There’s certainly something to the notion that JD Souther, who passed away on September 17 at the age of 78, didn’t become a bigger star as an artist in his own right because he tended to give away his finest songwriting pearls to his friends. The Eagles certainly owed a great debt to Souther for all the contributions he made to their classics.
Because we only chose five, a few memorable tracks co-written by Souther for the band, including the massive hit “Heartache Tonight,” missed the cut. Here are five beauties from the Eagles’ rich history that likely wouldn’t have come together in the same way without JD’s wistful songwriting touch.
“Doolin-Dalton” from Desperado (1973)
The songwriting lineup for the opening track on the Eagles’ second album was a practical writers’ Hall of Fame. In addition to Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Souther, Jackson Browne was also involved in penning the song. And it’s an important one, because it has to set the stage for what’s both a kind of concept album about the Old West and a metaphor for the itinerant rock-star lifestyle. Mission accomplished on both fronts. Souther was also partially responsible for the idea for the entire album, as he and Frey were big fans of outlaw tales.
“Best of My Love” from On the Border (1974)
Souther received co-writing credits for several of the most memorable tracks from On the Border. There was a sorrowful ballad written with Henley called “You Never Cry Like a Lover,” as well as “James Dean,” a raucous tribute to the Hollywood legend who died way too young. But “Best of My Love” stands out, not just because it’s a beautiful, if melancholy, little song. It’s also crucial to the development of the Eagles as commercial powerhouses, as it rolled all the way to the top spot on the pop charts, ensuring all their future singles would get serious attention.
“Victim of Love” from Hotel California (1976)
The Eagles hit the heights with Hotel California, the 1976 album that defined West Coast rock and roll (and the West Coast itself, for that matter) for that era. Making the album also sowed the seeds for their eventual (and temporary) breakup a few years later, as complaints about the division of labor within the band were growing. Don Felder wrote the music for “Victim of Love,” with Henley, Frey, and Souther delivering the biting lyrics. Felder wanted to sing it, but the band went with Henley on the final version, causing dissension in the ranks.
“New Kid in Town” from Hotel California (1976)
The songs Souther co-wrote with the Eagles tended toward slower tempos and melancholy themes, two styles at which JD was quite adept in his own material. “New Kid in Town” was started by Souther, as he had the chorus in place first. Henley and Frey joined in the writing from there, and it’s another song where the idea of rock stars-as-gunfighters is on the periphery. Rumor has it the song was partly inspired by all the attention in the rock press being heaped on Bruce Springsteen at the time. In any case, it’s a lovely meditation on the transitory nature of just about every aspect of life.
“The Sad Cafe” from The Long Run (1979)
The Eagles simply ran out of gas on The Long Run as dissent, hard living, and fatigue caught up with them. They wouldn’t record another album together for nearly 30 years. It’s fitting then that the final song on the album is a lament for times past that can’t be recaptured. In particular, the band was looking back to their earliest, pre-fame days when they were playing places like the Troubadour in California along with countless other hopefuls. Souther was there too, which makes his writing contribution to this one very apropos.
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