<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4OohGP_0vb9Iqdr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4OohGP_0vb9Iqdr00" width="980" height="653" ><figcaption>Sterling Whitaker</figcaption></figure><p>J.D. Souther left an enormous musical legacy behind when he died in September of 2024.</p><p>The singer-songwriter wrote or co-wrote some of the most recognizable hits of all time from artists including the <a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/tags/the-eagles/">Eagles</a>, <a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/tags/linda-ronstadt/">Linda Ronstadt</a>, <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/tags/james-taylor/">James Taylor</a> and more, in addition to having a successful solo career of his own.</p><p>Souther grew up in Detroit before making his way to California in the late '60s, where he became immersed in the burgeoning country-rock movement. He formed a duo called <a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/glenn-frey-before-the-eagles-longbranch-pennywhistle/">Longbranch Pennywhistle</a> with another struggling young musician named <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/tags/glenn-frey/">Glenn Frey</a>, and they released one album in 1969 before disbanding. But that would not be the end of their story.</p><p>Frey ended up in Linda Ronstadt's backing band, where he met the musicians who would split off to form the Eagles in short order, and Souther would become one of the group's most valuable collaborators over the years, co-writing a number of the Eagles' biggest hits.</p><p>Souther was romantically involved with Ronstadt for a time, and they became frequent collaborators, as well. James Taylor and Souther also collaborated on a hit, and artists including Bonnie Raitt, Dan Fogelberg, the <a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/tags/the-chicks/">Chicks</a> and more also recorded his songs, while Eagles maestro <a href="https://tasteofcountry.com/tags/don-henley/">Don Henley</a> scored one of his most enduring solo hits with a Souther co-write.</p><p>Read on to discover J.D. Souther's best, most impactful songs.</p><p>10</p><h2>"Doolin-Dalton"</h2><p>The Eagles</p><p>Souther landed his first-ever Eagles co-write with the opening track of their second album, <i>Desperado</i>. He wrote "Doolin-Dalton" with Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne, drawing on a real-life Western legend for the song's Old West imagery. The song also features an instrumental reprise and a second reprise that encompasses parts of "Desperado," and while it was never a single, it has played an important role on the Eagles' live shows over the years.</p><p>9</p><h2>"James Dean"</h2><p>The Eagles</p><p>Souther scored another co-wrote with Henley, Frey and Browne with "James Dean," which the Eagles released as the second single from their <i>On the Border</i> album. The song was a departure from the group's country-rock roots, and while it was not one of their biggest hits, it played an important role in their live shows and their ultimate transition into more rock-oriented material.</p><p>8</p><h2>"Victim of Love"</h2><p>The Eagles</p><p>Souther is best-known for slower and mid-tempo material with strong melodies, but "Victim of Love" is a turn in another direction altogether. He collaborated with Don Felder, Henley and Frey on "Victim of Love" from <i>Hotel California</i>, and the song's massive slabs of guitar power chords and sledgehammer delivery provided a stark contrast to most of the rest of the album.</p><p>7</p><h2>"New Kid in Town"</h2><p>The Eagles</p><p>Souther was right in his wheelhouse for "New Kid in Town," which the Eagles released as the first single from <i>Hotel California</i>. Written by Souther, Henley and Frey, the song is an acoustic, mid-tempo track with layered harmonies that fit the group perfectly. The lyric about the fleeting nature of newfound fame is the icing on the cake, and the song reached No. 1. and won a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices.</p><p>6</p><h2>"Her Town Too"</h2><p>James Taylor + J.D. Souther</p><p>J.D. Souther scored one of his biggest hits with "Her Town Too," a duet with James Taylor. He and Taylor co-wrote the song with Waddy Wachtel, and Taylor and Souther recorded it as a duet for Taylor's <i>Daddy Loves His Work</i> album in 1981. The song reached No. 11 on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100, No. 5 on the <i>Billboard</i> Adult Contemporary chart and No. 21 on the Mainstream Rock chart.</p><p>5</p><h2>"Heartache Tonight"</h2><p>The Eagles</p><p>Souther collaborated with Henley, Frey and Frey's mentor, Bob Seger, on "Heartache Tonight," which the Eagles recorded and released as the first single from <i>The Long Run</i>. With its shuffle groove, power chords and uncharacteristically fun lyrics, it's an interesting outlier in the Eagles' catalog, and it gave them their final No. 1 hit on the <i>Billboard</i> 100.</p><p>4</p><h2>"Faithless Love"</h2><p>Linda Ronstadt</p><p>Souther was the sole author of "Faithless Love," which Linda Ronstadt recorded for her fifth solo album, <i>Heart Like a Wheel</i>, in 1974. He released his own version in 1976, but Glen Campbell scored the biggest hit with the song, reaching No. 10 in 1984 with his version.</p><p>3</p><h2>"You're Only Lonely"</h2><p>J.D. Souther</p><p>Souther was also the only songwriter on "You're Only Lonely," which became his biggest pop solo hit. He worked with an all-star cast of vocalists on the track, including Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Jackson Browne and Phil Everly. The first single from his 1979 album of the same name reached No. 1 on <i>Billboard</i>'s Adult Contemporary chart and No. 7 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.</p><p>2</p><h2>"The Heart of the Matter"</h2><p>Don Henley</p><p>Souther's longstanding collaboration with Don Henley followed the Eagles maestro into his solo career. Souther and Henley wrote "The Heart of the Matter" with guitarist Mike Campbell, and Henley released it as the third single from his watershed <i>The End of the Innocence</i> album in 1991. The song reached No. 21 on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks, and has become one of Henley's signature solo songs.</p><p>1</p><h2>"Best of My Love"</h2><p>The Eagles</p><p>Souther helped the Eagles score one of their most important hits with "Best of My Love," from their <i>On the Border</i> album in 1974. He worked with Henley and Frey on the song, which Frey objected to releasing as a single, since he was trying to steer the group away from its country roots into more rock-based songs. But the song became the biggest hit to date when it was released as the album's third single, giving the Eagles their first-ever No. 1 hit.</p></div></body>

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10 Best J.D. Souther Songs: Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Solo + More

J.D. Souther left an enormous musical legacy behind when he died in September of 2024. The singer-songwriter wrote or co-wrote some of the most recognizable hits of all time from artists including the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and more, in addition to having a successful solo career of his own.