jbaudio.html |date=2012-05-02 }}

{{listen

| filename = Eagles - Take It Easy.ogg

| title = Eagles - "Take It Easy"

| pos = right

| description = The second verse of the Eagles' recording with Glenn Frey on lead vocals. Randy Meisner sings harmony at the beginning, with the rest of the band joining in towards the end of this clip.

}}

The song was recorded at the Olympic Studios in London with producer Glyn Johns. Glenn Frey sings the lead vocal on the Eagles recording of "Take It Easy". Bass player Randy Meisner sings the harmony vocal in the second verse with Frey, with drummer Don Henley harmonizing in the chorus, on the line "Though we will never be here again. So open up, I'm climbin' in."{{cite web |url=http://www.spin.com/2016/01/eagles-take-it-easy-glenn-frey-eulogy/ |title=Why 'Take It Easy' Was Glenn Frey's Best Eagles Song |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew |date= January 19, 2016 |work=Spin}} Bernie Leadon provides the lead guitar and distinctive banjo parts, as well as harmony vocals. The track's producer Johns said: "On 'Take It Easy' I got Bernie to play double-time banjo; they all thought it was a bonkers idea but it worked. It was already a great song, but that one little thing made it different."{{cite web|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/uncut/glyn-johns-album-by-album-feature|title=Glyn Johns – Album by Album|publisher=Uncut.co.uk|access-date=November 23, 2014|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129084013/http://www.uncut.co.uk/uncut/glyn-johns-album-by-album-feature|url-status=dead}}

In their early live performances, the Eagles start with an a cappella version of a verse from "Silver Dagger" that begins with "My daddy is a handsome devil..." as an intro to "Take It Easy".{{cite AV media |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074sf0n |title=In Concert – The Eagles |date=April 5, 1973 |time=21:40–26:40 |work=BBC }}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}

Jackson Browne recorded a version for his 1973 album For Everyman.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/year-in-music-2014/6851591/jackson-browne-take-it-easy-glenn-frey |title=Jackson Browne Performs 'Take it Easy' Tribute to Glenn Frey: Watch |date=January 22, 2016 |last= Brandle |first= Lars |magazine=Billboard }} Sneaky Pete Kleinow plays pedal steel and David Lindley (on electric guitar) teams up with Browne. Mickey McGee's percussion and the other instruments crossfade into the next track on the album, "Our Lady of the Well."

In 1972, Bud Scoppa wrote in Rolling Stone in his review of the Eagles' debut album that "Take it Easy" was "simply the best sounding rock single to come out so far this year. The first time through, you could tell it had everything: danceable rhythm, catchy, winding melody, intelligent, affirmative lyrics, a progressively powerful arrangement mixing electric guitar and banjo, and a crisp vocal, with vibrant four-part harmony at just the right moments for maximum dramatic effect."Scoppa, Bud. Rolling Stone, [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-eagles-19720622#ixzz2228gbAyM Review of Eagles], June 22, 1972. Cash Box felt it sounded somewhat like the Byrds and predicted that it would be a "sure and rapid-fire smash."{{cite news|title=CashBox Record Reviews|date=May 13, 1972|page=18|access-date=2021-12-11|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1972/Cash-Box-1972-05-13.pdf|newspaper=Cash Box}}

On Allmusic.com, William Ruhlmann said that Browne wrote the song in 1971 while working on his debut album, and that "it encapsulated many of the usual themes of his work, touching on the road, women, love as salvation, and an ambivalent sense of fatalism." Discussing the specific lyrics, Ruhlmann goes on: "The opening verse was a joke. The narrator says he is running down the road with seven women on his mind. But this vision of promiscuity is quickly dispelled. Of the seven, four want to own him, two want to stone him, and one just wants to be his friend. The verse introduces the song's point, that, despite troubles, one should 'take it easy.'" Ruhlmann points out that Frey's added verse "lightened the song's mood considerably. Now, the narrator was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, being eyed by a woman in a truck (flatbed Ford) who slowed down to give him the once-over. These unabashedly vain lines weren't exactly consistent with Browne's theme, but they made it sound like the singer really did want to take it easy."Ruhlmann, William. AllMusic.com, [http://www.allmusic.com/song/take-it-easy-mt0002031839 Review of "Take It Easy."]

"Take It Easy" has retrospectively been regarded as one of the Eagles' best songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number three on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/eagles-songs-best-hits-list-7998887/|title=The Eagles' 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks|first=Gary|last=Graff|magazine=Billboard|date=October 17, 2017|access-date=April 8, 2022}} and in 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number two on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-40-greatest-eagles-songs-779880/2-take-it-easy-1972-779895/|title=The 40 Greatest Eagles Songs|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 22, 2019|access-date=April 8, 2022}}

Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated "Take It Easy" as Browne's 2nd greatest song, even though it is mostly associated with the Eagles.{{cite web|title=Top 10 Jackson Browne Songs|publisher=Classic Rock History|author=Kachejian, Brian|date=6 July 2022 |accessdate=2023-12-28|url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-jackson-browne-songs/}}

The song was released as the first single of the Eagles in May 1972, and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 79 on the chart date of June 3, 1972.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1972-06-03|title=Billboard Hot 100: June 3, 1972 |magazine=Billboard}} It stayed for 11 weeks on the chart that summer, peaked at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on July 22, 1972.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1972-07-22|title=Billboard Hot 100: July 22, 1972 |magazine=Billboard}}Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts – The Seventies. Wisconsin: Record Research, 1990. It also peaked at No. 12 the same week on the Easy listening chart (later known as Adult contemporary),{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/adult-contemporary/1972-07-22|title=Adult contemporary Tracks: July 22, 1972 |magazine=Billboard}} a chart it first entered at No. 40 on June 17, 1972.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/1972-06-17/hot-adult-contemporary-tracks|title=Adult contemporary Tracks: June 17, 1972 |magazine=Billboard |url-access=subscription }}

Image:TakeItEasy WinslowAZ.jpg

According to Frey, the second verse of "Take It Easy" refers to a time when Jackson Browne's automobile malfunctioned in Winslow, Arizona, during one of his trips to Sedona, requiring him to spend a long day in Winslow. In 1999, in responding to the lyrics that made it famous, the city of Winslow erected a life-size bronze statue and mural commemorating the song at the Standin' on the Corner Park. The statue stands near a lamp post, the male figure 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 trompe-l'œil mural on the wall behind the statue is that of a storefront, and includes what would appear to be the reflection of a red flatbed Ford pickup truck driven by a blonde-haired woman. The second floor of the mural features an eagle perched in one window on the left and a man and woman (apparently the man on the corner and woman in the truck) embracing in another window on the right.{{Cite web|url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/12603|title=Standin' on the Corner Park, Winslow, Arizona|website=RoadsideAmerica.com|access-date=29 May 2023}} The site has become a landmark that attracted many visitors to the town.{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-winslow-arizona-20150116-story.html |title=It's the corner, and statue, that made Winslow, Arizona, famous |last=Baxter |first=Kevin |date=January 16, 2015 |work= Los Angeles Times}}

There has, however, been some confusion about the location of original incident that inspired the story in the lyrics. In an interview with Matthew Ziegler, Browne related that it took place in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the Wienerschnitzel (now the Dog Haus) at the corner of East Rte. 66 and Switzer Canyon.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.reuters.com/events/2007/05/16/not-standing-on-a-corner-in-winslow-ariz/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010045221/http://blogs.reuters.com/events/2007/05/16/not-standing-on-a-corner-in-winslow-ariz/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 10, 2014 |title=Not standing on a corner in Winslow, Ariz|last= Kelleher |first= James |date=May 16, 2007 |work=Reuters}} According to Browne, a young woman cruised by in a Toyota pickup and looked at him and the image stuck with him. Browne had told Frey about the woman in the truck, and Frey then used the incident to add the line about the woman to the song.{{cite web |url=http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azdailysun.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/eedition/4/58/458a0c03-3c26-51c7-a4e0-cb5bff40e4c7/546e79ae2216c.pdf.pdf |title=Dog Haus takes it easy |work=Arizona Daily Sun |date=November 27, 2014 |access-date=June 15, 2015 |archive-date=June 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621102205/http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azdailysun.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/eedition/4/58/458a0c03-3c26-51c7-a4e0-cb5bff40e4c7/546e79ae2216c.pdf.pdf |url-status=dead }} Browne, however, also stated in an interview with Los Angeles Times that it was always Winslow where his automobile had malfunctioned, although "the image of that girl driving a truck was an image that came from east" (i.e., East Flagstaff). The lines are therefore an amalgamation of two different events.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/19/glenn-frey-is-dead-but-the-take-it-easy-corner-in-winslow-arizona-lives-on/ |title=Glenn Frey and the mystery of the 'Take It Easy' corner in Winslow, Ariz.|author= Fred Barbash and Jenny Starrs |date=January 19, 2016|newspaper=Washington Post }}

On September 24, 2016, a life-sized tribute statue to Glenn Frey was added to the Standin' on the Corner Park in Winslow, Arizona, to honor his songwriting contributions to "Take It Easy".{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7519060/glenn-frey-bronze-statue-winslow-arizona-eagles |title=Glenn Frey Bronze Statue Is Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona|agency=Associated Press |date= September 26, 2016 |magazine=Billboard }} Funds for the new statue, which depicted Frey as he appeared in the 1970s, were raised by "Mark & NeanderPaul" (Mark Devine & Paul Marshall), the morning show from Phoenix classic rock station 100.7 KSLX, the city of Winslow, and the Standin' on the Corner Foundation.{{cite news |url=http://wzlx.cbslocal.com/2016/09/27/the-eagles-glenn-frey-immortalized-by-new-statue-standing-near-the-corner-in-winslow-arizona/ |title=The Eagles' Glenn Frey Immortalized By New Statue Standing Near The Corner in Winslow, Arizona |publisher=WZLX |date=September 27, 2016 |access-date=October 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009100258/http://wzlx.cbslocal.com/2016/09/27/the-eagles-glenn-frey-immortalized-by-new-statue-standing-near-the-corner-in-winslow-arizona/ |archive-date=October 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |publisher=KPNX |date=September 28, 2016 |title=Winslow gets life-sized statue of the Eagles' Glenn Frey |url=http://www.12news.com/news/local/arizona/winslow-gets-life-sized-statue-of-the-eagles-glenn-frey/326876266 |access-date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002324/http://www.12news.com/news/local/arizona/winslow-gets-life-sized-statue-of-the-eagles-glenn-frey/326876266 |url-status=dead }}

• Glenn Frey – lead vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar
• Bernie Leadon – harmony and backing vocals, lead guitar, banjo
• Randy Meisner – harmony and backing vocals, bass
• Don Henley – harmony and backing vocals, drums

{{Infobox song

| name = Take It Easy

| cover = Take_It_Easy_(Travis_Tritt_Single).png

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Travis Tritt

| album = Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles

| B-side = I Wish I Could Go Back Home

| released = 1994

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Country

| length = 3:32

| label = Giant

| writer = {{hlist|Jackson Browne|Glenn Frey}}

| producer = James Stroud{{Cite AV media notes |title=Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles |others=Various artists |year=1993 |type=CD insert |publisher=Giant Records |id=24531}}

| prev_title = Worth Every Mile

| prev_year = 1993

| next_title = Foolish Pride

| next_year = 1994

}}

Travis Tritt recorded a version for the Eagles tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, which featured country music artists who were raised on the Eagles' music. On Tritt's version, Bernie Leadon's lead guitar parts were rearranged and performed by Dann Huff. The song was released as a single in 1994, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard country music charts.

Tritt made a request for members of the Eagles to appear in his video for the song, and the resulting video for Tritt's version featured the Eagles lineup from 1978 to 1980 (Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit) playing billiards in a local tavern and performing as its house band. Frey, who had previously been reluctant to reunite with the band, later said: "After years passed, you really sort of remember that you were friends first ... I just remembered how much we genuinely had liked each other and how much fun we'd had."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-the-feuding-eagles-take-it-easy-with-travis-tritt-20141217 |title= Flashback: See Feuding Eagles 'Take It Easy' With Travis Tritt|last=Leahey |first=Andrew |date=December 17, 2014|magazine= Rolling Stone }} Frey and Henley subsequently met with their management over lunch two months after the filming of the video and agreed to the reunion of Eagles. A new album, Hell Freezes Over, was released and a tour launched the following year.

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Eagles|title=Take It Easy|award=Platinum|relyear=2005|certyear=2022|id=15152-663-1|access-date=December 2, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

{{Reflist}}

• [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t850758|pure_url=yes}} "Take It Easy" at AllMusicGuide.com]

{{Eagles}}

{{Jackson Browne}}

{{Travis Tritt singles}}

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Category:1972 songs

Category:1972 debut singles

Category:1973 singles

Category:1993 singles

Category:Eagles (band) songs

Category:Jackson Browne songs

Category:Travis Tritt songs

Category:Songs written by Jackson Browne

Category:Songs written by Glenn Frey

Category:Song recordings produced by Glyn Johns

Category:Asylum Records singles

Category:Giant Records (Warner) singles

Category:Song recordings produced by James Stroud

Category:Winslow, Arizona

Category:Songs about Arizona