Take it Easy - wikipedia Take it Easy This article is about the Eagles song. For different songs and other works with this name, see Take It Easy ( disambiguation ). `` Take It Easy '' Single by Eagles from the album Eagles B - side `` Get You in the Mood '' Released May 1, 1972 Format 7 '' Recorded 1972, Olympic Sound Studios, London Genre Country rock Length 3 : 30 Label Asylum Songwriter ( s ) Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey Producer ( s ) Glyn Johns Eagles singles chronology `` Take It Easy '' ( 1972 ) `` Witchy Woman '' ( 1972 ) `` Take It Easy '' ( 1972 ) `` Witchy Woman '' ( 1972 ) `` Take It Easy '' Single by Jackson Browne from the album For Everyman B - side `` Ready or Not '' Released 1973 Format 7 '' Recorded 1973 Genre Country rock Length 3 : 39 Label Asylum Songwriter ( s ) Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey Producer ( s ) Glyn Johns Jackson Browne singles chronology `` Redneck Friend '' ( 1973 ) `` Take It Easy '' ( 1973 ) `` Walking Slow '' ( 1974 ) `` Redneck Friend '' ( 1973 ) `` Take It Easy '' ( 1973 ) `` Walking Slow '' ( 1974 ) `` Take It Easy '' is a song written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, and recorded by the Eagles with Frey singing lead vocals. It was the band 's first single, released on May 1, 1972. It peaked at No. 12 on the July 22, 1972 Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also was the opening track on the band 's debut album Eagles and it has become one of their signature songs, included on all of their live and compilation albums. It is listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Jackson Browne later recorded the song as the lead track on his second album, For Everyman ( 1973 ), and released it as a single as well, although it did not chart. Travis Tritt also covered the song for the 1993 Eagles ' tribute album Common Thread : The Songs of the Eagles ; the video for Tritt 's version is notable for the appearance of all five members of the Eagles together the first time in 13 years after their break - up, and it led to the reunion of the band a few months later. Contents 1 History 1.1 Composition 1.2 Recordings 2 Reception 2.1 Critical 2.2 Commercial 3 Winslow, Arizona 4 Personnel 5 Travis Tritt version 6 Other versions 7 In popular culture 8 Chart performance 8.1 Eagles 8.2 Travis Tritt 9 Notes 10 External links History Composition Jackson Browne originally began writing `` Take It Easy '' in 1971 for his own eponymous debut album but was having difficulty finishing the song. His friend and then - neighbor Glenn Frey had heard an early version and later asked Browne about it. Browne then played the unfinished second verse that begins with `` Well, I 'm a-standin ' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona... '', and Frey finished the verse with `` It 's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin ' down to take a look at me. '' Browne was very happy with the result and suggested that they co-write the song. The resulting song became the first track on the Eagles ' debut album and was released as their first single. Browne told a version of the story in a radio interview : `` I knew Glenn Frey from playing these clubs - we kept showing up at the same clubs and singing on the open - mic nights. Glenn happened to come by to say ' hi, ' and to hang around when I was in the studio, and I showed him the beginnings of that song, and he asked if I was going to put it on my record and I said it would n't be ready in time. He said ' well, we 'll put it on, we 'll do it, ' ' cause he liked it, '' Browne explained. `` But it was n't finished, and he kept after me to finish it, and finally offered to finish it himself. And after a couple of times when I declined to have him finish my song, I said, ' all right. ' I finally thought, ' This is ridiculous. Go ahead and finish it. Do it. ' And he finished it in spectacular fashion. And, what 's more, arranged it in a way that was far superior to what I had written. '' Recordings Eagles - `` Take It Easy '' The second verse of the Eagles ' recording with Glenn Frey on lead vocals. Randy Meisner sings harmony at the beginning, with the rest of the band joining in towards the end of this clip. Problems playing this file ? See media help. The song was recorded at the Olympic Studios in London with producer Glyn Johns. Glenn Frey sings the lead vocal on the Eagles recording of `` Take It Easy ''. Bass player Randy Meisner sings the harmony vocal in the beginning of the second verse with Frey, but drummer Don Henley sings harmony at the end of the verse ( `` Though we will never be here again... ). Bernie Leadon provides the lead guitar and distinctive banjo parts, as well as harmony vocals. The track 's producer Johns said : `` On ' Take It Easy ' I got Bernie to play double - time banjo ; they all thought it was a bonkers idea but it worked. It was already a great song, but that one little thing made it different. '' In their early live performances, the Eagles start with an a cappella version of a verse from `` Silver Dagger '' that begins with `` My daddy is a handsome devil... '' as an intro to `` Take It Easy ''. Jackson Browne also recorded a version for his 1973 album For Everyman. Browne 's recording is notable for featuring Sneaky Pete Kleinow on pedal steel, the teaming up of David Lindley ( playing electric guitar ) with Browne, and the way Micky McGee 's percussion and the other instruments crossfade into the next track on the album, `` Our Lady of the Well. '' Reception Critical In 1972, Bud Scoppa wrote in Rolling Stone in his review of the Eagles ' debut album that `` Take it Easy '' was `` simply the best sounding rock single to come out so far this year. The first time through, you could tell it had everything : danceable rhythm, catchy, winding melody, intelligent, affirmative lyrics, a progressively powerful arrangement mixing electric guitar and banjo, and a crisp vocal, with vibrant four - part harmony at just the right moments for maximum dramatic effect. '' On Allmusic.com, William Ruhlmann said that Browne wrote the song in 1971 while working on his debut album, and that `` it encapsulated many of the usual themes of his work, touching on the road, women, love as salvation, and an ambivalent sense of fatalism. '' Discussing the specific lyrics, Ruhlmann goes on : `` The opening verse was a joke. The narrator says he is running down the road with seven women on his mind. But this vision of promiscuity is quickly dispelled. Of the seven, four want to own him, two want to stone him, and one just wants to be his friend. The verse introduces the song 's point, that, despite troubles, one should ' take it easy. ' '' Ruhlmann points out that Frey 's added verse `` lightened the song 's mood considerably. Now, the narrator was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, being eyed by a woman in a truck ( flatbed Ford ) who slowed down to give him the once - over. These unabashedly vain lines were n't exactly consistent with Browne 's theme, but they made it sound like the singer really did want to take it easy. '' Commercial The song was released as the first single of the Eagles in May 1972, and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 79 on the chart date of June 3, 1972. It stayed for 11 weeks on the chart that summer, peaked at No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on July 22, 1972. It also peaked at No. 12 the same week on the Easy Listening chart ( later known as Adult Contemporary ), a chart it first entered at No. 40 on June 17, 1972. Winslow, Arizona The `` Take It Easy '' statue and mural at 35 ° 1'24.54 '' N, 110 ° 41'53.02 '' W at Second St. & Kinsley Ave. in Winslow, Arizona. According to Frey, the second verse of `` Take It Easy '' refers to a time when Jackson Browne 's automobile malfunctioned in Winslow, Arizona during one of his trips to Sedona, and was required to spend a long day in Winslow. In 1999, in responding to the lyrics that made it famous, the city of Winslow erected a life - size bronze statue and mural commemorating the song at the Standin ' on the Corner Park. The statue stands near a lamp post, the male figure securing an acoustic guitar between his right hand and the shoe of his right foot. Above his head, a metal sign, crafted in the style of U.S. Route shields, displays the words `` Standin ' on the corner ''. The trompe - l'œil mural on the wall behind the statue is that of a storefront, and includes what would appear to be the reflection of a red flatbed Ford pickup truck driven by a blonde - haired woman. The second floor of the mural features an eagle perched in one window on the left and a man and woman ( apparently the man on the corner and woman in the truck ) embracing in another window on the right. The site has become a landmark that attracted many visitors to the town. There has, however, been some confusion about the location of original incident that inspired the story in the lyrics. In an interview with Matthew Ziegler, Browne related that it took place in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the Der Wienerschnitzel ( now the Dog Haus ) at the corner of East Rte. 66 and Switzer Canyon. According to Browne, a young female cruised by in a Toyota pickup and looked at him and the image stuck with him. Browne had told Frey about the female in the truck, and Frey then used the incident to add the line about the female to the song. Browne, however, also stated in an interview with Los Angeles Times that it was always Winslow where his automobile had malfunctioned, although `` the image of that girl driving a truck was an image that came from east '' ( i.e. East Flagstaff ). The lines are therefore an amalgamation of two different events. On September 24, 2016, a life - sized statue of Glenn Frey was added to the Standin ' on the Corner Park in Winslow, Arizona to honor his songwriting contributions to `` Take It Easy ''. Funds for the new statue, which depicted Frey as he appeared in the 1970s, were raised by the city, the Standin ' on the Corner Foundation, and a classic rock radio station, KSLX, in Phoenix. Personnel Glenn Frey -- acoustic guitar, lead vocals Bernie Leadon -- lead guitar, banjo, harmony vocals Randy Meisner -- bass guitar, harmony vocals Don Henley -- drums, harmony vocals Travis Tritt version `` Take It Easy '' Single by Travis Tritt from the album Common Thread : The Songs of the Eagles B - side `` I Wish I Could Go Back Home '' Released October 30, 1993 Format CD single Genre Country Length 3 : 32 Label Giant Songwriter ( s ) Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey Producer ( s ) James Stroud Travis Tritt singles chronology `` Worth Every Mile '' ( 1993 ) `` Take It Easy '' ( 1993 ) `` Foolish Pride '' ( 1994 ) `` Worth Every Mile '' ( 1993 ) `` Take It Easy '' ( 1993 ) `` Foolish Pride '' ( 1994 ) Travis Tritt recorded a version for the Eagles tribute album Common Thread : The Songs of the Eagles, which featured country music artists who were raised on the Eagles ' music. On Tritt 's version, Bernie Leadon 's lead guitar parts were rearranged and performed by Dann Huff. The song was released as a single in 1993, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard country music charts. Tritt made a request for members of the Eagles to appear in his video for the song, and the resulting video for Tritt 's version featured the Eagles lineup from 1978 to 1980 ( Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit ) playing billiards in a local tavern and performing as its house band. Frey, who had previously been reluctant to reunite with the band, later said : `` After years passed, you really sort of remember that you were friends first... I just remembered how much we genuinely had liked each other and how much fun we 'd had. '' Frey and Henley subsequently met with their management over lunch two months after the filming of the video and agreed to the reunion of Eagles. A new album, Hell Freezes Over, was released and a tour launched the following year. Other versions `` Take It Easy '' has also been recorded by Ottar Johansen ( no ) ( as `` Ta Det Rolig '' Norse : album Hverdagshelter / 1978 ), Express ( fi ) ( `` Ota Iisisti '' Finnish / 1978 ), Robby Longo ( nl ) ( album Take It Easy / 2014 ), Alice Ripley ( album Daily Practice, Volume 1 / 2011 ), Søren Sko ( da ) ( album Unpolished - 2001 ), and Roch Voisine ( album AmerIIcana / 2009 ). Rick Price and Jack Jones covered the song on their album California Dreaming ( 2017 ). In Popular culture The song is featured in the 1999 motion picture Outside Providence, starring Shawn Hatosy, Alec Baldwin and Amy Smart. It was also featured in a 1982 episode of the Knight Rider television series and a 1979 episode of B.J. and the Bear. Tori Amos 's song `` In The Springtime of His Voodoo '' from her third album Boys For Pele references the song, opening with the lyrics, `` Standin ' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona / And I 'm quite sure I 'm in the wrong song. '' Chart performance Eagles Chart ( 1972 - 2016 ) Peak position Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 8 US Billboard Hot 100 12 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) 12 US Hot Rock Songs ( Billboard ) 20 Travis Tritt Chart ( 1994 ) Peak position Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) 12 US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) 21 Notes Jump up ^ Horn, David ; Shepherd, John, eds. ( 2012 ). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. 8 -- Genres : North America. Continuum. p. 174. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4411 - 6078 - 2. Jump up ^ Billboard magazine. `` Take It Easy '' Chart History Accessed July 29, 2012. Jump up ^ Allmusic.com. Eagles Awards Accessed July 29, 2012. Jump up ^ Paris, Russ. The Jackson Browne Fans Page, Complete Discography. ^ Jump up to : Gayle Thompson ( May 27, 2015 ). `` 21 Years Ago : The Eagles Reunite for Hell Freezes Over Tour ''. The Boot. Jump up ^ `` '' History of the Eagles `` : Glenn Frey interview, directed by Alison Ellwood, 42 : 51 ''. 2013. Jump up ^ Cameron Crowe ( August 2003 ). `` Conversations With Don Henley and Glenn Frey ''. The Uncool. Jump up ^ Paris, Russ. The Jackson Browne Fans Page, Jackson Browne Audio Interview. Jump up ^ Andrew Unterberger ( January 19, 2016 ). `` Why ' Take It Easy ' Was Glenn Frey 's Best Eagles Song ''. Spin. Jump up ^ `` Glyn Johns - Album by Album ''. Uncut.co.uk. Retrieved November 23, 2014. Jump up ^ In Concert - The Eagles. BBC. April 5, 1973. Event occurs at 21 : 40 -- 26 : 40. Jump up ^ Lars Brandle ( January 22, 2016 ). `` Jackson Browne Performs ' Take it Easy ' Tribute to Glenn Frey : Watch ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ Scoppa, Bud. Rolling Stone, Review of Eagles, June 22, 1972. Jump up ^ Ruhlmann, William. AllMusic.com, Review of `` Take It Easy. '' Jump up ^ `` Billboard Hot 100 : June 3, 1972 ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Hot 100 : July 22, 1972 ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Hot 100 Charts - The Seventies. Wisconsin : Record Research, 1990. Jump up ^ `` Adult Contemporary Tracks : July 22, 1972 ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Adult Contemporary Tracks : June 17, 1972 ''. Billboard. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). ^ Jump up to : Fred Barbash and Jenny Starrs ( January 19, 2016 ). `` Glenn Frey and the mystery of the ' Take It Easy ' corner in Winslow, Ariz ''. Washington Post. Jump up ^ Standin ' on the Corner Park, Winslow, Arizona Jump up ^ Kevin Baxter ( January 16, 2015 ). `` It 's the corner, and statue, that made Winslow, Arizona, famous ''. Los Angeles Times. Jump up ^ James Kelleher ( May 16, 2007 ). `` Not standing on a corner in Winslow, Ariz ''. Reuters. Jump up ^ `` Dog Haus takes it easy '' ( PDF ). Arizona Daily Sun. November 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( September 26, 2016 ). `` Glenn Frey Bronze Statue Is Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` The Eagles ' Glenn Frey Immortalized By New Statue Standing Near The Corner in Winslow, Arizona ''. September 27, 2016. Jump up ^ Associated Press, KPNX ( September 28, 2016 ). `` Winslow gets life - sized statue of the Eagles ' Glenn Frey ''. Retrieved April 7, 2017. Jump up ^ Common Thread : The Songs of the Eagles ( CD insert ). Various artists. Giant Records. 1993. 24531. ^ Jump up to : Andrew Leahey ( December 17, 2014 ). `` Flashback : See Feuding Eagles ' Take It Easy ' With Travis Tritt ''. Rolling Stone. Jump up ^ InternetMovieDatabase.com Jackson Browne. Jump up ^ `` B.J. and the Bear > Season 2 > Episode 3 - Cain 's Cruiser ''. tv.com. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 7662. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Jump up ^ `` Eagles Chart History ( Hot 100 ) '' Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Eagles Chart History ( Adult Contemporary ) '' Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Eagles Chart History ( Hot Rock Songs ) '' Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Country Tracks : Issue 2412. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 14, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Travis Tritt Chart History ( Hot Country Songs ) '' Billboard. External links `` Take It Easy '' at AllMusicGuide.com Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Eagles Glenn Frey Don Henley Bernie Leadon Randy Meisner Don Felder Joe Walsh Timothy B. Schmit Deacon Frey Vince Gill Studio albums Eagles Desperado On the Border One of These Nights Hotel California The Long Run Long Road Out of Eden Live albums Eagles Live Hell Freezes Over Farewell 1 Tour - Live from Melbourne Compilation albums Their Greatest Hits ( 1971 -- 1975 ) Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 The Very Best of the Eagles Selected Works : 1972 -- 1999 The Very Best Of Eagles Singles `` Take It Easy '' `` Witchy Woman '' `` Peaceful Easy Feeling '' `` Tequila Sunrise '' `` Outlaw Man '' `` Already Gone '' `` James Dean '' `` Best of My Love '' `` One of These Nights '' `` Lyin ' Eyes '' `` Take It to the Limit '' `` New Kid in Town '' `` Hotel California '' `` Life in the Fast Lane '' `` Please Come Home for Christmas '' `` Heartache Tonight '' `` The Long Run '' `` I Ca n't Tell You Why '' `` Seven Bridges Road '' `` Get Over It '' `` Love Will Keep Us Alive '' `` Hole in the World '' `` How Long '' `` Busy Being Fabulous '' Other songs `` Desperado '' `` Ol ' ' 55 '' `` The Last Resort '' `` In the City '' Tours Long Road Out of Eden Tour History of the Eagles Tour Related Discography Poco Linda Ronstadt Flying Burrito Brothers Common Thread : The Songs of the Eagles History of the Eagles Heaven and Hell : My Life in the Eagles ( 1974 -- 2001 ) Book Jackson Browne Studio albums Jackson Browne For Everyman Late for the Sky The Pretender Hold Out Lawyers in Love Lives in the Balance World in Motion I 'm Alive Looking East The Naked Ride Home Time the Conqueror Standing in the Breach Live albums Running on Empty Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 Love Is Strange : En Vivo Con Tino Compilations The Next Voice You Hear : The Best of Jackson Browne The Very Best of Jackson Browne Singles `` Doctor My Eyes '' `` Rock Me on the Water '' `` Redneck Friend '' `` Take It Easy '' `` Walking Slow '' `` Fountain of Sorrow '' `` Here Come Those Tears Again '' `` The Pretender '' `` Running on Empty '' `` The Load - Out / Stay '' `` You Love the Thunder `` Boulevard '' `` That Girl Could Sing '' `` Hold On Hold Out '' `` Somebody 's Baby '' `` Lawyers in Love '' `` Tender Is the Night '' `` For a Rocker '' `` You 're a Friend of Mine '' `` For America '' `` In the Shape of a Heart '' `` Lives in the Balance '' `` I 'm Alive '' Related articles Discography Groove Masters Studios `` Song for Adam '' `` The Birds of St. Marks '' `` Jamaica Say You Will '' `` These Days '' `` For Everyman '' Looking Into You : A Tribute to Jackson Browne Travis Tritt singles Country Club `` Country Club '' `` Help Me Hold On '' `` I 'm Gonna Be Somebody '' `` Put Some Drive in Your Country '' `` Drift Off to Dream '' It 's All About to Change `` Here 's a Quarter ( Call Someone Who Cares ) '' `` Anymore '' `` The Whiskey Ai n't Workin ' '' ( With Marty Stuart ) `` Nothing Short of Dying '' T-R-O-U-B-L-E `` Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man '' `` Can I Trust You with My Heart '' `` T-R-O-U-B-L-E '' `` Looking Out for Number One '' `` Worth Every Mile '' Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof `` Foolish Pride '' `` Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof '' `` Between an Old Memory and Me '' `` Tell Me I Was Dreaming '' Greatest Hits : From the Beginning `` Sometimes She Forgets '' `` Only You ( And You Alone ) '' The Restless Kind `` More Than You 'll Ever Know '' `` Where Corn Do n't Grow '' `` She 's Going Home with Me '' `` Helping Me Get Over You '' ( With Lari White ) `` Still in Love with You '' No More Looking over My Shoulder `` If I Lost You '' `` No More Looking Over My Shoulder '' `` Start the Car '' Down the Road I Go `` Best of Intentions '' `` It 's a Great Day to Be Alive '' `` Love of a Woman '' `` Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde '' Strong Enough `` Strong Enough to Be Your Man '' `` Country Ai n't Country '' My Honky Tonk History `` The Girl 's Gone Wild '' `` What Say You '' ( with John Mellencamp ) `` I See Me '' The Storm `` You Never Take Me Dancing '' `` Something Stronger Than Me '' The Calm After... `` Sometimes Love Just Ai n't Enough '' ( With Tyler Reese ) Other songs `` This One 's Gonna Hurt You ( For a Long, Long Time ) '' ( with Marty Stuart ) `` Take It Easy '' `` The Devil Comes Back to Georgia '' ( With Mark O'Connor, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Cash, and Marty Stuart ) `` Honky Tonkin 's What I Do Best '' ( With Marty Stuart ) `` Hope '' `` Here 's Your Sign ( Get the Picture ) '' ( With Bill Engvall ) `` Same Old Train '' `` Out of Control Raging Fire '' ( with Patty Loveless ) `` Southern Boy '' ( with Charlie Daniels ) `` Bible Belt '' ( with Little Feat ) `` Move It On Over '' `` Lonesome, On'ry and Mean '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Take_It_Easy&oldid=812647680 '' Categories : 1972 singles 1973 singles 1993 singles 1972 songs Eagles ( band ) songs Jackson Browne songs Travis Tritt songs Debut singles Songs written by Jackson Browne Songs written by Glenn Frey Song recordings produced by Glyn Johns Asylum Records singles Giant Records ( Warner ) singles Song recordings produced by James Stroud Winslow, Arizona Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - 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Question: who wrote take it easy by the eagles
Answer: Jackson Browne