Every singer wants their next microphone moment to be a little bit of a challenge. While many musicians hope to stay on key and artists like Bob Dylan just want to tell their story through their guitar, the seasoned pros in the field know how to push themselves just past the breaking point and still create something engaging. Don Henley still believes that “One of These Nights” will be one of his best moments with the Eagles. Though he didn’t really need to prove himself as that kind of singer.
In a group like the Eagles, inability to sing could cost someone their job. The goal of the California rockers was always to emulate the great harmonising kings who came before them. The band’s appeal stemmed largely from the combination of Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, and Don Henley’s voices.
While Frey’s voice possessed the typical “everyman” cadence, Henley’s croon seemed to have received a divine touch from the Holy Spirit. Although it was a little rough around the edges, listening to him sing songs like “Desperado” or “Witchy Woman” is like sipping a fine cognac. It’s rough, but it goes down smooth nonetheless.
Don Henley reasoned that he would revisit his disco side on “One of These Nights”. Since there was much more they could do than just country rock. He had already thought that the R&B-tinged song “On the Border” was a bit of a lost opportunity. However, this song was flawless from the bass line that opened to the backing vocals that were so high they could have been lifted straight out of a Donna Summer record.
Henley was up to the challenge. He told Rolling Stone, “Singing the title track was a really big moment for me – particularly the falsetto parts.” Those high vocals were always going to be difficult to compete with. But ever since, I’d been singing essentially the same way since I was 17 or 18. The fact that I was singing original material was the big difference.”
Since Don Henley had previous experience as a backing vocalist for Linda Ronstadt and leading his own band, Shiloh, his expertise in harmony singing was solid. However, merely matching The Everly Brothers wasn’t sufficient. Some of Henley’s embellishments towards the song’s end might even make you think he’s a disco diva.
Although Henley had the lead, Frey regarded the song highly, comparing it to Eagles classics like ‘Take It Easy‘. Despite the band recovering from the Desperado album, you can still sense their determination as they strived towards Hotel California.
Even with Joe Walsh joining them, ‘One of These Nights’ epitomizes the impressive phase just before the Eagles achieved iconic status. Their rock prowess might have been toned down, but it remained a fantastic tune, regardless of its genre classification.
