Ranking The Best And Worst Songs From The Eagles’ Discography

The Eagles were one of the biggest bands in the ’70s. They dominated the airwaves with one classic hit after another. They may be brilliant musicians but it doesn’t mean they never had bad songs. For this list, we’re exploring the best and worst tracks in each of their albums.

Eagles (1972)

Best: Take It Easy

It perfectly captured their ethos as a band. It has aged well, and remains one of their greatest songs. Glenn Frey told Bob Costas that the song represented “America’s first image of our band with the vistas of the Southwest and the beginnings of what became country-rock.”

Worst: Nightingale

It’s forgettable at best.

Desperado (1973)

Best: Desperado

https://youtu.be/4NKDc0WE2oo

“Desperado” was based on a song Don Henley started writing in 1968.

“When I play it and sing it, I think of Ray Charles and Stephen Foster,” he told Frey when he first played it for him. “It’s really a Southern Gothic thing, but we can easily make it more Western.”

Worst: Outlaw Man

The Eagles only included it on the album because it fit the Western outlaw gang theme. The vocals are good, but not much else.

On the Border (1974)

Best: Best of My Love

https://youtu.be/wvldWkENjts

It may be popular at weddings but it’s actually a breakup song. It was a collaborative effort between Frey, Henley, and J.D. Souther, and they wrote the lyrics at a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Worst: On The Border

They wrote this at the height of the Watergate Scandal.

“We were addressing Nixon, because at that time it was pretty clear that he was on his way out,” Henley revealed, “so that was our little kiss-off to Tricky Dick.” Even so, it’s not their finest moment.

One of These Nights (1975)

Best: One of These Nights

https://youtu.be/zI2BzHWue6E

It was their second single to top the US Billboard Hot 100. The band wanted to do something different, something that wasn’t ballad or country rock.

“We like to be a nice little country-rock band from Los Angeles … about half the time,” Henley shared. “We wanted to get away from the ballad syndrome with “One of These Nights.” With Don Felder in the band now, we can really rock.”

Worst: I Wish You Peace

Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon wrote this along with his then-girlfriend Patti Davis. If people have forgotten this exists, then that may be for the better.

Hotel California (1976)

Best: Hotel California

https://youtu.be/vydym4wh9Qo

This needs no explanation because it’s the Eagles’ crowning achievement.

Worst: New Kid in Town

The album is perfect from start to finish. This may be the weakest song, but it’s far from bad.

The Long Run (1979)

Best: The Sad Cafe

https://youtu.be/12VJBlhbV9A

Written about the historic music club, The Troubadour, it’s one of Don Felder’s favorites.

“There’s an acoustic guitar harmony solo where I play about six acoustic guitars and harmony together on ‘Sad Cafe,'” he told SongFacts, “which is a really unusual solo that was kind of fun to do.”

Worst: Teenage Jail

Everything about it is messy and chaotic, in a really bad way.

Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

Best: How Long

https://youtu.be/LmW5McLF-Uk

Before laying it down in the studio, the band had frequently performed it in concert. When they released it in 2007, they took home the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Worst: Frail Grasp of the Big Picture

It’s far from their finest work.