"Life in the Fast Lane"is a song written byJoe Walsh,Glenn FreyandDon Henley,and recorded by AmericanrockbandEaglesfor the band's fifth studio albumHotel California(1976). It was the third single released from this album, and peaked at No. 11 on theBillboardHot 100.
| "Life in the Fast Lane" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain cover release | ||||
| Singleby theEagles | ||||
| from the albumHotel California | ||||
| B-side | "The Last Resort" | |||
| Released | May 3, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:46 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Bill Szymczyk | |||
| TheEaglessingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Life in the Fast Lane"onYouTube | ||||
Content
The song tells the story of a couple who take their excessive lifestyle to the edge. OnIn the Studio with Redbeard,Glenn Frey revealed that the title came to him one day when he was riding on the freeway with a drug dealer known as "The Count".[1]Frey asked the dealer to slow down and the response was, "What do you mean? It's life in the fast lane!"[1]In that same interview, Frey indicated that the song's centralriffwas played by Walsh while the band was warming up in rehearsals and Walsh was told to "keep that; it's a song". Don Henley recalled that the "song actually sprang from the opening guitar riff. One day, at rehearsal, Joe [Walsh] just busted out that crazy riff and I said 'What the hell is that? We've got to figure out to make a song out of that."[1]Henley and Frey, the primary lyricists for the band, then wrote the lyrics for the song.[1]
Critical reception
Cash Boxsaid that "with the influence of six-stringerJoe Walsh,the Eagles are harder and funkier than ever here. "[2]Record Worldsaid that it's "the album's most hard-edged rocker, dominated by a Walsh-signature guitar line."[3]In 2016, the editors ofRolling Stonerated "Life in the Fast Lane" as the Eagles' eighth-greatest song.[1]In 2017,Billboardranked the song number four on their list of the 15 greatest Eagles songs,[4]and in 2019,Rolling Stoneranked the song number eight on their list of the 40 greatest Eagles songs.[5]
Personnel
Partial credits from liner notes.[6]
- Don Henley– lead vocals, drums
- Glenn Frey– backing vocals,clavinet
- Joe Walsh– lead guitar, rhythm guitar
- Don Felder– lead guitar, rhythm guitar
- Randy Meisner– bass guitar, backing vocals
Covers
In 2007, SwedishcountryandpopsingerJill Johnsonrecorded the song on her tenth studio albumMusic Row.[7]
The song was used as the soundtrack for theroller coasterEagles' Life in the Fast Lane,which opened atHard Rock Parkin May 2008.[8][9]
On July 25, 2019 the rock bandHinderreleased their cover of the song as a non album single.[10]
Charts
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] | 12 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[12] | 41 |
| USBillboardHot 100[13] | 11 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^abcdeEagles: The Ultimate Guide.Rolling Stone.2016. p. 87.
- ^"CashBox Singles Reviews"(PDF).Cash Box.May 14, 1977. p. 22.RetrievedDecember 26,2021.
- ^"Hits of the Week"(PDF).Record World.May 14, 1977. p. 1.RetrievedFebruary 16,2023.
- ^Graff, Gary (October 17, 2017)."The Eagles' 15 Best Songs: Critic's Picks".Billboard.RetrievedApril 8,2022.
- ^"The 40 Greatest Eagles Songs".Rolling Stone.September 22, 2019.RetrievedApril 8,2022.
- ^"Liner Notes - Hotel California (The Eagles)".Glennfreyonline.RetrievedMay 24,2014.
- ^"Music Row"(in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. 2007.RetrievedMay 24,2011.
- ^Cherney, Mike (May 13, 2009)."Freestyle Music Park Fills Out Offerings".The Sun News.Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2013.RetrievedMay 13,2009.
- ^Jones, Steve (August 11, 2014)."Freestyle rides headed from Myrtle Beach to Vietnam?".myrtlebeachonline.RetrievedOctober 27,2017.
- ^"Hinder Soar with Fresh Cover of Eagles' 'Life in the Fast Lane'".Loudwire.July 25, 2019.
- ^"Top RPM Singles: Issue 5238a."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.
- ^"Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5240."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.
- ^"Eagles Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.
- ^"British single certifications – Eagles – Life in the Fast Lane".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedJuly 30,2021.
External links
- "Life in the Fast Lane"atDiscogs(list of releases)