Songs You May Not Know Were Covers Vol. 9: Seven Bridges Road (#5)

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Gee, I don’t know why Greg didn’t put a whole dollar down on this song showing up on this round of songs that you know as a big hit but were actually covers. Maybe he didn’t know? That is the theme here: you may not know but then you MAY know! Anyway, here’s the next song. #5: Seven Bridges Road I saw the Eagles about seven (sense a theme here?) months before they broke up. They played at the football stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Jimmy Buffett opened and was great. When it came time for the Eagles to get onstage, they showed up from their dressing rooms….IN FIVE SEPARATE LIMOS. Seriously, guys? You couldn’t ride in ONE, or two at the most??? Glenn Frey once said, “We were breaking up from the time we got together.” For all those mellow songs and sweet harmonies, this band was a powder keg with a very short fuse. So it was no real surprise when they called it quits after some shows in their adopted hometown of L.A. Those were recorded for a live album, which was mostly rehashes of greatest hits….plus “Seven Bridges Road.” The sole “new” song on the album, it was released as a single. It wasn’t new for the Eagles: there’s a promotional video of “Hotel California” from 1976 showing them backstage, warming up with the song. Of course, since it’s here, you know it wasn’t new when the Eagles recorded it! The origins of the song go back to 1969 and a San Diego-based singer/songwriter named Steve Young (no relation to the 49ers quarterback….don’t think that Steve could write a song as great as “Old Memories Mean Nothing to Me,” just as the songwriter probably couldn’t throw a football 52 inches, let alone 52 yards! ). That was a fertile place (San Diego, not the 49ers team ) for singer/songwriters: Jack Tempchin, who wrote “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” also lived there. The Eagles weren’t the first act to cover it, either, but we’ll cross those bridges in an upcoming countdown….. Seven Bridges Road Written by Steve Young Originally recorded by Steve Young, 1969 Famously covered by the Eagles, 1980 A completely different rendition of the song by the author than you’re used to!