One of the most difficult aspects of the creative process is organising all of your ideas. As much as people like the idea of poring over every word in a song to figure out what the artist is trying to say, the artists are usually just as meticulous about making every word fit what they’re saying. The Eagles didn’t have to worry about having a wordsmith like Don Henley on hand. However, Glenn Frey admitted that getting the lyrics to the song ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ correct was murder.
Frey was aware that there were people watching him from the moment the band began. Since he had moved from backing musician to frontman in Linda Ronstadt’s band, he didn’t believe the band had time to waste on songs that would be considered filler on any other rock and roll album.
While it took some time to get time to work with Henley, the two eventually became one of the most creative duos in classic rock history. He told vivid stories about what the 1970s were supposed to be. Although songs like ‘Chug All Night’ from their first record didn’t have much of a point in getting a vibe going in the room, songs like ‘Desperado‘ and ‘Tequila Sunrise‘ were the types of pictures that felt like they were ripped directly from an old western.
Despite the lack of success of the band’s ambitious concept album Desperado, Frey remained determined. He aimed to keep pushing the band forward with albums like On the Border. Flirting with everything from country to rock and roll to R&B, the band’s next album, One of These Nights, was set to take them even further with the title track.
When the band was sitting in one of their favourite restaurants one night, Frey came up with the idea for ‘Lyin Eyes‘ while looking at various women at the end of the bar. Knowing that the majority of them were already married, Frey wrote the song from the perspective of city girls who enjoy going out drinking with rockers and returning to their ritzy homes at the end of the night.
The track features some of the band’s best soaring harmonies. However, Glen Frey became never satisfied with the way it sounded from the start. While most people struggle to hit the right high note at the end of a song or to ensure that one section of a track is in tune, Frey could barely get past the first word without encountering difficulties.
When asked about the time in the studio, guitarist Don Felder revealed how much effort Frey put into the opening line about city girls finding out early. He said, “It would either be a little early, a little late, or the ‘T’ would be too sharp. But now, every time I hear that word, I realise how much time, dedication, and perseverance it took to get it right.”
Any ordinary producer would have cleaned up something like that in post-production. However, the Eagles did not operate in this manner. From top to bottom, they weren’t going to give up until they had something as close to perfect as they could get. With a song this tender, Frey was willing to go to hell to get the right word on tape.
