Ten Favorite Songwriting Teams: Henley/Frey (#5)

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As threatened or promised in the previous two posts today, there aren't any surprises when it comes to the songwriters I'm highlighting today in my trio of countdowns highlighting my favorite songwriters in country, rock, and songwriting teams. The only surprise for today's team will probably be the fact that they're only #5 on the list. Here they are. #5: Don Henley & Glenn Frey What? Why so low? Wait till you see the four teams ranked above them. You'll understand then. If Lennon and McCartney wrote the soundtrack of the 60s, it's not a stretch to say that Don Henley and Glenn Frey, the primary songwriters for the Eagles, wrote a sizable chunk of the 70s' soundtrack. Thanks to five #1 hits in the 70s and the one seemingly constant you could run to in order to escape disco, the Eagles were one of the biggest bands in the 70s. In fact, their 1975 Their Greatest Hits 1971-75 album is the biggest-selling compilation album in history. It was also the single best-selling album of the century. Only Michael Jackson's Thriller gives the sales of the album a run for its money (which are reportedly at 43 million). Also the primary singers for the band (Henley sang lead on all the "title songs" from the albums; Frey supplied lead vocals for songs such as "Lyin' Eyes" and "Take It Easy"), the two began, with the second album, writing together (the first hits from the Eagles weren't written by Henley/Frey: Henley wrote "Witchy Woman" with Bernie Leadon, and Frey wrote "Take It Easy" with Jackson Browne; Jack Tempchin wrote "Peaceful Easy Feeling") songs that were generally cynical ("what can you do when your dreams come true and it's not quite like you planned?" they asked in "After the Thrill is Gone"; or their warning to Bruce Springsteen in "New Kid in Town": "they will never forget you, till somebody new comes along"), if not downright miserable ("you can get on with your search, baby, and I can get on with mine, and maybe someday we will find that it wasn't really wasted time"). Even their "upbeat" songs had dark lyrics (the happy handclap beginning of "Heartache Tonight" underscores the opening warning: "somebody's gonna hurt someone before the night is through"). But somehow they pulled it off, thanks in no small part to the harmonies, the music that appealed to rockers ("Good Day in Hell") as well as country fans (the aforementioned "Lyin' Eyes" was their biggest charted country hit), and lyrics that were -- and remain -- several cuts above what everyone else was doing in the 70s. Don Henley & Glenn Frey Henley: born Donald Hugh Henley, July 22, 1947, Gilmer, TX Frey: born Glenn Lewis Frey, November 6, 1948, Detroit, MI; died January 18, 2016, New York, NY (pneumonia) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - 1997 Six Grammy Awards Three Grammy Hall of Fame awards ("Hotel California," Hotel California (album), and Desperado [album]) Best-known songs: "Hotel California;" "Desperado;" "Lyin' Eyes;" "One of These Nights;" "Heartache Tonight." Here's one of their great rockers: