Wasted Time

an under the radar Eagles classic

Hotel California is a masterpiece of an album that brought us many hit songs, including the title track. But my favourite song is this one, a low-key tune about making peace with the past that’s a dream to sing. Glenn Frey said that this was his and Don Henley’s attempt at Philly soul. Henley’s vocal is certainly soulful, brimming with emotional resonance. Lyrically it’s stunning. The bridge…

And I could have done so many things, baby
If I could only stop my mind
From wondering what I left behind
And from worrying about this wasted time

(FYI, I haven’t found a good alternative to Spotify and I found out that YouTube pays even less, so it’s back to posting Spotify links. Read this article to find out about the problems with Spotify and act accordingly.)

The strings were arranged by Jim Ed Norman, who did arrangements not just for Eagles but Linda Ronstadt and Kim Carnes. He also arranged Bob Seager’s We’ve Got Tonight. As a producer he did a lot of work with Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams Jr, and Anne Murray¹. He later became president of Warner Bros Records Nashville where he not only worked with the crème de la crème of late 80s/early 90s Country artists but expanded the label’s reach to include Gospel and Christian music, a Hispanic label, and a label that featured Native American country artists.

One very cool thing was that it was the end of side 1 on the vinyl. When you flipped the album over, there was a orchestral reprise before heading into Victim of Love.

I was quite surprised to see the song show up on the most recent season finale of The Voice, chosen by the judge who wasn’t even born when the song was first released. It’s a good version and the duet works for it.

Enjoy your song of the day!

1. We’re getting to her.