The meaning behind the Eagles’ “Hollywood Waltz” and Tom Petty’s collaborator who came up with the original idea.

Have you looked into the notebooks that contain the Don Henley lawsuit or the lyrics to songs like “Hotel California”? Perhaps these notebooks contain notes about the Eagles’ 1975 song “Hollywood Waltz”? There’s not much to mention. That’s because the person who wrote most of this song wasn’t even a member of the band.

What is the meaning behind “Hollywood Waltz”? Who was Tom Petty’s collaborator who came up with the initial idea? And why was the album it appeared on a turning point for the Eagles? All about it as we look back at this unheralded track. Let’s explore.

legendary night

1975 album one of this nightThe Eagles’ fourth LP boosted the group’s popularity to nosebleed levels. Their 1974 ballad “Best of My Love” was their first No. 1 hit. one of this night Taking advantage of this momentum, the title song “Lyin’ Eyes” and “Take It to the Limit” all became Top 5 singles. This was also the group’s first No. 1 album.

Its success coincided with internal strife within the band. It’s important to remember that the Eagles began their recording careers with each of the four members on relatively equal footing in terms of contributions. However, over time, Glenn Frey and Henry grew into a top songwriting team and began to dominate proceedings.

Furay and Henley also helped the Eagles move away from their early country rock specialty, which did not sit well with group member Bernie Leadon. Leadon also resented how his songwriting output was diminishing. As a matter of course, one of this night This will be his last album as a member of the band.

But he didn’t go away quietly. The album has three songwriting credits, including the instrumental “Journey of the Sorcerer” and the album’s closer “I Wish You Peace,” which he wrote with his then-girlfriend Patti Davis. . And then there was “Hollywood Waltz,” for which Reedon shared songwriting credits with Henry, Frey, and his brother Tom.

Contributions from outside

Tom Leadon, like his older brother Bernie, forged a career path in the field of music. He is best known for starting the band Mudcrutch with a young Tom Petty. (Pettit and Leadon would later reunite Mudcrutch for two albums.) In the mid-’70s, he joined his brother Bernie in California. While there, he witnessed blooming acacia trees in Topanga Valley, which became the inspiration for the original song.

Bernie Leadon remembered the song when the Eagles were looking for material for a song. one of this night. Tom Leadon handed the song over to the Eagles and explained the process in an interview with gainesvillerockhistory.com.

“I didn’t listen to it or ask permission because I knew they were in Miami in the middle of recording an album,” he said. There’s a few songs on each album, and I know that if I were to add some kind of delay to it or put some conditions on it that they might judge well, we wouldn’t do this. I was there. I had a lot of respect for them as songwriters. They went with the concept of the album, making it more Hollywood/Southern California and waxing philosophical about life in LA. ”

Meaning of “Hollywood Waltz”

Tom Leadon, who passed away in 2023, used a blooming acacia to begin a song about faded beauty still yearning to make the lifelong connections that have hitherto been elusive. Dreamland and the bus-like boomHenry sings to uplift the Southern California scene, but the story of one individual is of concern here.

In her life, the following cycle often repeats: They got what they wanted / They pack up and leave / To find someone they love as well. Still, she remains optimistic. she always wants to hug you again. In her chorus, the narrator implores her new man to please show her mercy, as many others have rejected her. Learn how to love her with all her flaws.

The beautiful music of “Hollywood Waltz,” including a lovely steel guitar and mandolin part played by Bernie Leadon, has a bittersweet pull, as does the Eagles’ typically gorgeous harmonies. Yet none of this would have been possible without the inspiration of Tom Leadon. Tom Reedon got the ball rolling on this character study with poignant pain.