“Tequila Sunrise” is one of the Eagles‘ biggest songs, but that didn’t stop Glenn Frey from thinking it was a little bit trite. Find out why the former Eagles member was wary of one of their signature songs, below.
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The Eagles Hit Glenn Frey Thought Was “Cliché”
It’s another tequila sunrise
Starin’ slowly ‘cross the sky
I said goodbye
He was just a hired hand
Workin’ on the dreams he planned to try
The days go by
Most Eagles fans would consider the title of this song pretty clever. Most listeners can relate to the feeling of waking up, head pounding with a hangover. In the storyline of Desperado, it feels like a lament from a washed-up cowboy who has lost love.
Nevertheless, Frey couldn’t shake the idea that “Tequila Sunrise” might be considered cliché because of the namesake drink: Tequila, Grenadine, and Orange Juice.
Every night when the sun goes down
Just another lonely boy in town
And she’s out runnin’ ’round
“I believe that was a Glenn title,” Don Henley once said. “I think he was ambivalent about it because he thought that it was a bit too obvious or too much of a cliché because of the drink that was so popular then. I said, ‘No-Look at it from a different point of view. You’ve been drinking straight tequila all night and the sun is coming up!’ It turned out to be a really great song.”
Despite Frey’s concerns, it became one of the group’s calling cards. Safe to say, “Cliché” was far from what listeners would describe this Desperado cut as. Revisit the track, below.
She wasn’t just another woman
And I couldn’t keep from comin’ on
It’s been so long
Woah, and it’s a hollow feelin’
When it comes down to dealin’ friends
It never ends
(Photo by Adam Bettcher/WireImage for Starkey Hearing Foundation)
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