The Eagles "Hotel California"

Can you think of a song not deserving of its "classic rock" status than "Hotel California"? Of course you can! In fact, I can do an entire month featuring songs that really shouldn't be hits, but somehow are. Your list undoubtedly will not match mine and that's what makes programming a radio station so challenging (among other reasons). If I'm going to invest nearly seven minutes to a song, it better be catchy, fun and/or elicit good memories. "Hotel California" does none of that for me. Upon its re-release in 1994, radio stations again gobbled up the song that had no business being a hit. (End rant)

The Eagles "Tequila Sunrise"

On my Christmas to-buy list was a particularly hard-to-find wine I eventually located through Wine.com. After placing my order, the bottles were delivered promptly on the following Tuesday except—problem! I didn't receive them. On Wednesday, a woman phoned to inform me that when she opened her Wine.com order, she found my order was within hers. Knowing that it was a couple days before Christmas, she made the bold decision to personally locate me. She said she found my work address on the sales receipt, and called me. She informed me that she worked nearby and suggested we meet up and she'd bring the bottles to me. “You probably need these for Christmas,” she said, “And it would take far longer for UPS to get these to you than it would be for me.” I was blown away at how thoughtful and considerate this complete stranger was. We met the following afternoon (in a public place), and my coveted wine made it under the Christmas tree before Santa arrived. This happened in 2011 and I'll never forget the kindness of a woman named Tricia B.


(Editor's note: The Eagles apparently scrubbed YouTube of "Tequila Sunrise", so enjoy the video on learning to play the song)

The Eagles "Get Over It"

Taking personal responsibility is not something most folks do. This theme resonated with Don Henley who (along with Glenn Frey) turned their rage into "Get Over It" -- a song that became The Eagles' first hit in nearly 15 years. "Get Over It" put the rock band back on the radio (and well as the road) again in support of their Hell Freezes Over tour.

Glenn Frey "True Love"

Glenn Frey's last big solo hit happened in 1988 when "True Love" climbed the charts. It went all the way to #13 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Adult Contemporary Charts. 

Savage Garden "I Want You"

Don Henley infamously said The Eagles would only reunite when "hell freezes over." One could argue Darren Hayes of Savage Garden made as strong of a statement when asked if the Australian Pop group would ever reunite. Hayes said, "I'd only do it if it cured cancer." Despite hell not freezing over, The Eagles reunited in 1994. As of  today, Savage Garden has not reunited and cancer has not been cured.

Don Henley "The Heart of the Matter"

It's not often that you can't find a song on YouTube, but that's the case with Don Henley's 1990 ballad "The Heart of the Matter". The only version I can find is a live version that comes from The Eagles 1994 reunion tour Hell Freezes Over. Although The Eagles didn't include the tune on their album Hell Freezes Over, it was included on the DVD.

Glenn Frey "Soul Searchin"

According to Wikipedia, the liner notes of Glenn Frey's "Soul Searchin" suggests that it's easier to change yourself than it is to change the world. He added not to concern yourself with people's perception of you. That advice remains relevant some thirty-plus years after the song's original release.

The Eagles "Best of My Love"

Q: What meandering ballad from Country Rock band The Eagles was the group's first #1 hit?

A: "Best of My Love"

The Eagles' tune topped the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Chart in 1974 (then called the Easy Listening Chart)

Don Henley "All She Wants to Do Is Dance"

You might recognize the background vocals on Don Henley's "All She Wants to Do Is Dance".  Patty Smyth (of Scandal) and Martha Davis (of The Motels) help out the former Eagle front man.  Smyth would later return the favor when Henley accompanied her on her 1992 hit "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough".

The Eagles - "I Can't Tell You Why"

[Full disclosure: it was 1994 and we were nerds.]

One summer evening in 1994, my best friend John was telling me about a crush he had on some girl at his high school.  Since we were nerds, we decided the best thing to do was to fire up the car and head to our local public library to look up this girl's address.  Our county library had some fancy new computer program that told you personal information such as home addresses (I believe it was 1994's version of the internet).  Seeing how John and I had already wasted a precious evening at the library, the decision to continue our adventure and drive to some random address in Hebron, Indiana was a no-brainer.

Once we got there, John turned off the car's headlights.  I remember staring at this tiny little house and wondering what the hell we were doing.  Was this what my life had become?  Was I really going to spend my summer nights searching out the homes of girls that my friends liked?  Not to mention, what possible satisfaction could come from seeing where this chick lived?  As John and I sat there pondering these deep thoughts and losing what little dignity we had, the song "I Can't Tell You Why" from The Eagles quietly played on the radio.  The reality of what we were doing finally sunk in and I started giggling.  I couldn't stop giggling.  I had never heard The Eagles tune and it sounded creepy -- an almost fitting creepy sound that matched how we chose to spend that evening.  Eventually, we grew tired of staring at the tiny white house and drove home.  While John never dated this girl or even told her that he liked her, some 20-plus years later we continue to lovingly refer to "I Can't Tell You Why" as "The Stalking Song".

Denouement: John later learned that the house we "stalked" wasn't even the right house -- it was the girl's dad's house; she lived nearby with her mother.  John also mentioned that he saw her at his 10-year reunion and she had bad breath.

Stevie Nicks & Don Henley - "Leather and Lace"

Don Henley's name is attached to a number of Adult Contemporary duets including the 1992 ballad "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" with Patty Smyth, but a decade earlier he scored a Top 10 hit accompanying Stevie Nicks in "Leather and Lace".  It was Nicks first solo album while still a member of Fleetwood Mac.  Henley, on the other hand, had just exited The Eagles after a nine-year run.

Boz Scaggs - "Look What You've Done to Me"

Talk about a song with a superstar cast: Boz Scaggs' "Look What You've Done to Me" features Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Timothy B. Schmit of The Eagles on backup vocals, Eagles' guitarist Don Felder plays guitar, while super-producer David Foster and members of Toto are credited on the keyboards.  This song found its way onto the Urban Cowboy Soundtrack, yet all by itself is a Time-Life Music Collection.

The Eagles - "Learn to Be Still"

My favorite track from The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over was the sleeper hit "Learn to Be Still".  It had Adult Contemporary hit written all over it, but it never quite saw the light of day.

Toto - "I Won't Hold You Back"

Toto's first trip to the top of the Adult Contemporary chart came courtesy of "I Won't Hold You Back".  This 1983 ballad features The Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit on backup vocals.

The Eagles - "Love Will Keep Us Alive"

Here's a great example of a song from a super group that never cracked the Hot 100, yet it spent three weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart in 1995.  "Love Will Keep Us Alive" was one of the new songs The Eagles recorded for their comeback Hell Freezes Over album in 1994. It, too, only finds the light of day at CVS.

Restless Heart - "When She Cries"

Ever hear a song and think that you know exactly who's singing it?  You've probably heard "When She Cries" while sitting in a dentist's chair and thought to yourself, "Hmmm, I didn't know The Eagles had a new song."  Well, you clearly have better things going on in your life to not realize the song is actually from a country group called Restless Heart.  The song was a fixture on AC radio stations in 1992-93...just before Hell Froze Over and The Eagles reunited.