Eagles

Released: September 24, 1979

Songwriter: J. D. Souther Joe Walsh Glenn Frey Don Henley

Producer: Bill Szymczyk

[Verse 1]
Out in the shiny night, the rain was softly falling
Tracks that ran down the boulevard had all been washed away
Out of the silver light, the past came softly calling
And I remember the times we spent inside the Sad Café

Oh, it seemed like a holy place, protected by amazing grace
And we would sing right out loud, the things we could not say
We thought we could change this world with words like "love" and "freedom"
We were part of the lonely crowd inside the Sad Café

[Chorus]
Oh, expecting to fly
We would meet on that beautiful shore in the sweet by and by

[Verse 2]
Some of their dreams came true, some just passed away
And some of them stayed behind, inside the Sad Café

{Acoustic Solo}

[Bridge]
The clouds rolled in and hid that shore
Now that Glory Train, it don't stop here no more
Now I look at the years gone by and wonder at the powers that be
I don't know why fortune smiles on some and lets the rest go free

[Verse 3]
Maybe the time has drawn the faces I recall
But things in this life change very slowly if they ever change at all
No use in asking why, it just turned out that way
So meet me at midnight baby inside the Sad Café
Why don't you meet me at midnight, baby, inside the Sad Café

{Saxophone Solo}

one of the most popular and successful bands of all time. Originating in Los Angeles in 1971, its founding members were Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. They saw the coming and going of various members, including Frey who passed away in 2016.

Eagles were a success from the start. Their eponymous debut album, Eagles (1972), saw three singles enter the Top 40: “Take It Easy”, “Witchy Woman”, and “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, reaching respective peaks of 12, 9, and 22.

At this point, however, the Eagles were just getting started. Their second album, Desperado (1973), featured two of their most popular songs of all “Tequila Sunrise” and title track “Desperado”. Additionally, the other songs were critically acclaimed for other reasons, such as Leadon’s performance on “Saturday Night”. You’d be wrong if you thought the Eagles were settling down after back-to-back triumphs. Their next album, On the Border (1974), had on it their first “Best of My Love”.

more tracks from the album

Selected Works: 1972–1999

From the albums

Eagles popular songs

The Sad CaféEagles

Eagles

Selected Works: 1972–1999